Work History

Topic 22705 | Page 1

Page 1 of 1
Eli K.'s Comment
member avatar

Hello I am 19 yo , I know i want to become a truck driver at 21 but I don’t have a work history, i was in high school and now i am in college but after summer I will be dropping out and I will get a regular job till i reach 21 , so I will only have a 1.5 year work history, will that prevent me from getting hired? Thank you guys

Rob T.'s Comment
member avatar

Somebody will definitely hire you. The biggest thing is they want to see you were doing something productive whether it be work or school. However, some companies may pass due of limited work history, but more so your age. Yes you may be legally allowed to drive interstate but many companies require 23 for insurance purposes. When the time comes if you go the private school route be sure to get plenty of prehires.

Interstate:

Commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation from one state to another, regulated by the Federal Department Of Transportation (DOT).

Prehire:

What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?

Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.

We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.

A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment

The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.

During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.

Prehires:

What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?

Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.

We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.

A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment

The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.

During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.

Eli K.'s Comment
member avatar

I though companies like swift and cr England hires at 21 :(

Somebody will definitely hire you. The biggest thing is they want to see you were doing something productive whether it be work or school. However, some companies may pass due of limited work history, but more so your age. Yes you may be legally allowed to drive interstate but many companies require 23 for insurance purposes. When the time comes if you go the private school route be sure to get plenty of prehires.

Interstate:

Commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation from one state to another, regulated by the Federal Department Of Transportation (DOT).

Prehire:

What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?

Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.

We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.

A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment

The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.

During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.

Prehires:

What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?

Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.

We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.

A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment

The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.

During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.

Jrod's Comment
member avatar

Somebody will definitely hire you. The biggest thing is they want to see you were doing something productive whether it be work or school. However, some companies may pass due of limited work history, but more so your age. Yes you may be legally allowed to drive interstate but many companies require 23 for insurance purposes. When the time comes if you go the private school route be sure to get plenty of prehires.

My company has a "23 is technically OK, but we prefer 25 or older" stand on age. But, we also require 18-24 months of Tractor-Trailer experience with Sleeper Cab (so, OTR , basically), so 9/10 times is a moot point. 23 yr olds don't usually have 2 years experience of sleeper cab work.

On last thing: Just know that if you're DONE with school, your real resume starts NOW. If you take a dishwasher job and quit after a month, then a pizza delivery job and quit after 3 months, and then a telemarketing job for a few weeks, etc... (I just made things up, please don't feel like I'm judging you, I just remember what it was like being that age) that will be the only job performance any company willing to give you a shot can base your work ethic off of. So find something you can live with until that driving opportunity comes up.

Friendly advice from a Recruiting Director.

OTR:

Over The Road

OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.

Interstate:

Commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation from one state to another, regulated by the Federal Department Of Transportation (DOT).

Prehire:

What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?

Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.

We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.

A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment

The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.

During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.

Prehires:

What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?

Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.

We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.

A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment

The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.

During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.

∆_Danielsahn_∆'s Comment
member avatar

Plenty is Training companies will hire 21+ You just have to figure out your goals, and start matching them to the potential companies. Find a job and stick with it, even if it turns out to be a terrible place. It is a means to an end.

Eli K.'s Comment
member avatar

Thank you for your advice, should i go to a private school at 21 and try to get some prehire letters or should i wait till i reach 23?

double-quotes-start.png

Somebody will definitely hire you. The biggest thing is they want to see you were doing something productive whether it be work or school. However, some companies may pass due of limited work history, but more so your age. Yes you may be legally allowed to drive interstate but many companies require 23 for insurance purposes. When the time comes if you go the private school route be sure to get plenty of prehires.

double-quotes-end.png

My company has a "23 is technically OK, but we prefer 25 or older" stand on age. But, we also require 18-24 months of Tractor-Trailer experience with Sleeper Cab (so, OTR , basically), so 9/10 times is a moot point. 23 yr olds don't usually have 2 years experience of sleeper cab work.

On last thing: Just know that if you're DONE with school, your real resume starts NOW. If you take a dishwasher job and quit after a month, then a pizza delivery job and quit after 3 months, and then a telemarketing job for a few weeks, etc... (I just made things up, please don't feel like I'm judging you, I just remember what it was like being that age) that will be the only job performance any company willing to give you a shot can base your work ethic off of. So find something you can live with until that driving opportunity comes up.

Friendly advice from a Recruiting Director.

OTR:

Over The Road

OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.

Interstate:

Commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation from one state to another, regulated by the Federal Department Of Transportation (DOT).

Prehire:

What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?

Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.

We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.

A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment

The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.

During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.

Prehires:

What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?

Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.

We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.

A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment

The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.

During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.

Rob T.'s Comment
member avatar

Thank you for your advice, should i go to a private school at 21 and try to get some prehire letters or should i wait till i reach 23?

