good info, thanks!

 

One area not covered is the family. If the driver doesn't have the complete support of his/her family, then there is no way any driving job is going to work.

This is especially true for someone with children still at home. While you may think it's not much different than going to a job every day, being gone for a week or more at a time can stress a marraige to the breaking point.

So, is your spouse in complete support of this? Is there a support structure in place so that the spouse doesn't feel abandoned and left behind?

Hubby went to CDL school after our daughter graduated from high school. I'm pretty self-sufficient, and this was his dream to "hit the road".

There have been good and bad times the past 2 years that he has been driving, but over all, he's happy, I'm happy, and life is pretty good.

Not to brag, but I think that the lack of pressure and fuss from the home-side makes his driving job easier overall. If our daughter was younger, I don't know how we would have felt about his being away as much as he is.

 

THE INTERVIEW pt. 1 (questions you may be asked)
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To begin, there is no way to predict every question you will be asked in an interview. Unexpected questions will come up, no matter how well you prepare yourself. We can help you get through most of your interview with confidence, and prepare you to do much better than the average.

However, any question or answer samples we give you, in this post or any post on this message board, you should accept as guidelines only. Use this information to help prepare yourself, but put yourself into the equation. Do not memorize answers or simply repeat things you’ve read. An interviewer will be able to spot right away, you are simply reciting “canned” answers. Apply your own experiences, using an honest personality, and answer questions in your own words. Relax and take a few deep breaths, before you begin. A theme I am going to emphasize often is honesty. Honesty will also help you to feel calm, as you are not trying to hide anything, or be someone you are not.

Make some lists. Your qualifications, skills, experience, knowledge, background, and personal traits you possess that apply to Trucking. (ie. Patience, neat appearance, detail oriented, enjoys a challenge ) Look for ways to add this information into your answers.

An old saying, “Facts tell, but stories sell.” During a job interview, you are selling yourself. In your answers, try to tell a brief story of yourself, inserting facts that tell the kind of driver you are, and the kind of performance you are capable of. Keep it brief, and don’t ramble or take up a lot of time. Preparing yourself will help you make your points and get to the point.

Keep The Interviewer’s Perspective In Mind.

This is important. While many questions being asked focus on your past accomplishments, make note of this important tip; by asking about what you did, they are looking for what they can hope or expect from you now-- for them. Talk about your past accomplishments in a way which shows the kind of employee you are, relevant as a driver.

Honesty

…is the best policy. It is tempting to want to embellish yourself, to look like the perfect employee. You are being so positive, and trying so hard to “sell”, but just be honest and be yourself. Above all…do not make the fatal mistake of lying. You can always remember the truth, but you can not keep lies straight. They will catch up to you. If you “alter” the truth during an interview, the interviewer may spot the discrepancy from your application, or resume’. Interviewers also work interviews often, and many have learned body language skills, to identify your responses. If they sense you are lying, you may not get hired. What is worse though, is if you do get the job, you risk being discovered later as a liar, you will get fired. This would be a very undesirable mark on your record. You may find it hard to get another good job, for some time.

-----Here are Top 5 questions you may be asked in your interview.-----

1. How Many Years Have You Been Driving?

The focus is in your commercial driving experience, only. If seeking a Class A position, your Class B experience is not going to mean much. No experience, even less. Some companies have minimum driving requirements. This doesn’t rule you out. Many companies offer free schooling for inexperienced drivers to get their CDL-A, with a contract agreement that you work for the carrier for a specific period of time. O/O and smaller OTR companies will hire inexperienced drivers as well. In the northern (snow) States, you will not find a company willing to train a driver starting out on snow and ice. Keep that in mind, when you plan your prospects.
This is the primary question a company wants to know about you.

2. What Is Your Driving Record For The Last 5 Years?

Honesty is very important in this area. Many companies use DAC Services to look into your background, and WILL verify your record for the last 5 years, including tickets, conduct, incidents, accidents, etc. If you happen to have more than 2 moving violations within the past two years, you may find you are undesirable. Insurance companies often regulate strict standards upon companies in this regard. If you have anything in this regard, know every detail about it. Write down dates, what happened, where, time of day, conditions, and any information you can think of. Do not offer unsolicited information, but be ready to respond truthfully, with specific details when asked, and be accurate. The accuracy can often help you, as reports are sometimes inaccurate. Man up when necessary too. One of my personal pet peeves is, people who do not take responsibility for their actions. They have excuses for everything. Key to being honest, is to be honest with yourself FIRST. Do not risk being caught in a lie in this important question.

3. What Types Of Equipment Do You Have Experience With?

The company needs to know, what kind of driving you have experience in, as well as what kind of driving you want to do. It’s okay, if you wish to be placed into a different operation. Many drivers start out as Van operators and maybe want to switch over to Flatbed, or even get into Tanker. I happen to have experience driving Tanker, Flatbed, Van and Reefer. 80% of my experience is with Reefer. If you have an opportunity to haul some other operation, I say take it. You may find you really enjoy that kind of driving.
Some drivers want to do LTL, some want to haul dry bulk. We all start somewhere, but it may not be “where” we want to ultimately be. The company needs to know where you want to be placed, and if they have any openings in that operation. Your level of skill, is also important, for them to determine if they can use you. No one wishes to waste each other’s time.

