What do certain trucking companies look for when hiring a tractor-trailer driver upon employment? Many trucking companies include the following when considering whether to hire a particular applicant:
- Employment Record
- Education
- Criminal History
- Experience and Qualifications as a Driver
- Accident/Crash Record
- Traffic Convictions/Citations
- References
This is the minimum of what trucking companies should look for when considering hiring a particular applicant for the position of the on-the-road driver. Some companies have an application process that is much more in-depth. For example, even before hiring an applicant, a trucking company will conduct an interview of the applicant to determine whether his/her statements are consistent with the information provided in his/her application, to determine the extent of his/her experience, to verify why he/she left other jobs (e.g., was he/she fired, demoted, etc), among other areas of inquiry. Obviously, if an applicant lies in his/her interview, that is normally grounds for not getting hired.
After an individual is hired for the position of the driver, the individual will undergo “in-class” training and what is referred to as “practical”, on-the-road training. The in-class training normally consists of live presentations, PowerPoint presentations, and written materials. Often, the trucking companies will require that the newly hired employee undergo written examinations to ensure that the individual comprehends the in-class instruction. Most importantly, this allows the trucking company to determine whether the applicant can be promoted to the following level of in-class instruction.
If an individual successfully passes the in-class instruction, then he/she is required to undergo the “practical”, on-the-road training. This practical training includes having the newly hired employee operate a particular company asset (e.g., tractor with no trailer, tractor and a single trailer, tractor and a double trailer, etc). This is normally done with a supervisor that rides along for approximately 5-10 miles (sometimes longer in distance) depending on the company. Some companies actually require that a driver have a supervisor ride with him/her for a few days before a determination is made on whether to hire the driver. This is much like the DPS examination that we all went through when obtaining our driver’s license. However, in the case of a CDL driver, it is important to verify how well (or how poorly) the driver performed in his/her road test (regardless of how many years that the person has been driving). Sometimes, drivers may be extremely adept at operating the tractor-trailer, but fail short in their federally mandated pre-trip inspection report, logbooks, and other required documentation. It is surprising that many companies do not offer refresher courses for their drivers after they have been hired. Of particular concern is that many companies do not require that their drivers undergo any type of refresher course after they have been involved in a crash with a company vehicle. One would think that this should be an obvious company safety policy, but sadly, most companies do not require or offer post-crash refresher training courses for its drivers.
Written by:
Joey G. Gonzalez
Watts Guerra LLP
4 Dominion Drive, Bldg 3, Suite 100
San Antonio, Texas 78257
Phone (210) 447-0500
© Watts Guerra LLP 2015
