Safety Awards

Good day members. I am looking for knowledge.

I have been filling out several trucking company applications, and several have a section asking about safety awards I have earned.

I would like to know what safety awards are available to earn. Are these awards from local, state, federal agencies? Awards from the DOT? Awards from companies?

What awards should I be looking to obtain as my career grows?

Safety Awards are just acknowledgements that experienced drivers have received from their employer. Here's an example: recently I saw a truck on the highway with a decal on it that indicated the driver had driven 3 million accident free miles.

That's what the reference is. You know, you get a nice pat on the back - maybe a piece of cake, and the company says, "Great job driver - now go do another million miles and we will get you a nice pair of silk boxer shorts with your initials embroidered on them!"

If you "have been filling out several trucking company applications", save yourself some time & legwork. Fill out just this one to send to "everybody":

Apply For Truck Driving Jobs

Thank You Old School for intel!

Basically acknowledgements for safe driving and service milestones. Every company is different.

My company gives patches, hats, jackets...etc. No embroidered silk boxer shorts, but several embroidered jackets lol

I'll post my list below for the just over two years I been with my company. PTC awards are our service awards for on time delivery and such.

Thanks Errol and Plan B.

Errol, I used the one button feature to apply to all companies, but only received a few company responses. Of those responses most were wanting to set up CDL school for me. I had to inform them I was out of CDL. Others did not realize I had all endorsements, TWIC ,TSA HM. I am not sure if the one hit button is sending out correct information on me.

I am still working my way through the 102 trucking companies listed in company review here at Trucking Truth. My guess is if their listed in Trucking Truth the are the better companies. I hope that logic is sound.

I am not sure if the one hit button is sending out correct information on me.

Yes, it is. They know you have your CDL , but not everyone filters their incoming applications according to that criteria. Companies that offer paid training are interested in recruiting drivers for their Paid CDL Training Programs. They only bring in students from private schools as a last resort if they can't get enough students for their training program and experienced drivers.

We stress this every day here in the forum and across the website - the companies that have their own training programs do not like hiring students from private schools. Their success rate for those drivers is much lower than the students they train themselves, which is why they have their own schools in the first place. That's also why the size and number of paid training programs continues to grow.

People go to private schools thinking they're going to have a million opportunities, but it never works that way. You may get a few opportunities if your record is spotless and your timing is lucky, but most companies with training programs will turn down applicants from private schools.

Trucking companies will turn down applicants for a variety of reasons you wouldn't expect:

• If you have ever attended another paid training program but didn't complete the contract
• If you were fired from your last job
• If you have been recently unemployed for more than a very short time
• If you have a CDL but haven't used it in recent months
• If you've worked for more than one company in the past year
• If you've had a license suspension or more than one ticket in the past 3 years

I could go on all day. We stress the value of paid training programs because they offer the best training and a guaranteed job if you successfully pass the course. You'll learn to drive the equipment the company uses and you'll learn your company's policies and procedures right from day one - payroll, communication, logging, etc.

It's not that private schools never work for anyone. It's just not the best path for starting your career.