When you're about to turn 21 I would check out "company sponsored training". You'll go through school on their dime (as long as you commit to usually 1 year) and you'll have a job waiting for you as long as you pass the schooling and don't hide anything on the application. The other upside is it's much cheaper. The school my employer put me through at no cost to me was $4,000 , where Roadmaster in Tampa FL was almost $9,000 when I'd checked them out. It isn't going to make a difference in the long run whether you do private school or company sponsored training so why pay for it? Many people think that they're a "free agent" if they go private school because of the driver shortage. In reality it's a myth. The industry has a shortage of top tier drivers. You will most likely end up working for one of the mega carriers for atleast your first year anyway .

Dm:

Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager

The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.

Prehire:

What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?

Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.

We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.

A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment

The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.

During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.

Company Sponsored Training:

A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.

The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.

If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.

Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.

Eli K.'s Comment
member avatar

You’re right , i was thinking of going to private school because its a 1 on 1 training and i am afraid of failure so my plan was to go to a private school first ( i have the money ) if i get my cdl , i would work for any company that accepts me , if i Fail , i would go to a sponsored training so I would repeat the whole training twice and there is no way i could fail . But I will go to a sponsored training like you suggested me. Thank you man

double-quotes-start.png

Thank you for your advice, should i go to a private school at 21 and try to get some prehire letters or should i wait till i reach 23?

double-quotes-end.png

When you're about to turn 21 I would check out "company sponsored training". You'll go through school on their dime (as long as you commit to usually 1 year) and you'll have a job waiting for you as long as you pass the schooling and don't hide anything on the application. The other upside is it's much cheaper. The school my employer put me through at no cost to me was $4,000 , where Roadmaster in Tampa FL was almost $9,000 when I'd checked them out. It isn't going to make a difference in the long run whether you do private school or company sponsored training so why pay for it? Many people think that they're a "free agent" if they go private school because of the driver shortage. In reality it's a myth. The industry has a shortage of top tier drivers. You will most likely end up working for one of the mega carriers for atleast your first year anyway .

CDL:

Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:

  • Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
  • Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.

Dm:

Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager

The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.

Prehire:

What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?

Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.

We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.

A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment

The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.

During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.

Company Sponsored Training:

A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.

The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.

If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.

Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.

TWIC:

Transportation Worker Identification Credential

Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.

Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.

LoneStar's Comment
member avatar

Hey Eli!

As far as job history goes they look at consistency and length of time you spent there. The longer you spend at an employer the better. It also will make the application process go smoother because then they only have to contact one or two employers versus 5,10,15+ employers.

Also, if you were in college make sure you lost that as in many cases they will accept transcripts from that if you were not working.

I am not in your exact situation but I have worked in EMS for many years and some difficulties that come with that line of work consist of working multiple jobs just to stay afloat. I’ve had as many as 5 employers at one time and trucking companies sometimes take a little longer with my application because they have to look into each one.

My greatest advice to you and being so young is to listen to your parents or parental figures around you even though you are an adult now and definitely do not make any rash financial decisions. Focus on keeping your credit history clean and start saving money.

During your OTR training with a trainer you will not make much at all and even during your first month or two solo you most likely will not make a ton of money. I strongly recommend building a savings up to cover a couple months of bills so that way when you turn 21 you can just get going and not have to stress as much about money like most trainees do especially if you or you and your trainer have a rough or slow week.

The reason I suggest all this is because I have made every one of these mistakes and didn’t listen to anyone because I thought I knew it all. I am still a fairly new driver myself but this all would have saved me a lot of trouble. Also, if someone talks negatively about a company take that with a grain of salt and develop your own opinion. And above all, listen to these experienced drivers. They will save you a lot of trouble!

OTR:

Over The Road

OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.

Page 1 of 1

New Reply:

New! Check out our help videos for a better understanding of our forum features

Bold
Italic
Underline
Quote
Photo
Link
Smiley
Links On TruckingTruth


example: TruckingTruth Homepage



example: https://www.truckingtruth.com
Submit
Cancel
Upload New Photo
Please enter a caption of one sentence or less:

Click on any of the buttons below to insert a link to that section of TruckingTruth:

Getting Started In Trucking High Road Training Program Company-Sponsored Training Programs Apply For Company-Sponsored Training Truck Driver's Career Guide Choosing A School Choosing A Company Truck Driving Schools Truck Driving Jobs Apply For Truck Driving Jobs DOT Physical Drug Testing Items To Pack Pre-Hire Letters CDL Practice Tests Trucking Company Reviews Brett's Book Leasing A Truck Pre-Trip Inspection Learn The Logbook Rules Sleep Apnea
Done
Done

0 characters so far - 5,500 maximum allowed.
Submit Preview

Preview:

Submit
Cancel

Why Join Trucking Truth?

We have an awesome set of tools that will help you understand the trucking industry and prepare for a great start to your trucking career. Not only that, but everything we offer here at TruckingTruth is 100% free - no strings attached! Sign up now and get instant access to our member's section:
High Road Training Program Logo
  • The High Road Training Program
  • The High Road Article Series
  • The Friendliest Trucker's Forum Ever!
  • Email Updates When New Articles Are Posted

Apply For Paid CDL Training Through TruckingTruth

Did you know you can fill out one quick form here on TruckingTruth and apply to several companies at once for paid CDL training? Seriously! The application only takes one minute. You will speak with recruiters today. There is no obligation whatsoever. Learn more and apply here:

Apply For Paid CDL Training