New Drivers: Research prospective employers

This is solid advice, especially for new drivers who don’t know what to look for yet.

I’d add a few more things that tend to get overlooked:

• FMCSA BASIC scores – Don’t just look at “satisfactory / unsatisfactory.” Dig into which BASIC categories are high (HOS, vehicle maintenance, unsafe driving). Patterns matter more than the overall rating.

• Inspection history vs fleet size – A company with 50 trucks and almost no inspections showing up can be just as concerning as one with a bad score. Sometimes it means trucks are being routed to avoid scales.

• Pay structure clarity – If a recruiter can’t clearly explain detention, layover, breakdown pay, or how fuel surcharge is calculated, that’s usually intentional.

• Turnover clues – Constant “hiring now” ads combined with poor equipment usually means drivers aren’t staying.

• Dispatch communication – Ask current drivers how loads are assigned. Forced dispatch and “just take it” attitudes show up early.

One other thing I tell people: if something feels rushed during the hiring process, it usually is. Legit operations don’t pressure you to decide overnight.

 

Really, this all sounds like pushing, because II investigated companies that I wanted to go to work for and hardly found anything on them but I did find one thing I found the dot number was 11 years old.So it's an older company, but somehow, a 25-year-old man owns it.I don't get it.Don't tell me that that's gonna work.D o t don't give a s*** either