How Do Trucking Companies Verify Experience and Ensure Safe Hiring

Trucking companies verify experience by checking a driver's commercial driver's license (CDL) and motor vehicle record (MVR).

They also review a driver's employment history to ensure they have the necessary experience and qualifications.

A typical CDL includes information about the driver's endorsements, restrictions, and any previous suspensions or revocations.

Trucking companies use this information to determine if a driver is qualified to operate a commercial vehicle safely.

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Trucking companies verify experience to ensure that drivers have the necessary skills and knowledge to operate a commercial vehicle safely. This is crucial because inexperienced drivers are more likely to be involved in accidents.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requires trucking companies to verify a driver's experience through a series of checks. These checks include reviewing the driver's employment history and checking for any past convictions or accidents.

Verification of experience also helps trucking companies to identify potential risks and take steps to mitigate them. For example, if a driver has a history of speeding tickets, the company can take steps to address this issue before it becomes a problem on the road.

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Trucking companies use a variety of methods to verify experience, including reviewing a driver's commercial driver's license (CDL) and checking for any endorsements or restrictions. They may also conduct background checks and review a driver's employment history to get a sense of their experience and qualifications.

By verifying experience, trucking companies can reduce the risk of accidents and improve the safety of their drivers and the public. This is why it's essential for drivers to be honest about their experience and qualifications when applying for a job with a trucking company.

Verifiable experience is trucking experience that can be confirmed by another carrier or otherwise proved. This is a key concept to understand when trying to get hired by a trucking company.

Truck driving experience that is verifiable is typically from the last three years, and employers need to make an earnest effort to gain a certain level of information from every past job you've held, whether driving or non-driving.

Recruiters will look for information such as how long you worked at each previous position, the type of vehicle you drove, accident history, drug and alcohol test results, and safety performance details.

Having verifiable experience can be a game-changer for drivers who haul specialty loads.

Over-dimensional freight is a great example of a specialty load that requires specific experience to haul.

If you haul over-dimensional loads, work verifications can help prove how much you hauled at previous companies, so you don't have to restart by hauling smaller loads and working your way up again.

Your new company may not qualify you to haul specialty loads if they can't get verifications from your previous carrier.

If your previous carrier will send verifications of your specialty hauling history, you may be eligible to start hauling specialty loads at your new company.

You may need to test into that class or work your way up again if your previous carrier can't verify your experience.

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Verifiable experience is trucking experience that can be confirmed by another carrier or proved in some other way. You can earn verifiable experience by working for a carrier that trains truck drivers, but if you didn't get training, you'll need to provide verifiable experience through work history.

Recruiters need to verify specific information from your past jobs, including how long you worked, the type of vehicle you drove, accident history, and drug and alcohol test results. They may also look for information on the previous loads you hauled, why you quit, and if you left in good standing.

To help recruiters gain this information, you'll need to provide good contacts from each of your previous jobs. They'll be the ones who can verify your experience.

Here are some key details recruiters look for in your work history:

The DOT requires trucking companies to verify employment history for the past three years. However, companies can also set their own requirements and may choose to verify more years than the minimum.

The employment verification process is a crucial step in the hiring process for trucking companies. They typically look back three years to verify employment history, but some companies may choose to verify more years than the minimum.

Trucking companies want to verify three big things: who the driver worked for, how long they were employed, and why they left that role. This helps recruiters determine if the driver is prone to job-hopping, which is a major red flag in the industry.

Here's what official employment verification confirms: dates of employment and job titles held, driving record, previous drug and/or alcohol testing results, whether the applicant refused to take a drug or alcohol test, and if the applicant was professionally referred to a rehabilitation program and whether or not they completed it.

In addition to verifying employment dates and accident information, prospective employers must also investigate general driver identification and employment verification information. They must also verify certain information about the driver-applicant's drug/alcohol testing history, unless the driver is applying to operate a vehicle that requires a CDL.

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A high volume of employment verification requests can be overwhelming for HR teams, with some companies receiving up to 10,000 requests per year.

This can lead to delays in processing, which is a major concern for employers.

Employers can mitigate this issue by implementing a digital verification process, which can automate the verification of employee information and reduce the workload of HR teams.

By automating the verification process, employers can free up staff to focus on more important tasks, such as onboarding new employees or resolving employee disputes.

HR teams can also prioritize high-risk requests, such as those from government agencies or large companies, to ensure timely processing.

According to industry estimates, a digital verification process can reduce the processing time for employment verification requests by up to 90%.

Carriers can verify employment for up to three years, as required by the DOT.

The regulations require carriers to verify employment for driver-applicants who have previous CMV driving experience within the three years preceding their application date.

