Honesty on Applications

Yes im very honset, i tell like it is up front, yes i did my stupid things like drinking and driving and it showed up my hire right report, 1972 driving while suspend,but no booze on it, misdemer, dang wish i could spell, but that whats happen when you get old , but by being honset with em they still hired me as the rest of hire right came up clean and i never did drugs, so too better myself i quit cold turky of any drinking back in 1990, never smoked anything, so im good too go but they always find something, guess i shouldnt aet that poppy bun , hamburger at the bosselmans the other day, o dang i screwed myself , now there gonna find drugs in me, Everett.

 

No, not everybody lies on job applications. Neither has everybody done some illegal drug.

When somebody says "everybody does....." it is nothing more than justification to one's self to participate in behavior known to be wrong.

No, I did not lie on my applications and resumes. Yes, I did try pot twice when I was fifteen years old...and didn't like it, so that was the end of my doping days. I have never had to lie on an application to get a job because I have never applied for a job I was not qualified to do.

 

As mention a few times already, the information on your application should mirror your MVR.
As for smoking pot or any other illegal drug, in ones past, that is honestly none of their business. Trick question, do not fall for it! Most applications want a 10 year work history and background, so, unless it was listed on a record it should not concern them.

 

Ok. Here's a situation for y'all. And I'm not proud of it at all. I served in the Navy from Oct 2000 till July 2001. I was discharged under other-than-honorable conditions. I was home on leave with some classmates from A school and went to a party and all of us smoked pot. Stupid, yes i know. One of my classmates told his roommate what we did and we were all put up for Captains Mast. I confessed and was discharged. I haven't smoked since. It was my first and last time. How will this affect me getting a job in the trucking industry? Or should i just leave that out on the application? Honest opinions, please. And any advice from an actual company recruiter would be great. Thanks y'all.

 

One of the reasons that it comes up is that trucking companies by default do a much more thorough background check than most companies do. A typical trucking company is going to do a USIS/DAC/Hireright check which includes "lifetime" driving employment history (detailed for the past 7 years), a criminal background check, and an MVR check. Many companies will also pay for a more general background check and a PSP check (inspections, accident and citations from the FMCSA's records. In an ordinary non-trucking company you've got some poor underling from HR who calls other HR underlings to verify your employment.

This stuff isn't foolproof, but as general rule you are probably going to be caught on a lie. Many companies will can you if you are caught lying on an application, a trucking company is just more likely to catch you. The reason veterans tell noobs to be honest isn't because we want them to be virtuous it's because we don't want them to be stupid.

In terms of the bigger question, the reason trucking companies dig so deep is because of the law, liability, and their own bad experiences. Companies are required by the Feds to get 10 years of driving employment history as well as MVR history. They are thorough because there is an army of ambulance chasers out there who would love to prove negligence in hiring after something bad happens (not to mention the recruiter wants to cover their backside in case you do something stupid). In terms of bad experiences ask any fleet owner who's been doing this a while about recovering abandoned trucks, drivers deadheading home to quit, and general horror stories and you'll get an earful.

 

i am sure you might be right when you say that many people "fib" from time to time. but to "fib" on a resume` will get you no where as that can be proven. to "fib" on a job application, at least in this industry, will get you fired when found out. now i'm sure "fibbing" on any application can get you fired, i'm sure trucking really pushes this issue.

no, "everyone has used some drug at some time"........!!

I DON'T.........and NEVER DID.........i never felt the need or "urge" to experiment with drugs. i'll admit to trying to smoke cigarettes, a pipe, and cigars, which cigars i will still smoke every once in a "blue moon"........but nothing else.

as someone else stated, to try and say, "everyone" implies that the original poster feels the need to qualify his/her actions of doing such. so as such, leave the rest of us out of the "everyone does or did it" speech, it just doesn't hold any weight.

trucking companies NEED honesty for any one (or all of) reasons.

the trucks cost a mint, the insurance, the customers freight, trust among the shippers/receivers, and fellow employee's all take a toll on a company, whether a multi-zillion dollar corporation, or a one man one truck operation.

a trucking company cannot survive if the trucks are parked and not rolling because they had hired scumbags instead of good people, and they lost business.

 

All the honesty, background checks, drug test .............................................

and take a look around the truck stops !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Doesn't seem to made too much of a difference !!!!!!

 

I think , but i could be wroung, but if you lie on resume,or app, the trucking will be thinking , that will carry over too dishonstey on there logs, picking up load's ,i could be wroung here,been wroung before, the shippers and rec's are looking for a honset driver too deliver there product, and if driver a lier and take a couple boxss of koolaid and gets too the rec and the count is wroung, who ya think there gonna blame, yup the truckdriver first, this way the your boss has some sorta proof that your not a lier and hardworking truck driver doing his job,anyway thats the way i see this post, sorry for getting off the post Everett.

 

First...don't believe anything a recruiter tells you...their job is to get people in the door...then Safety either allows them to stay or boots them right back out the door.

Your one time smoking pot...10 years ago won't effect anything at all in becoming a trucker...just be honest as you were here and should be no problem!

 

I haven't.... (and I am not lying nor joking)