Getting a New Trucking Job

So you've been a truck driver for a while and you want to get a new job that pays more money, maybe a little more home time? Or perhaps you want a job where you're home every night?

You can research a Trucking Company here
https://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/


Well, there's some things you NEED to know BEFORE you fill that out application for that new job.

1.) Your Colorado Motor Vehicle Report (if you live in another state, pull the state you live in). You can go to your local Driver's License Bureau in Colorado and get a copy.  Make sure you ask for a certified copy.  They will stamp it and imprint the state seal so that it proves that it is an official copy. The cost is $10.

You can find a location nearest to you here
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1PQlBindfaGsFo51NKvjYwMlVMAk&ll=39.01253494815239%2C-106.18308118906248&z=7

Keep this in mind...from the day you obtained a standard driving license in Colorado, every ticket, accident and violation you have had whether with a standard driving license or a Commercial Driver's License will appear on your Colorado Motor Vehicle Report.  Violations and accidents do not fall off after 3 years.  However, points will fall off of your Colorado MVR after 24 months, BUT a company that pulls your MVR can see the violation and how many points it was even if the points have already expired by Colorado's standards.  

2.) Your HireRight DAC Report

https://ows01.hireright.com/consumer_request/entry?entry=create_consumer_request

The DAC report contains EVERY piece of information on you since you came into the transportation industry.  Your job history, your residence history, your preventable accidents that you have had with each trucking company, your criminal background history and I'm sure there's a few other things in there. Using the link above it costs you NOTHING to obtain a copy.  You can either obtain a copy in the mail or you can opt to receive a PDF file in your email (recommended).


3.) PSP Report (Pre-Employment Screening)

https://www.psp.fmcsa.dot.gov/psp/home

This contains ALL of your DOT Inspections and ANY AND ALL accidents you had in a Commercial Vehicle.  (This will not have any information regarding accidents or tickets in your personal vehicle).  The items on this report remain there for 3 years.

Once you have all three of these reports, you need to carefully go over them and look for ANY discrepancies, errors or inconsistent information and if you find any, you need to contest it.  You should be pulling these reports ONCE A YEAR to ensure accuracy even if you aren't looking for a new job.  Inaccurate or erroneous information can get you terminated or suspended from your current job.

Your PSP will retain all accident and inspection information.  Inspections will stay on for 3 years. Crashes involving a CMV will stay on for 5 years. A crash is considered anything with a police report and damage. 

 

However, I have noticed a deer strike that I had where damage on was never reported to the PSP and doesn't show up. So go figure. You're largely at the mercy of the law enforcement official taking the report and submitting it. 

If you have an animal strike, ALWAYS get a copy of the police report and keep that with you so if you go to an interview you can show them that and they can take a copy.

Edit: 08/03/2024

You can now challenge or appeal things on your FMCSA PSP report by using the FMCSA DataQ system.

https://dataqs.fmcsa.dot.gov/

4.)  10 Year Job History - Have this written down or typed up in a MS Word document.  You must account for ANY and ALL gaps in employment.  Starting date to ending date.  (mm/dd/yy - mm/dd/yy.  However some employer's applications may only ask for the month and year).  Always keep this up to date and readily available.  You will need company name, addresses, phone numbers, supervisor name, your position there, reason for leaving.  

5.)  10 Year Residence History - Have this written down or typed up in a MS Word document. Always keep this up to date and readily available.  Know the physical address, city, state and zip code and the beginning dates and end dates. 

6.)  10 Year Traffic Ticket History - A listing of ALL traffic tickets you received in the past 10 years.  Most companies will either ask for 10 years of ticket history, 7 years, 5 years or 3 years.  It will vary from company to company.  If it shows up on your MVR, DAC Report or PSP report, you MUST LIST IT on your application! Failure to list any ticket on those three reports will constitute falsifying your application and you will be kicked out of the hiring process or if hired, you can later be terminated.  Most companies don't require the listing of parking tickets.  All others must be listed.

7.)  10 Year Accident History - List all accidents and preventables that you've had in the past 10 years.  Again, some companies will ask for 10 year history, 7 year history, 5 year history or 3 year history.  The better the company the more strict their standards will be and the harder it is to get on there.  This is because they want SAFE DRIVERS!  If it shows up on your MVR, DAC Report or PSP report, you MUST LIST IT on your application! Failure to list any accidents or preventables on those three reports will constitute falsifying your application and you will be kicked out of the hiring process or if hired, you can later be terminated.  Doesn't matter if it was in your car or your Commercial Truck, they must be listed.

(Note: I typically keep all my 10 year history in a single Word document and I export it to PDF and then email it to myself and upload it to my phone, so I have it anywhere at anytime should I need it.

I also keep a scanned copy of my MVR, CDL w/ Endorsements, My DAC Report PDF, My PSP Report PDF, and my 10 year history PDF in a file folder on my computer as well as attaching all four documents to an email and sending it to myself and then uploading all four documents to my phone.  You never know when you will need them.)

8.) If you plan on applying for a job that requires a Hazmat Endorsement, Triples/Doubles or Tankers Endorsement, BE SURE TO GET THEM BEFORE you apply for the job.  Most companies don't want to wait on you to get them.  They want you to have them when you apply and be ready to go to work as quickly as possible.

The DMV Genie App allows you to study and practice taking CMV tests, Endorsement tests for Doubles/Triples, HAZMAT,  and Tanker.  You can use it for any state, for standard driver's licenses or commercial driver's licenses.  You can take the tests as many times as you need.  The tests on the app are nearly identical to the test's administered in Colorado, however on the actual Colorado tests, the wording on a few questions is a little different, so be on the lookout for that. You get two chances a day to take the test and pass it, so study on the app while you're sitting there waiting your turn, then go knock it and get it done!

So if you have an android phone

Download the DMV Genie Practice Test App

if you have an iPhone

Download the DMV Genie Practice Test App

9.)  Call the CORPORATE OFFICE (do not call your local terminal) of the company that you want to apply to and ask to speak someone in Human Resources and ask them the following questions

• How many points do you allow on your license and in what time frame?
• How many moving violations do you allow and in what time frame?
• How many accidents do you allow and in what time frame?
• What is the total combination of accidents and tickets you allow and in what time frame?
• Do you hire drivers with felonies? (if applicable)
• Do you hire drivers with serious traffic offenses? (careless, reckless, DWI/DUI, etc if applicable)

If you fall in their standards for hire, then you can apply for the job.  However, say for instance you have 6 points on your license in the past 7 years and the company you are wanting to apply to only allows 4 points in the past 7 years, then you know you aren't eligible so why waste your time or theirs?  

Knowing these things beforehand can save you a lot of time and disappointment.

Now that you have all this information accumulated and you know what's on those reports, you can now fill out your job application.  Fill it out COMPLETELY and TRUTHFULLY.  Honesty is always the best policy.  You don't want to be disqualified from the hiring process.

You can expect to have a sit down interview, a road test, a drug test and a DOT Physical. Take your time on your road test, obey all traffic signs, use your mirrors and ALWAYS assume you have Hazmat on the road test and stop at every railroad crossing, even if you aren't asked to.  

Once your background check and MVR come back, you can expect to get a Final Offer of Employment and you will be asked when you want to start.  

Be sure to ALWAYS give your current employer 2 weeks notice.  If they say they don't need you to stay 2 weeks, be sure to get a letter from your boss in writing or email stating this for your records.  

Now you're all set to start that new job! Good luck!