About a year ago I had a seasonal cdl job that I held for about 2 months. Everything was going well until I became extremely ill and needed to quit. I was told by my doctors I should take some time off and let my body recuperate. I'm healthy again and looking for another driving job, but I'm curious if I need to disclose the fact that I worked as a cdl driver to any new company I apply for? I know for a fact that the nature of my previous illness would hinder my ability to get a new job. Is there some kind of DOT registry they can look at to tell if I had held a cdl position before?
Is there a way for employers to check previous CDL jobs held?
Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by starmelt, Oct 14, 2012.
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Yes. And you must tell the DOT physical folks (not the company) what your previous medical problem was.
On this issue, they do not play around. The company however, may not ever know the nature of your illness but the physical have every right to ask. If it is unsafe for you to drive you do not want to drive. Period. The job pays well but not enough to risk your life or the safety of the public. -
I guess I wouldn't mind telling them that I became ill, but I'd rather not tell them about this last job. How would the company check my previous cdl jobs?
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They go and check your DAC report...or USIS as it's now called. Any (decent) company you work for will report your employment to them...time worked, accident report, conditions on which you left the company, etc. Just like any company (decent) will check that report when you apply.
Now having said that, tell them about this last company. Most places you apply for will work with a slightly negative hit on your DAC...excepting quit under load, abandoning equipment, etc.; if you tell them. If you don't, it's like you're lying to them. They will (and should) fire you and send you home. After all you're asking them to trust you with rather expensive equipment, and possibly highly valuable customer freight...with minimum supervision; and you want to start out by being dishonest?SpiritCDL Thanks this. -
By law (FMCSA regs), you are required to give your last ten years employment record.
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Big mistake in my original post. I put 2 months, but in reality it was only 2 weeks. Now you guys can see why I'm reluctant to put that information down. They're going to think I'm some kind of quitter. I would be reluctant to hire someone who worked at a company for 2 weeks. For the record, it wasn't an OTR driving job. It was a class b job delivering cleaning supplies. I'm trying to apply for a local class b food route.
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I suppose I'm different; you seem very concerned about the illness you had. I wouldn't list the other job & I wouldn't mention the illness if its something the DOT physical won't see on a blood test, etc, & not something that will affect your driving ability. In the human being there is an innate need to confess or reveal information even if it negatively affects a person. If your DAC is clean, then you're clean. Try just one company first to see what happens. If they hire you, stay with them 6 mos. then move on if you want. If you're required refresher training & don't have money, go with company that will provide that.
CLICK HERE for a list of trucking companies that hire new drivers. -
I have driven for several Class B companies and Not 1 has ever reported to DAC. I have also Driven for Class A companies and most never reported to my DAC. Most of the "big" companies will report to DAC just because if you won't drive for them they don't want you to drive for anyone.
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As far as the illness, it would depend on what it is. If it's something that just kicked your backside but doesn't show up on any tests, then it's not a big issue. There are specific medical issues that will block you from driving or require more effort to enable you to drive (medications, monitoring, etc.). Some medications are not allowed for truck drivers no matter what.
Either way, you will need to explain the gap in employment on the application. The larger issue is how long you have held your CDL. If you have had it for several years, it may not be an issue, but if you have only had it for a little over a year, then you are going to have problems getting back in the seat. Being out of the seat for a long period of time can be problematic.SpiritCDL Thanks this.
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