Advice On What To Do After I Pass The Written Part Of The Cdl

Topic 5166 | Page 1

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Anthony C.'s Comment
member avatar

Ok here is the deal. Ill try and make this short. I have 2 questions I need help with and after explaining my situation hopefully someone can help me. I worked building new homes in a family business the last 20 years. Dad started the business and brought my brother and myself along after he built the company from scratch. We were at the point our last full year in business that the plan was to build over 100 homes. The economy crashes in 2008 and we stayed in business until 2009 before we lost everything. Personal homes, trucks, and basically everything but the clothes on our back. By this time, my dad was getting to old to work and losing everything has about killed him. My brother and myself had come up with a plan. I would drive over the road and put every cent I made towards him building duplexes or quads. I would drive 12 to 15 years and be able to retire knowing all our family was taken care of. So a misdemeanor put our plans on hold until august of this year. My 2 questions is the following. 1st the last 5 years I have worked trying to build dads company back up by doing odd construction jobs hoping we could save 50k needed to get back going. Just hasnt happened. Dad now has alzheimers and my sister is disabled. Anyway, ive worked odd temporary jobs when work was slow. And most my construction jobs were cash jobs. I understand having steady employment is a trait employers really focus on. So not having a w2 job is worring me especially when they run a background check and see that I have worked a few temporary jobs. What and how should I handle this. Im 47 and im a hard worker. My dad raised me to work my ass off and no matter what that I should do my best. Never cut corners and whether I made 10 bucks a hour or 50 a hour that I should do my best. I know that if I can get my foot in the door that I will be fine. I just need some help opening the door. 2nd question is on my resume or my application how important is exact start and end dates of employment? Im having a hard time remembering those dates from 20 and 25 years ago. Heck I cant remember exactly when I went to work for dad. Sorry for the short/long story. Any advice would be a huge help. Ps...trucking truth is a amazing site. I went and paid 5000 in 2009 to transportation training in Lebanon, tn. Ive spent the last month learning more on this site from the training section and most helpful was the feedback everyone gives in the blogs and forums. Priceless info. Thanks again

Over The Road:

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.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.

OWI:

Operating While Intoxicated

Ducky's Comment
member avatar

Hi Anthony, and a huge welcome to TT although you have been here a month studying and reading.

May I start with this: I don't have answers to those questions, as I'm new to this industry as well. I do have a few comments, however, based on your well-written post. Many others might have answers that directly address your concerns.

The downturn in the economy turned many lives upside down. In your unique position, you busted butt to do any job available to better yourself and family within your profession. That is an admirable quality. Dare I say a very marketable quality. Within your post, you stated goals...smart goals. Keep those close to heart.

....regarding employment history and exact dates. Luckily, even though I wasn't in my dream job per se, I had a steady record of verifiable employment for the last 10+ years. Maybe you can write in almost the exact fashion you did in the post of what was going on and have it witnessed and notarized? That might be just the thing that a hiring manager needs to give a second look.

The "misdemeanor" comment however is a little vague and current. I certainly won't pry, but the companies you apply to will. Be honest and upfront, and you know this. I had a past (minor) indiscretion from 15 years ago and I spelled it out with ultimate detail and still had to get approval from the higher ups. Honesty saved me!

lastly, I wish you all the best. You are definitely hard working and were I a recruiter, I would gladly like to have a phone call and email from someone who has the spirit and tenacity to move forward in an industry that isn't easy to break into.

Don't give up! You WILL make it.

Ducky

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.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
MRC's Comment
member avatar

Sorry Dude, Karl A. has a recent post on the forum about job history and I'm in the same boat. I do have a question, You say that you were trying to build your fathers business back up, did you show a cash flow into it? did you have to work with the bank or some type of financial co. ? Either one of these would show proof of your working. How did you file your taxes, schedule C ? Just a thought. If you can find some way to show a sign of your working you should be ok. Good Luck to you!!

mountain girl's Comment
member avatar

Welcome to Trucking Truth! You came to the right place.