4. What Is Your Work History?

It is a US Department of Transportation requirement, that you give a work history for the last 10 years. If it doesn’t include a driving history, you still need to list it. Make all your lists accurate and complete, and keep this information in your own personal file, so you can consistently record these details with each application you may fill. Update it regularly, as you may be seeking another job in a few years, or less. Class A drivers in particular also have Daily Log Books. I have every log sheet entry, from the first trip I ever took. You will be asked how many miles have you driven, and what States.
You will need company names, addresses, names of supervisors, contact names and phone numbers, and the types of positions you held. Give a brief job description including starting wages and final wages. They will specifically look for any large employment gap in your work record. This is a red flag to employers, so be prepared to explain such a gap. Maybe you were self-employed or in the military, have tax forms or military documents to verify this.

5. Why Did You Leave Your Last Driving Job?

The terms of leaving and reasons for leaving will reflect much about you. If you are an experienced driver, you will have some explaining to do. Why did you quit, and what is it you are looking for? Honesty is your friend here, believe it or not. Do you know what your previous employer’s will have to say about you? I make a habit of getting a letter of recommendation from my past employer’s before I turn in my keys. If I am planning to leave an employer, I make a point of leaving, with the door still open. I want to have the option to come back anytime, and have been rehired by some employers. Don’t get me wrong now. I try to make this the policy I follow, but there have been some bridges I burnt to the ground, and felt satisfaction in doing so. If you have had to burn a bridge with a former employer, you are going to have to talk about what happened, unless you just wish their version be heard. In one case with me, a former employer failed to pay me regular, and always had excuses. I went 2 months actually without pay, because of the clusterfork he created, by trying to pay me a lot less than what I was owed, and I refused to cash that check. Not to mention, he left me sit sometimes 4 days between loads. This job was ugly in many ways. But rather than rant about this to my new prospective employer, I gave a brief description to remain professional, or I would have been flying out of control popping a vein in my forehead.

Honesty is good. Too much is bad.

 

THE INTERVIEW pt.2 (questions you should ask)
--------------------------------------------------------------

In the first part, we discussed questions you may be asked. In this part 2, we will suggest some things you might ask. There are some suggestions already made in prior posts in this thread. I hope others will also add their comments and suggestions in further discussion.
Are you making lists yet? You should be jotting down any bit of information that catches your interest, or seems to apply directly to you and your driving career interest. Scan through the archives and any topic titles that spark your interest, make notes of the things you feel are valuable to you. Take the time to put this info into categories of interest, later in a folder you are building, and compress this info.

Any questions you have in regards to whether or not you wish to work for a particular company should have been addressed before now. It is up to you to do enough research, to know the preliminary requirements, as to your qualifications, and what this company offers, to know should you apply to this company and proceed into the interview phase. For the experienced driver, that might be relatively easy. For inexperienced drivers or driver candidates, they will feel overwhelmed with questions, and in most cases not know what to even ask about. We’ll see what we can do to help you with some of our insight and perspectives.

Lets get the no.1 question out of the way first. This part you should already know from preliminary research. You new drivers all focus on this one question, so lets just get right after it. I don’t want you going into your interview fixated on this, or let this be the first question you ask.

How Much Money Will I Make?

This is a tall question, and it will vary significantly across the board. Brand new drivers are going to generally make less, than a driver with 1-2 years experience. But there are exceptions. Where you drive, what you drive (Tanker, Reefer, Flat, etc), how hard you drive, what you haul, how many benefits do you receive on top of your pay, the size of the company, your driver credentials (ie. Endorsements, driving experience), how many hours you work, and other factors. Many companies post pay scales and yearly averages, so you should be able to find this info straight away.
Lets try to make this simple and pare it down to something easy to quantify.

National average for Company truck driver pay.
Lowest paid or 25% make approximately $32,000/ year
The median pay is approximately $37,000/ year
Upper paid or 75% make approximately $43,000/ year

This is base pay, not including benefits, or other incentives you might make.
You might do better than this, or be one of the lucky drivers to have richer opportunities.
Again, I must point out, your circumstances may vary. Ambitious drivers can often find pay averages that exceed these figures. A driver willing to stay out for long periods, or some large companies can keep you in higher figures. The drivers who make that extra buck, are the ones who when they are ready to come home, instead take that extra load. Very few drivers work less and get paid more. But drivers who stick with a company and not job hop often come out with higher yearly income.

Realistically speaking, if you are a career minded driver who does not job hop, and practices professionalism, and works at advancing themselves, will find yearly wages from $48,000 to $70,000 a year. Drivers in this category work at distinguishing themselves above the pack. They are not getting speeding tickets or continually banging up the rig, and finding every excuse for why it wasn’t their fault. Some even relocate to areas where jobs typically pay better. If you want to advance, there is room to do so.

