Overcoming work history gaps / getting foot in the door in 2018

Work history is an issue - and it will be an issue for any company worth working at. Lots of people only look at everything from their own side - what they want - instead of looking at the complete reality of the situation as it actually is.

From the company side, it costs a crap ton of money, time and trouble to process in a new driver and good companies (especially the good ones - but all of them really) don't want to waste money time and effort on people that are almost certainly going to quit soon after starting.

Your work history and your driving record are the strongest indicators they have as to whether you are likely to be a good choice or a bad one - from their perspective.

There are several things you can do that may help you. First, go to your nearest employment commission office (or whatever they call it in your area) and ask if there are any WorkForce or similar programs that will pay for your truck driving school. If so do that and get your CDL.

You can also try going in and talking to people at smaller trucking companies face to face in your area. They may be more receptive to your explanation where larger companies just have set parameters and procedures you either meet or you don't.

The downside to that approach is that it takes more time effort and legwork on your part. Another issue is insurance companies - many of them will not allow the trucking companies they insure to hire inexperienced drivers at all. Others have very strict screening criteria. The point is that you will never know whether they will hire you or not if you don't ask. The worst they can say is no - so ask.

If you can't find a program or a company to help you locally - then just keep applying to larger national companies that sponsor training - if you do eventually one of them will say YES - so long as your driving record and all else are OK. Once you get that job ----- DO NOT QUIT! ------ hang onto it for at least a good solid year. Learn the ropes, develop your skills and look at it as a year-long training and career building program. Keep in mind that almost everyone else who starts when you do WILL quit within a few weeks to a few months. Don't worry about them - do what you need to do to build a good solid foundation for your own career.

Once you have that time in and a good driving record during that time - then you have it made and your previous past of job hopping becomes irrelevant. You will be able to go to just about any company you like and once you get another year on top of that first one you are pretty much all set. Just remember that from the moment you enter the trucking industry you are still writing your own work history with your actions each and every day...

 

Great post, all but this part. Most of the top 100 carriers self underwrite. They set their own policy when it comes to hiring decisions and what they will allow. In fact if they did not self underwrite most could not afford the cost. It is the small mom and pops that have this insurance issue. Most carriers with at least 500 or more trucks are self insured. Otherwise your post was brilliant and VERY true!

 

I am like a few others here, but I am a mean old man so I have to ask something, OP, have you just applied and see what happened instead of worrying about a trivial thing?

Here is the thing and some will disagree with me but I look at applications almost every week, and seem to think that your work record starts on the day you GET your CDL, not before.

 

Not to that extent, but i am a little bit that way myself. As an employer, it is up to me also to ask questions. Don't lie, be calm and just answer the questions asked. Also don't be a rambler and overshare. As a potential employer I don't care about the problems with your girlfriend and how your parents didn't hug you enough as a child. Keep it to facts, and not making excuses.

 

The OP don't have a CDL. Honestly at 32 he is in a great spot. He just don't understand it. The advice to get a CDL at a tech school was the best. Get that CDL and put in some apps, somebody will hire him!

 

my work history sucked too. i funded my own cdl and never heard a peep about it. mega companies may not be willing to take the risk of funding you for schooling, but rest assured, recruiters will be begging you to join if they see you’re determined and already got your cdl

company funded schooling is just another ballgame. the company is taking a risk on you. they want some reassurance that you’ll actually complete the training and stick around for your indebted servitude. a man with little work history is usually a broke man who isn’t particularly worried about taking a credit hit for fleeing his obligations to a company

 

Yeah I saw that and that's why I said his work record doesn't start until he gets one, so he is safe. He can make something up and have someone vouch for him and all that crap but as I think you mentioned, until he drivers for a company under FMCSA rules/regs, nothing is important.

 

One of the very first things the FMCSA will do on an audit is look at that carrier's accident register. Then take that and get access to the DQFs of the drivers listed. They can sit at a desk and use a laptop or tablet computer and access ALL that drivers data. If anything is missing the fines can get into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. The FMCSA then takes their part 350 data and will go look at drivers logs to see if they match. Same with accidents. Those FMCSA auditors can make a safety head knees knock. No use trying to bull your way out of anything they find, and YES they will find something. Way back in the 80s my fathers company W R Grace had such an audit. The after effects of that audit stayed with GDS until that part of the business was closed. (yes I know Grace still operates tankers). This is why most of these carriers are scared to death of 391.23. This fright is why the carriers are so dang hard on job histories. I'm telling all of you the FMCSA along with their state partners are NOT kidding about keeping dangerous drivers OFF the road.

 

Yes. I had a past employee with some company letterhead type up a letter indicating start/stop dates and describing my job. The company that was bought by Old Dominion DID NOT report to DAC. It looked like I was sitting on the couch for 2 years without the letter.

 

Just for the record I HIGHLY advise every still active driver EVEN if you are an OO running your own numbers to access THIS webpage and get a statement. This can be a major help later on in the case of a now out of business business.