Comments By Dan N.

I know it sounds like a silly question, but I have heard of people starting work and being let go soon after due to background checks. This is mostly government jobs, where they allow you to start while background checks are still ongoing. I'm not sure if a scenario like this is common in the freight industry or not. I haven't been given a start date, but the terminal manager said that after the drug screen comes back, he'd put me on the schedule for training. I hope that HR giving the green light to hire me is an indication that the process is at completion. I'd love to stop worrying about this.

Sorry! Actually it's not a silly question, because it's well known here that many of the big truckload carriers "hire" hundreds of people a week only to let many go soon after they have arrived for orientation because of background issues. I'm pretty sure that ABF does not operate that way. They, like most of the reputable LTL companies do all of the background checking before hiring. Sounds to me like you've got the job, pending clean drug screen. Congrats!

Can I assume that once I start my first day, that everything is good?

lol. Yes!

Did they give you a start date?

Dan wrote:

I have found that that, the better the job, the more drawn out the hiring process. By just about every account I've heard, ABF is a great company to work for. LTL companies like ABF, Old Dominion, SAIA, etc. are notorious for their long, drawn out hiring processes. It sounds like you got it...but stay humble and be patient.

That's a really great point. Completely agree with that, so true.

Thanks for the response guys. I assume that they wouldn't bother with the expense of doing a drug screen unless the background process was already complete. We all know what happens when you assume though. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

I wouldn't assume that. Most likely, the terminal manager liked what he saw in you and gave the go ahead to continue your hiring process. He is assuming that your background is as clean as you told him and is confident enough that he can start spending some money on you. The background check is still being conducted, most likely. Where I work, they send out a questionnaire to former employers and wait for them to be returned. This is the most time consuming step, as I understand it. They will give former employers a few weeks to respond, most likely. Some places, it's not unusual for it to take 2 months or more from date of application to date of official hire.

Hi guys. I was hoping someone could shed some light on ABF Freight's hiring process. I interviewed back in the middle of February and apparently that went well because the terminal manager submitted my hire packet to HR. That was on the 8th of March. I got a call from someone in HR asking me to verify my birth date about a week later. She said from there she was sending my information to background. Yesterday, the terminal manager asked me to come in for a drug screen which I took today along with the physical. I know I will pass them both. I guess my question is, am I hired or is there possibly still anything that could jeopardize my chances? At this point, is the background check still ongoing, or am I in the clear? By the way, this is a dock-only casual position. I am considering a career change and thought that working the dock was a good way to get my feet wet. You know, to find out if a career in freight would be good for me. I also thought that it might be a good way to get my foot in the door. I hear it's hard to get a job at ABF. Anyway, do you guys think I pretty much got the job if I've already taken the drug screen? Thanks to all who reply.

Andrew, I have found that that, the better the job, the more drawn out the hiring process. By just about every account I've heard, ABF is a great company to work for. LTL companies like ABF, Old Dominion, SAIA, etc. are notorious for their long, drawn out hiring processes. It sounds like you got it...but stay humble and be patient.

Hey there y'all! Well I have been presented with the opportunity to drive for CRST. They offered me free CDL training and guaranteed job placement following completion of training. I was wondering if anyone could tell me what the mileage rate is for new drivers and also the training pay rate. I do appreciate any and all information on CRST and what it's like to work for them. New to trucking in general so all information is appreciated.

If you followed the link to the "Review"* of CRST you got contradictory information:

"At CRST you will run solo after training."

...and...

"CRST runs almost exclusively with teams."

The second statement is correct (as old school stated).

There are plenty of other companies that offer similar training, and will allow you to go solo upon completion.

*A review is usually understood to be an evaluation or assessment of something that one has experience with. The trucking truth "reviews" are really just profiles of companies... as offered by the companies. Information that anyone can glean from the company websites. Useful, up to a point. Problems arise when companies don't live up to all that they claim in their profile. Real reviews would be helpful in finding that out.

This is really good stuff Brett. Proven Rat Repellent,..."THE TRUTH".

I've picked-off many conversations going off the rails at my DC's driver lounge. I interject every time with; "Where did you hear that?" Like a sputtering prop-plane running out of fuel,...the "cheerleader" for the topic is quickly disarmed.

I have ba**s when it comes to refuting BS,...imagine that? If you are so inclined and have experience contrary to the dribble they are spreading, call these types on their malarkey, they typically retreat and you are left with at least one or two drivers (many times newbies) with more of an open mind and an improved BS detector.

A lot of truck drivers like to gossip and complain. It's got nothing to do with how successful they are or will become. It's just human nature. They complain about customers, dispatch, load planners, equipment, the weather, their wives,.... and everything else under the sun. There are guys at my company who have been there over 30 years - Top-tier, cream of the crop, decorated and highly paid drivers.... and if you encounter them in the lounge, guess what? They're moaning and groaning about something, most likely. Big deal! If your desire to succeed is so fragile that you can't handle being around some guys b.s.'ing, blowin' off some steam, or whatever, then you don't belong in this industry.

And. btw, gtown, if you walked in the lounge where I now work, (or any other place i've worked) and started that kind of confrontational, tough-guy stuff, you would be a driver with few if any friends among the drivers there.

Hey all.

I used to post here until I got banned during a discussion about driver facing cameras at Swift. Brett (or one of the moderators) banned me because I persisted in making logical and coherent arguments against driver facing cameras that exposed the tortured logic and general speciousness of their arguments in favor of said cameras. Well, in case you haven’t heard the news, Swift has finally relented (as some of us knew they would, eventually) and is removing the driver facing cameras from their trucks (forward facing remains). They cite the resulting driver discontent and lagging recruitment efforts as reasons for the change in policy.

Score: Complaining drivers and discerning recruits 1, Company “yes” men and other dumbasses 0