The 10-year work history is a DOT security-type requirement. First, you don't have to go back 20 years, just 10. Employers are asking for your employment and non-employment history over the last 10 years to be sure that you weren't spending 2 months here and there, forming a terrorist organization in your free time, going to a training camp to learn how to make suicide bombs, in a country that supports those things, or going to flight school so you can fly your plane into a building, k? All you have to do is account for each month, showing what you were doing. If you worked temporary jobs, it's not a problem at all. Just include who you worked for, a name for potential employers to call and verify, an address, and start and end months. If you can't remember exact dates, don't sweat it. Just be sure you don't have any open months with no explanation.

If you're into using the computer a bit, I just took an excel spreadsheet, put the start/end months and year in the first column, name of employer in the second column, address in the next, contact number in the next, what my job was in the next, explanation for why the job ended in the last column. That way, when I had a gap in employment, I used a whole row for that period of time, too. In the last column, for that time, I would explain "unemployed" or "stay-at-home-mom" or "caring for sick family member" which I actually did - I had one kid who was sick for years (all better now though) but I simply couldn't work during that time. I even had some periods of school time, so again, new row starting with the start and end months and year, what school, contact number, address, what I studied, etc. Keep all your rows in chronological order, use a separate row for an employment gap, use your home address for that time, and write whatever explanation you have that explains why you weren't working, like "this was a temporary job" or "laid-off," or "unemployed, looking for work." Don't worry about how you were paid for temp jobs. If you were paid cash, whatever, as long as someone can verify that you worked for them, that's what they're looking for. Once you've created this document, it will be really easy to fill out applications and in some cases, you'll be able to attach the spreadsheet in an email or copy and send it off to potential employers.

If you're still really struggling remembering months and years, you can always contact Social Services because they keep records of your employment history based on your W-2's for calculating your social security at retirement but basically, cover every month as honestly as you can remember, and do your best.

This is simply a security history and a testimonial to your honesty. If they call some employer who says they've never heard of you, or if you have no explanation for your 4 months (where you might have gone to Afghanistan to train for some little terrorist cell) this might be a problem. (that's a serious understatement, just to be humorous)

If there's a misdemeanor in your history, I don't know what that's about but have all your ducks in a row, there too. There are different types of misdemeanors. Felony and non-felony. For instance, if you get a ticket for having a gap in auto insurance, in Colorado, that's a misdemeanor but it's not a felony misdemeanor. When asked the question on forms about felony misdemeanors that answer would be "no," because it wasn't felony but it was technically a Colorado misdemeanor, non-felony. That's not what they're looking for. Have documentation ready for things like this, etc.

You will have to pull at least a state criminal background investigation (in Colorado one can pull it online for less than $10 and it comes right back as a pdf) and that's usually for criminal offenses and serious things like DUI's and arrests or outstanding arrest warrants, etc. You'll also need to get a copy of your 10-year driving record from your DMV. All traffic tickets should be at least 3 years old and older and non in the past 3 years. That would be ideal.

I hope this helps and allays your worries.

Good luck!

-mountain girl

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DOT:

Department Of Transportation

A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.

State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.

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.

DMV:

Department of Motor Vehicles, Bureau of Motor Vehicles

The state agency that handles everything related to your driver's licences, including testing, issuance, transfers, and revocation.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.

DUI:

Driving Under the Influence

OWI:

