Construction Carpenter To Trucker???

My name is Pete and I've been in construction for most of my adult life. I made a fair wage for a number of years until the downturn that hit my trade in 2008. Since then I've had my work decline to half a year and lately less than quarter of a year in total hours. I would like to get job that is more stable. I was 58 on my last birthday and from what I've read on TT that is not an issue. My employment history has quite a few gaps in the past seven years. Is this a major problem for me getting on with trucking company. Thanks for reading... Pete

Welcome Pete.

Companies are gonna wanna know what you were up to during those gaps. Each company might have a different way of dealing with it, and it depends on the nature of the gaps. I don't have personal experience with having gaps. I had to provide my tax info to show that I was self-employed for a number of years. But I never had to deal with any gaps. Hopefully some other folks will chime in here.

I can tell you that you should contact some companies you're interested in, and speak to those recruiters. Ask them. In the meantime, get together a 5 year work history so you're prepared to know when these gaps occurred, and the nature of the gaps, that way you can explain in detail to the recruiters.

Again, each company might handle a gap differently. I've heard some companies require a notary to confirm certain circumstances, e.g. being a stay at home parent, taking care of a sick loved one, etc... Companies will work with you, but you need to be aware of when these gaps occur in your history, and explain what you were doing.

The apps I've been doing require 10 years of work history and an explanation of any gaps. :)

Companies generally require a 10 year history of work and/or periods of unemployment. With one company, I had to give a notarized statement of what I was doing during a period of unemployment. With another company, it was a simple statement signed by someone (a non-relative) who knew me during that time period vouching for the truthfulness of the info. It seems to be a requirement relating to the background check to insure that you were not somewhere overseas training to become a terrorist, for example. It is not that difficult to comply. You just have to establish a 10 record of employment/activities (jobs, unemployment, self-employment, schooling, etc).

The 10 year work history is usually reserved for applicants that have a CDL A. New drivers or student drivers typically are only required to provide 5 years. When I applied at Prime, Shaffer, Crete, Schneider, it wasn't a 10 year history. Driving history varies from 3-5 years.

The 10 year work history is usually reserved for applicants that have a CDL A. New drivers or student drivers typically are only required to provide 5 years. When I applied at Prime, Shaffer, Crete, Schneider, it wasn't a 10 year history. Driving history varies from 3-5 years.

thanks for the input