Companies That Won't Hire With Less Than 1 Year Of US Driving Licence

Hi,

I'm a foreign-born, legal immigrant with a Green Card, I've been in the country since the end of October 2016. There is a reciprocity agreement between the state of Connecticut and my country of origin that allowed me to get a CT DL from the CT DMV. So I now have both a recent CT DL, and my original, 17-year old foreign DL (in my country of origin the DL never needs renewing, you keep the same paper all your life).

I've read several times on various forums that some trucking companies might not hire me if I have had my US DL for less than 1 year, even if I get my CDL. However when I asked the closest school (AllState in Seymour, CT), and about a dozen companies they invited for a job fair (including Schneider and Lily), everyone there told me they do not apply that rule, and that it wouldn't prevent me from being hired. I looked online for the hiring requirements of many companies using the info compiled on Trucking Truth, and I think I only found 1 or 2 companies than mentioned something like that.

I asked a different question on this forum a few days ago, and the only answer I got was again about this alleged requirement 1-year of US DL.

Does anybody know which companies actually apply that "rule"? Or is it some bull**** gossip being repeated from forum to forum without any solid basis among the vast majority of the thousands of trucking companies that are out there?

I have 17-years of driving experience (cars, not trucks!) with no accident except once when I was rear-ended while stopped at a red light (so I was not responsible), and no speeding tickets in the last 3 or 4 years (despite the thousands of automatic speed cameras littering the roads in my country of origin). And of course my US records are clean as I have only been driving for a few months, and I pay attention as I don't want to endanger my chances of become a truck driver (btw, it's surprising how nobody ever respects the speed limits in this country, despite the high number of cop cars around).

Thanks!

Hello Frank S., at least two companies require that you have minimum one year experience driving in the U.S. with a valid DL... Prime requires one year, Wil-Trans/Jim Palmer requires three years experience. They do not allow exceptions; it is a requirement of their insurance carriers.

Wil-Trans:

Darrel Wilson bought his first tractor in 1980 at age 20, but, being too young to meet OTR age requirements, he leased the truck out and hired a driver.

Through growth and acquisition, Wil-Trans now employs over 200 drivers, and has a long-standing partnership with Prime, Inc. to haul their refrigerated freight. The family of businesses also includes Jim Palmer Trucking and O & S Trucking.

Frank, instead of checking with people on a forum, your best bet would be to ask company recruiters directly (not a private school). Make that your first question, then you won't be wasting anyone's time.

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Errol suggests to Frank:

Frank, instead of checking with people on a forum, your best bet would be to ask company recruiters directly (not a private school). Make that your first question, then you won't be wasting anyone's time.

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Frank this is almost to the word what I was about to write to you. Since most of us had a valid DL for many years before getting a CDL and then applying for employment with a trucking company, we wouldn't necessarily know the policy governing your situation. Heeding Errol's advice is the best approach for you to take at this point.

Good luck.

Frank, I'm thinking the big issue with having a Driver's License for one year is more of a State issue than it is a company issue. Many of the States will not allow you to obtain the CDL without proof of holding a U.S. Driver's license for one year.

Correct Old School....I'm British...been driving on CDL over here for 2.5 years now but the state of Missouri would not allow me to apply for my CDL permit without 1 year of driving on a standard car license.

Frank, I'm thinking the big issue with having a Driver's License for one year is more of a State issue than it is a company issue. Many of the States will not allow you to obtain the CDL without proof of holding a U.S. Driver's license for one year.

Im in the same boat, I was overseas so I never got a license, here stateside Ive had a permit for about 2 years(lived in downtown la literally drove nowhere ever), then I got my license, so ive only 'had a license' for a few months. Figured I'd give a prime recruiter a call to see if the one year included driving permits, and it does not.