Operating While Intoxicated

Anthony C.'s Comment
member avatar

My gosh I didnt exspect such informed and really nice responses. Thanks alot. Ill try and answer the questions everyone had for me. 1. Misdemeanor-Here goes a long/short(lol) story again. Before I start I want to say Ive been in trouble before and will admit my wrongdoings. As a teenager I was basically a spawn of satan. Its a miracle I didn't end up in prison. My mother says its because she wore her knees out praying.lol But, I left those days along time ago. I hardly even have a beer. I haven't smoked weed in over 25 years. Im a good guy who lives a boring life. Not boring to me. But, according to the american media I'm a boring guy. I get off on taking my dog to the river as much as possible. I love kayaking. I love basically anything outdoors. And this might sound weird...but I love working. I absolutely love doing construction projects by myself. Hours go by that seem like mins. My point or my self justification is that I'm a good guy who lives a boring life. 6 years ago(we still had the company) my mother and sister borrowed my truck to show some land to a client. They were both real estate agents. Mom did most of the work because my sister was sick but nothing like she is now. They both carried little 22 handguns as protection. Both state trained and carried a permit. Well, they forgot and left both guns in my middle console. Next day I was pulled over by a rookie barney from andy. I had coasted through a stop sign on these back country roads. I had not been drinking or anything. He asked if I minded if he search my truck. I said I could care less not realizing they had left their handguns in my truck. Now I realize I should have said yes I mind sense you have no reason. But, being the trusting and nice guy with nothing to hide I let the guy. As soon as he seen those he swung around and said hands in the air blablabla. So, I was arrested because the guns were not in my name and I didn't have permits to carry them. I get it. My fault. Fine me or whatever. I get a 2000 lawyer who assures me that he will get the charges dropped. That I needed my mom and sister to show up in court willing to testify that they were their guns and they left them without me knowing. Court comes and the new DA and judge were more concerned with their conviction percentage than being a responsible person in their profession. My lawyer was from Nashville and this happened in the county next to nashville called sumner. My lawyer said he couldn't believe these clowns were not willing to drop the charges. The best deal he could get was the charge reduced to a theft under 500 sense the handguns were not mine. At the time I didn't realize how bad a theft charge would be. But, when your staring down gun charges and they hit you with something that will keep you out of jail...you just go with it. Huge mistake. I can get notarized letters from both my mom and sister, and my lawyer verifying what Im saying. So, I have a misdemeanor theft charge thats over 5 years old. I had not been in trouble sense I was 18 years old until then. I have been a upstanding person in the community building houses for 15 years at the time. It didnt matter. I hope this doesnt hurt my chances at becoming a driver. Its really a dream for me to drive otr. I've driven buses across the country a few times. My ex wife lived in Phoenix and I've driven from Nashville to Phoenix at least 50 times by myself mostly. I just love the open road. Sounds corny I know.

2. I can do the job thing now with yalls help. I can outline what I was doing the entire last 5 years and get notarized letters from customers verifying my work. So, that really helps. It is a lot more work. I tell ya...i've never put more work into getting a job in my entire life. I believe i've worked more on this than I did getting my associates degree. No joke.

When should I start contacting employers? Should I get all those letters together first and notarized? Again, this site has been amazing and it has helped me see this through. Thanks again folks

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.

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.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.

OWI:

Operating While Intoxicated

Colleen W.'s Comment
member avatar

Welcome to Trucking Truth! You came to the right place.

The 10-year work history is a DOT security-type requirement. .

It is my understating that the DOT requirement is only if you have driven a commercial vehicle, am I right?

DOT:

Department Of Transportation

A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.

State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.

Jolie R.'s Comment
member avatar

double-quotes-start.png

Welcome to Trucking Truth! You came to the right place.

The 10-year work history is a DOT security-type requirement. .

It is my understating that the DOT requirement is only if you have driven a commercial vehicle, am I right?

double-quotes-end.png

That was what I have been told also Colleen. I got pre-hire letters from 4 companies and only had to give a 3 year work history since I have never worked in the trucking industry or held a CDL.

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.

DOT:

Department Of Transportation

A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.

State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.

Pre-hire:

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.

Old School's Comment
member avatar

Anthony, welcome aboard!

Get your letters together first. Work on laying out a time line of what you were doing for the past three years. It doesn't have to be overly detailed. Just show from such and such month to this month I was doing this, then I did this until last month, etc.

You will be asked to explain the criminal charges. So do it just like you did here. There will be some companies that will pass on you, but someone will give you a shot. Stick it out your first year and the effect of that criminal charge will diminish considerably when you're ready to switch to another employer.

mountain girl's Comment
member avatar

Anthony, welcome aboard!

Get your letters together first. Work on laying out a time line of what you were doing for the past three years. It doesn't have to be overly detailed. Just show from such and such month to this month I was doing this, then I did this until last month, etc.

You will be asked to explain the criminal charges. So do it just like you did here. There will be some companies that will pass on you, but someone will give you a shot. Stick it out your first year and the effect of that criminal charge will diminish considerably when you're ready to switch to another employer.

-Old School

As always, Old School is dead-on accurate. Do what he says and you'll be fine.

-mountain girl

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