CDL Drivers: Documents You Don't Want to Lose
Documents You Don't Want to Lose
By Derek Hinton of Layover.com
For whatever reason, I’ve heard versions of the same story several times over the past month: “I wasn’t really even looking for a job, but this dedicated route came open I heard about over at ‘XYZ Trucking’. They were moving fast and asked for my ‘X’ and I couldn’t find it. Anyway, by the time I got what I needed, they said they had the route filled.”
There are several documents you should be able to lay your hands on quickly even if you are not looking for a job. You should be at least somewhat prepared when an opportunity presents itself or, on the other hand, you find yourself jobless.
You should be able to produce the following documents even if you’re not looking for a job:
- Your Employment History with accurate dates of service up to your current employment. You will need this information for the past 10 years for commercial driving employment. You will need the past three years of all employment. It is important to make sure that inaccurate information is not being reported by a previous employer. If so, get it corrected before the inaccurate information causes you to miss a job opportunity. A good way to accomplish both of these goals is to get a copy of your DAC Report.
- An Accident Report, especially if you’ve had an accident that shows up on your MVR, DAC or PSP that wasn’t your fault. Accidents/Crashes can be a quick killer of your chances. If your truck got hit by the little old lady driving the Buick Regal who failed to see the stop sign, the accident may show up on your MVR as “ACCIDENT”. Make sure you have the accident report to show the details.
- If you were in the military, especially in the past 10 years, have a copy of your DD214. Many motor carriers love to recruit past military personnel. The discipline required seems to translate well for commercial driving. Have a copy of your discharge papers.
- If you have attended a driving school or received safe driving awards, keep a copy. Employers want to verify your training and hire a safe driver.
- You should also obtain your PSP Report. This report contains 5 years of crash data and 3 years of inspection data. With CSA, employers are increasingly looking at this report prior to hiring drivers. And again, the reports can be wrong and there are ways to dispute the information. You want to do this before—not after the information has hurt you.
- Finally you should know what shows on your MVR. Whether you’ve received citations or not, there may be something on your MVR that can affect your driving status.
It’s maddening to miss a job you should have got or go without a paycheck because of paperwork. Assemble just a basic file of documents and keep it safe. DOTJobHistory can obtain, help you correct and securely store all this information for instant use. But regardless of whether you use DOTJobHistory or do it yourself, it pays to be prepared.
Driving Ambition is a premier CDL truck driver staffing company serving Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Since 2001, we have specialized in matching safe, experienced CDL drivers for our customers and great job opportunities for our professional truck drivers.
Our commitment to safety and building solid working relationships with both customers and CDL drivers has allowed us to earn an unparalleled reputation with our Proven Drivers and Exceptional Service.