So what do i have to report to employer when applying?

If you believe that your former employer has not reported an accident, but it is on your DAC, that is seen as dishonesty on YOUR part. IF an accident is showing on your PSP, BUT it was plead down to a lower infraction which shows differently on your MVR then you need to know what your potential employer will see.

 

I've never heard of anyone "pleading down" an accident. Can you explain this?

I always thought that for DOT reporting purposes, either a person is involved in a DOT-reportable "accident" or they're not.

If I'm asked on an application if I was involved in any "accidents" or "incidents" in the past X years, I'm writing my answer according to the DOT definition- NOT the DAC reporting system's employer-skewed criteria and records.

If the company uses a third-party system like DAC, that's their business. I have nothing to do with it and everyone should know it's a record-management system paid for by employers, for employers, NOT drivers.

If a company wants to rely on that system to determine who it hires and fires- their business. I don't need to drive for them.

Now, if anyone wants to volunteer information about themselves that IS NOT on any FEDERAL or STATE accident/infraction record-management system, then that is a personal choice, not a legal one.

To define "honesty" and "dishonesty" based on a person's disclosure matching what the DAC reporting system maintains is not a reasonable suggestion in my book. It's not a trucker's bible. It's a third-party record-management system maintained by a private entity paid for, mostly by employers paying for background checks on drivers.

If an "incident" or "accident" is reported in the DAC system, but does not appear in any federal or state record management system, then that is dishonesty on the part of the employer who falsely made the report and the DAC system which continues to permit entries by employers without proof while maintaining a much higher burdern of proof from drivers who dispute entries.

 

When it comes down to the hiring process the carrier is going to be asking questions as they relate to parts 382, 383, and 391. In fact, in some cases, they are mandated to ask for this information. I have spoken about databases for almost 5 years now on these boards. DAC, CLUE, and DMV files are where the carriers are going to go to get this information. It's also important to remember not all accidents are recordable and not all will hit a drivers DMV. The primary thing YOU as an applicant should remember is the information you put on that application needs to reflect what is in these databases.

Speaking of accidents. If a driver sideswiped another truck in a truck stop or a final somewhere this accident may or may not be in their DMV, but for sure it will be on DAC and on the CLUE database. Just because an accident is not on a drivers DMV does NOT mean it's not out there waiting to be discovered. This industry is VERY heavily regulated by the FMCSA and the states. The hiring process is part of this regulation. I suggest as strongly as I know how that ALL applicants have some idea of what is on your DMV, DAC and the data held by the FMCSA SMS system before you fill out an application. This fact along with popping positives on pre employment screens is why the majority of drivers get sent home from orientation!

 

I won't show up to an orientation until after I've had an offer of employment and every pre-employment check is finished. And yes, that means I refuse to work for a mega or take a bus out to the boonies without being assured that I have a truck waiting for me.

Maybe that's where the rub is on this discussion. We're comparing apples and oranges when talking about application processes of a normal company vs. megas. [even though megas are becoming the "norm"]

 

This is what you report...