Northern Californian looking to get into trucking

When you apply for CDL work via an application -- employers will then do their own employment verification.

With that said -- if you can -- it's not a bad idea at all to contact former employers (or visit them, if practical) -- & ask for a copy of your old W2 forms -- just in case. If a tax professional (like H&R Block) helped you with your taxes -- they should have W2 copies still on file.

The DOT physical will be done all over again by a clinic of choice by Swift, Schneider...or whomever -- & they eat that cost....don't worry about it.

Don't concern yourself with hazmat until your CDL school is about to issue you your CDL. It's a great idea to study for the hazmat exam before that point in time, however.

You want that hazmat on your CDL (as well as tanker) -- because those endorsements make you more attractive to more carriers -- & you stand out better from the other CDL job candidates who don't have them.

Those endorsements also open doors to the better-paying loads/jobs.

Most hazmat loads are not the really scary, dangerous stuff like:

• nuclear waste
• septic tank pump-off
• super-lethal gasses
• nitroglycerin

...but are instead the more mundane, everyday items we all use like:

• hairspray
• charcoal
• nail polish remover
• paints
• booze

These items still require a hazmat endorsement for you to pull them, if in sufficient quantities.

-- L

 

I’ve never had to provide W2’s for a job. Should all be pretty easy for a company to look up

 

If you were employed by a company long enough to get a W-2 from them -- I would list/include it on your job application(s).

Be as accurate as you can with dates of employment, as well.

Do not provide any more info than what is requested...for each question.

For example: "Have you had any accidents/incidents/tickets in the last 3 years?" .....but you did get a parking ticket 3 years & 1 month ago....your correct answer would be..."no".

Don't mention/list the parking ticket.

-- L

 

Supplemental:

In most cases....it's best if you can somehow get your CDL on your own...thru a nearby tech school, or community college.

When I got mine...the tech school was about a 25-minute commute from my residence. Most of the expenses were actually eaten up by grants & scholarships. I paid out-of-pocket for the gas to-&-from, any meals...& any tests.

California is a mega-giveaway state...so it makes sense to me you should easily qualify for boocoo grants &/or scholarships to pay for nearby CDL school tuition.

If you pay out-of-pocket for your CDL school -- you should be aware of the fact that most companies...like Swift, Schneider, etc...will reimburse to you your CDL tuition costs -- up to a certain amount...which of course varies by company. It's usually several thousand dollars.

If you apply for a CDL job with Swift, Schneider, etc... & you already have a CDL....plus the relevant endorsements (tanker, hazmat, doubles-triples)...plus a "TWIC" card....plus a valid US passport (for possible loads going into Canada)...then you are much more compelling job candidate for them.

That's how I got in with Schneider....when I first started CDL driving.

-- L

 

List all employment, whether you can verify it or not.
What's the new medication for?
Don't go overboard with too much information about anything. It's like you're trying to ensure you never will be employed.
You're applying to drive trucks, not to be a nuclear physicist.

 

Most companies won't hire someone on ADHD medication. Used to until a year or so ago. Some drivers had issues out on the road, so now most companies rather not deal with it.