Carriers must obtain written consent from the driver-applicant to make safety performance history inquiries with the applicant's previous DOT-regulated employers.

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The information that must be verified includes employment dates and accident information.

Carriers must verify certain information about the driver-applicant's drug/alcohol testing history, but only for drivers who are applying to operate vehicles that do not require a CDL.

Here are the specific verifications required for non-CDL positions:

Carriers must make a "reasonable effort" to reach previous employers, but there is no specific number of attempts required.

Carriers are required to document their efforts to reach previous employers and keep copies of those records in the driver qualification files.

Verifiable employment includes information about the driver's work history, including dates of employment, job titles, and reasons for leaving.

Official employment verification confirms the following:

Carriers are legally required to let job candidates know that they can review information provided by their former employers.

Trucking companies typically verify employment history for the past three years, but some may choose to verify more years.

To speed up the employment verification process, it's essential to keep good contacts from previous employers, especially if you've worked at smaller companies. This can make it easier for recruiters to reach out and verify your work history.

Accurate information is also crucial, as one small mistake can delay the process. Double-check your work history form to ensure all information is correct, and be mindful of the information you add, as major errors can be a deal-breaker.

Keep in mind that carriers don't have to make a specific number of attempts to verify employment, but it's industry best practice to make at least two good faith attempts.

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If you want to speed up the CDL employment verification process, here are three tips to help you out.

First, keep good contacts from your previous employers. This is especially important if you've worked for smaller companies with only a few trucks on the fleet. You should include phone numbers, addresses, and even DOT numbers on your work history form if possible.

Keeping good contact information is also helpful if you're an owner-operator and plan to work for a company again one day. It's like having a reference that can vouch for your experience and skills.

To speed up the process, be sure to accurately fill out your information. One transposed number can send recruiters on a wild goose chase trying to contact your previous employer. Double-check your work history to make sure it's accurate and complete.

Be honest about your past work history, too. If you leave out jobs or make major errors, it can delay the process and even get you turned away from some trucking companies. They'll easily discover that you were less than truthful when they talk to your previous employers.

Here are the key points to remember:

Don't be afraid to ask for help if you're stuck on a specific step in the employment verification process. The employer or HR representative is there to assist you.

If you're unsure about the required documentation, check the job posting or contact the employer directly to confirm what they need from you.

Make sure you have all necessary documents ready before starting the verification process to avoid delays.

Trucking companies are required to verify a driver's employment history for the past three years, but they can choose to verify more years if they want to. This is a legal requirement, and carriers must make a strong effort to dive into applicants' work history to gain information about the driver.

Carriers must conduct two kinds of background investigations on driver-applicants, including obtaining a Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) from every state where the applicant has held a driver's license or CDL within the three years preceding the application date.

Here are the two categories of information that must be verified with previous DOT employers:

For drivers applying to operate vehicles that do not require a CDL, carriers must also verify additional information, including whether the driver had violated the alcohol and controlled substances prohibitions, failed to undertake or complete a rehabilitation program, and had testing violations subsequent to completing a SAP referral.

Carriers are legally required to review a driver-applicant's employment history as part of the hiring process.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) mandates that carriers obtain information about a driver's preceding three years of work experience, including how long they worked at the employer and why they left.

Prospective employers must verify certain information with previous employers, including employment dates and accident information.

According to Section 391.23(e) of the FMCSRs, carriers must investigate general driver identification and employment verification information, as well as accident data for any accidents in which the driver was involved in the past three years.

The regulations require carriers to verify the following information from previous DOT employers for non-CDL positions:

Carriers must make these verifications for drivers who have previous CMV driving experience within the three years preceding their application date.

However, drivers with no CMV driving experience in the three years preceding their application date require no verification of employment under DOT regulations.

The FMCSRs require carriers to make these investigations and inquiries within 30 days of the driver's hire date, or prior to allowing drivers to operate CMVs.

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Trucking companies have strict hiring guidelines to ensure they're hiring the right person for the job. They want to make sure you can start on day one and know exactly what you're doing without needing extensive training.

Companies require a certain amount of trucking experience before hiring you. This can vary from company to company, but some may require at least six months to a year of over-the-road (OTR) experience.

Work verifications can reveal unseemly qualities about your previous experience that may not have been caught from other background reports. This can include abandoned trucks or minor moving violations that didn't get reported.

Some drivers may fudge the truth on their verifications, claiming to have worked at a company for longer than they actually did. This can be a red flag for hiring managers.

To ensure you fit into hiring guidelines, trucking companies will verify your employment history for the past three years. They'll check your employment dates, accident information, and drug/alcohol testing history.

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Here are some additional verifications that carriers must make for applicants of non-CDL positions: