[Roadhog]

Originally Posted by marinetrucker

How soon should I start contacting companies to ask them all my questions? Seems it is a little early to start calling them now.

Welcome to CAD marinetrucker!

Your enthusiasm is refreshing. Someone helped each one of us when we started out. Learning from people who already walked the walk is your best move for now.

I agree, you have plenty of time before school in April, so begin addressing questions on the various forums here on CAD.

We have quite a few company recruiters as well as experienced drivers to learn from. I think most questions you have can be answered here, where you will have a great chance to engage in discussion. Ask all your questions as many as you want. Each question may open up new ideas to think about, and people here will be happy to help.

Thank you for the compliment...

[mbadriver]

Take a shower, shave your mug, and wear clean clothing appropriate for the position. Bonus point, fill out the application correctly. More bonus points, if you actually speak to someone used complete sentences and a dearth of "cuss words."

Companies - they will do as they please. Don't waste your time trying to change the organization.

Originally Posted by jedfxg

wow

[n2kraln]

I was talking to a recruiter today on the phone as she was going over my app i filled out online and going over my driving experience and she knew that i had pulled a skateboard for a company in '99 that on the app i had just put it as dry van . Not real sure where she pulled that up from but the company i was working for back then i kinda did whatever they needed and liked doing the skateboard thing but if my paycheck meant i had to swing barn doors for a few day and haul palletized coils in one that's what i did .

[Big Daddy RECON]

GREAT POST roadhog

As a tru NooB to the OTR experiance I found your post truely insightfull

You obviously well educated and extremely articulate. Thank you for sharing you industry knowledge.

[kreeper01]

What RoadHog wrote is a sad reality, but very much true in the trucking industry. Also, some people are not cut out to be a trucker.

[mbadriver]

Typically, they run an MVR for 5 or 10 years. Criminal, unless it is a Felony , is darn near impossible to verify. I believe even Felonies are handled on a state by state basis.

Misdemeanors are a different animal. They are reported either by municipality or County. Say you got a misdemeanor in Twodot, Montana in 1987. There is virtually no way anyone is going to find out, unless you happen to be domiciled in Twodot. All the misdemeanor stuff is by County. No one is going to do a County by County Criminal History search for a stinking truck driver.

Heck Bush's DUI in Maine was just happened upon by a reporter fishing around because the Bushies do summers in Kennebunkport.

Originally Posted by BIG JEEP on 44's

I don't think much of the industry verifies much past 3 years , As I remember going into orientation without my work history , So I just put one business down that a friend owned as a 10 year reference I never worked there ,and there wasn't any income record of it with the IRS , But it flew on my application ,And never heard 1 word about it . Now Criminal history ,DMV , DAC I know they check , But non DOT related employers beyond 3 years II don't think they look real hard at .

[hillbillyinidaho]

I Started by submitting an online application. I have had several Telephone conversations in the process of reviewing my Application. I believe one of the last calls i received was a telephone interview. My questions are.

1.Is there a face to face when you get there, keep in mind that i will be doing their company sponsored training because its been 6 yrs since I was behind the wheel.

2. What part does the Medical play in the Application process in hiring Drivers who have medical conditions but meet the the federal Guide lines to drive. Are they considered undesirable canadates?

[Twilight Flyer]

1.Is there a face to face when you get there, keep in mind that i will be doing their company sponsored training because its been 6 yrs since I was behind the wheel.

That's hard to say...it probably depends on the company. Most of the time, when you have been invited the orientation, that actual interview and selection process is already over. If you're on your way in, they've at least selected you to be there. Of course, that may run differently with training companies.

2. What part does the Medical play in the Application process in hiring Drivers who have medical conditions but meet the the federal Guide lines to drive. Are they considered undesirable canadates?

Again, that's going to depend on the company and on what medical situations you are talking about. It's always in your best interest to be up front with your recruiter. If you have issues that need to be addressed, it's better to get them addressed before you get there, which will only result in you being sent home and likely not invited back. Failure to let them know will be considered intentional and you probably won't get another shot at them. But if you tell them up front what the issues are, then they know and if there is anything that they need in the way of paperwork or any additional procedure that you'll need done, you'll be coming in prepared. That goes a long way.

[mbadriver]

Methinks roaddog copied this stuff from Monster or CareerBuilder.

For the trucking industry this is way TMI (Too Much Information). Interview - it's a 5-minute telephone process that they basically have you verify what you entered on the application.

Benefits - look at their website.
Pay - Clarify the misleading information on their website.
Hometime - Look at their website, ask them to clarify weasel wording and misleading information.
Equipment - Look at their website. Don't count on getting the shiny one in the picture.

Trucking isn't hard. In reality, it's darn simple. Look around the truckstops. You got people that can't even figure out how to take a shower, comb their hair, shave, find clean clothes, or maintain a normal weight. Somehow these Einsteins get a job (it's a job not a career), get through orientation, find the right highway, find the shipper, find the next highway, find the fuel stop, find the consignee, find the dock, send a qualcomm, and then do it all over again. Heck, even a Swift driver knows you can always find a Pilot at an airport.

The first year flies by. Within 6-months you have pretty much learned all there is to know. The rest of time is fiddling around and fine tuning.

Trucking isn't for everyone. Neither is being a Doctor, Lawyer, or President.

As roaddog said KISS. Trucking is simple, don't make it complicated. Having to remind people not to do drugs before drug testing is indicative of how high the bar is set.

Don't think I am being negative. Roaddog has good intentions. If the industry operated at the level of his idealism, we wouldn't have companies clamoring to hire the mildly retarded (52-69 IQ), criminals, sociopaths, and dirty furballs.

It sux to be sterotyped with the dregs of the industry. To combat the initial prejudices put on your best face, be polite, use complete sentences, exercise common decency, and act like you know what you are doing. Don't take it personal, and don't take your personal baggage to the shipper/consignee.

Originally Posted by kahlana

roadhog... wanted to let you know.. i'm findin your info super useful thank you so much.. cant wait to read the next bit

[Roadhog]

mbadriver...
You misquoted me on KISS by the way.

I do not agree with you that in an interview these 5 main questions are too much information.
We cannot say what someone’s interview is going to include. Maybe you have only had 5-minute telephone interviews. I never have, but I understand that may be the case with some companies, as a figure of speech. I am trying to address the full scope.
My last interview for example, was a sit down with two separate people, and lasted over an hour. I first talked with the owner, and we had a great trucker to trucker talk. We both shared our experiences and outlook on the business. I liked him and felt I would enjoy working for him. He liked me and referred me to the manager. With the manager, it was more business and down to the details, and filling out more forms.

I’ve been here for a while, and saw a need new comers have on certain subjects. The most recent one was the topic on Interviews. I’ve never claimed to be any authority and expressed this to be used as guidelines.

I decided to make the effort to include whatever someone might encounter during an interview. The point is to give people as complete an idea as possible to work with. I tried hard to include everything I could think of or come up with.
I also stated one must take from this info and apply it to themselves and their situation. Everyone’s equation will add up differently.
People are all unique, but more so, every one who comes here deserves as much a chance to find the answers to their questions. Someone may come here, and one day own a fleet of trucks. Who are we to say they can only look forward to a dead-end job? An experienced driver can go in numerous directions in the Industry.

Lets not trivialize this Trade. I have been in trucking for 7 years now, and I still love the business. I promise you, if I were to spend even 1 hour right now applying myself to learning, I could learn new things about trucking that I didn’t know before. I worked in the construction trades for 30 years. I was continually learning and adapting to the industry as it changed. There was never one day go by, I could not learn something new, and seems with each new person I met, I learned most from them.

That hopefully is the case here on this forum. With each person here, we can all learn something new, and share it with someone else. Some of us come here to give something back, as well as experience and learn new things ourselves. Just a reminder, this forum is for the new comers. I hope we let them feel comfortable asking any question, however simple or difficult.