Job/driving History For Recent Immigrant
Topic 7887 | Page 1
Amanda, there are minimum requirements for having a regular license in the US before you can obtain a CDL (Commercial Driver's License) and this is controlled by the DOT - a Federal Department that applies to all 50 states ... I want to say one year but I'm just repeating what I've read here before ... what will answer your questions definitively is to go to the DOT website and research there ... another way to get many of your questions answered is to apply ONLINE to some of the larger "training" companies like Prime, Swift, Stevens, etc. and then FOLLOW UP with a call to the recruiting departments of these companies ... the reason this is so effective is that the recruiter can go over the application with your husband ON THE PHONE and he can answer any questions or correct any discrepancies in real time, talking to the recruiter ... personally, I went with one of these companies (Prime) and the tuition is waved for the cost of training once you fulfill the work duration obligation (different for different companies) ... I think it is the best way to proceed with the least amount of initial monetary outlay ... some others will surely chime in here with more specific info but I would get any critical information from the "horse's mouth" (some might consider the DOT to be more like the horse's posterior, but that's just my, er, some people's opinion ...)
Jopa
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.
Hmmm, from what I understand, FL is an outlier on the one-year rule, meaning that one can obtain a CDL in FL with less than a year of holding a regular driver's license. I've heard this from a driving school, the FL DMV and my husband pre-called some companies that said it shouldn't be a problem. I haven't heard it was a federal rule. But that's a good idea to email someone at DOT and for my husband to get on the phone following up on his applications. If there's going to be problems, I want to find out now, not after we've invested even more time.
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.
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.
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
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Hi again,
We're currently working on getting my husband pre-hire letters. We haven't heard back anything but we also just started the process. We're looking for mostly local jobs, although he'd go OTR for a year if could bring me. We're currently in SWFL, but we'd move anywhere in the state where we can get jobs. He REALLY wants to get his CDL and start working.
Husband is a recent immigrant from Morocco. He worked in tourism with a legitimate company from 2009 to the end of 2013, when he came to the US to be with me. From 2008-2009, he worked odd jobs at a hotel. Before that he was a full-time student. He was unable to legally work in the US until he got his green card, so he has a year gap due to that (2014 till now).
His boss at the tourism company speaks good English and can give him a great reference. I assume the same is true for the hotel too. I'm not sure about his schools. They were a long time ago and there must have been turnover since he was a student.
He was a licensed driver in Morocco for eight years or so. He's been a licensed driver in the state of FL since December. Most states won't take drivers who have only had their Class E for less than a year but apparently FL is different, although I worry that individual companies won't hire him because of that. No accidents or issues.
He's never used drugs. No DUI/DWIs. Paid his Moroccan taxes when he lived there, no criminal history, upstanding citizen.
My question is, given how much weight trucking gives to driving and employment history, is it going to be an issue that practically all his history is in a different country? To make matters worse, Morocco is fairly incompetent at record-keeping and is known for corruption in the government.
How will this likely affect us going forward?
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
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.
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.
DUI:
Driving Under the Influence
DWI:
Driving While Intoxicated