Is This Company A Good Deal, Or Not?

You need to ask the questions. Just like how the company interviewer asks you questions, now the agenda is yours. Let them answer the tough questions, and sell themselves to you. Companies recruit drivers in their own ways, and they vary. You can sometimes tell if they are “altering” the truth, however if you catch them in a lie, they don’t risk much of anything. So, you really need to prepare this end of your negotiations, so you set yourself up for the best deal possible.
Some recruiters can make a poor deal sound real good. Last recruiter I spoke with got backed into a corner more than once, and the responses were so lame, yet had I not been a seasoned driver, I would have been duped. I’m sorry, but in this regard, you will have to fend for yourself. Call it the school of hard knocks, and you hope to one day become a Road Scholar. Meanwhile, preparation, preparation, preparation.

I’d start out with asking what their benefits are and how much the driver is expected to pay for them. Boy I learned this lesson! I went through the application, and interview, and was even hired on the spot, and then I asked about the benefits. No benefits, just 24% of freight, that’s what we offer. My eye twitches every time I am reminded of that. I even drove 80 miles one way to the interview. You are going to make mistakes, and have your own personal horror stories. We all do. I could have learned of this on the phone.

With the regard to health insurance, some companies will not tell what the driver has to pay unless you specifically ask. If you need certain medical coverage, family considerations or say dental care, ask the questions. What are the other benefits that are offered. How long is the probation period. Many have adopted the 90 day to benefits rule. That is a long time to wait, so be sure what you are investing yourself in, is worth it.

You should have a strategy to your questions. As I mentioned earlier, you don’t want to start out on the money issue. You will just come across more sincere in your desire to be hired, if you show more depth about what concerns you. Also, as I indicated, some research and preliminary questions on your part BEFORE you get to the interview, should have already addressed some of this concern. How much information is made available to you, and what your research has turned up thus far will help you decide what further questions you need to ask. Likewise, list your priorities. You want to get the Lions share of your most important questions answered upfront, before the interview begins to degrade. Being well thought out alone is going to impress any interviewer, and you will keep their interest in answering your questions higher.

Questions You Might Ask
You design your own list according to the info you still need, and the priorities that fit you.

I like to ask about the equipment. I want to know what make of Truck, is it governed and if so, at what speed, how old are they, purchased 4 years or newer, which transmission, which engine, are they fitted with engine brakes, size of sleeper, is it a condo…or? Equipped with refrigerators, CB, GPS, stereo, power inverter. I would want to know if they do all the maintenance and repairs, or is this scheduled in route, do they pay for down time, is there a motel allowance for downtime, and on that subject…is there any daily allowance on layovers. Can you view some of the trucks, talk with the mechanics, what about truck/trailer washes, how often are you allowed a wash, reimbursed for interior cleaning supplies. Policy on trailer washouts.

For new drivers and or candidates. You will have many training related questions. How many hours of training is offered. The experience level of a trainer. About the training contract details. If you leave before 90 days, how much would you have to pay. Does the trainer receive extra pay. Will you solo after training. What is paid during orientation. Motel, transportation, and any daily allowance for food. What are the company turnover rates.

You want to know how you will be paid. If percentage, what does the average load cost. CPM, how is mileage calculated, computer program, Rand McNally, hub. Do they hold the first paycheck 2 weeks. Is there direct deposit pay. Is there a cell phone reimbursement allowance. How has their business been lately. Who are some of their accounts and are they long standing accounts. Do they bring in new customers. Is there a seniority to pull the better accounts. Detention pay. Average deadheading. Average time loading, (experienced drivers recognize certain accounts as typically long detentions) so it is important to some drivers whose accounts they will be working.

Loading/unloading responsibilities, policy on product count, shortages or damage. Lumper fees, securing a load, company fuel card, what card, which truck stops do they use, is there any Idle-Aire allowance. Are there multiple picks or drops, outfitted with PrePass, how are toll, scale, and misc. supplies handled, Comdata card, or advance pay, forced dispatch or broker, daily check-in calls, routing, loading and off-loading check in, paperless logs, length of time out, rider policy, pet policy, dress code, uniforms, can driver install/not install certain personal items.

 

You have been busy, sir!

A very well-written, informative post(s)/thread.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge of the industry!

Creek

 

You're the Greatest Dad!


.....DOH !......Homer's not wearing his seat belt..hahahaha

 

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 .

 

...When you go in for a job interview, I think a good thing to ask right away.. is if they ever press charges. :?

 

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, I read your posts last night and all your information is so great to have. I thank you so much for sharing all this knowledge with us. Now I think I am about ready to take the plunge into the trucking business. This forum has really taught me a lot. I am planning on going to school at the end of April with graduation coming the end of May. I have a question for you. How soon should I start contacting companies to ask them all my questions? Seems it is a little early to start calling them now.

Again, thank you for all your help. :D