Question About Communicating With Recruiters
Topic 11835 | Page 1
Anthony, to be honest with you it is pretty hard to get a recruiter to give you anything in writing. Some times you can, and it is great to ask them for it. But if you are talking about home time, then things can happen very easily to mess that up. So you have to be a little flexible in this job. By the way, an e-mail is just as good as having it on paper, but trust me if something doesn't go like you thought it should that recruiter will have no authority to make something happen for you. Once you get hired on you will probably never be able to talk to that recruiter again. They are a sales team, and completely separate from the daily operations of the trucking company.
Welcome to the forum Anthony!
Hang around a bit and feel free to ask us anything you like. If we have some drivers in here from some of the companies you are interested in I'm sure they can give you a more accurate picture of the way things actually happen than can the recruiters.
You really should take a look at our Truck Driver's Career Guide, it will probably give you some answers to things that you are wondering about, and it might even inspire some new questions in you mind that we'd be glad to help you out with.
We also have a really great way for you to prepare for your state permit exams by using our totally free High Road Training Program. Try it, you'll love the way it works, and it will prove to be an effective tool to help you remember all the new information you need to know for those exams.
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.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Hey Old School, thanks for the feedback. I understand that the home time is not exactly set in stone, and I understand that flexibility is needed in many aspects of the job. I currently have a CDL permit at hand and have completed the DOT physical. I already have a school in mind with a pre-hire and tuition sponsorship with a company. I'm still further exploring other company sponsored options. I've been looking into this career for a few years, and this site has been very helpful.
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.
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.
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Hey guys. I am looking to start a career in trucking and have fulfilled several avenues in the process. I am aware that there are situations where what a recruiter tells you, or states about a particular role can be misrepresented. For example, there are cases that I have heard of, where new drivers are told one thing about actual time on the road (say 7-10 days per run), but are later to find out in for example orientation that their run will be longer (i.e. 10-14).
My question is this, is it ok or common practice to get details about a particular position verified in writing from a recruiter, so that it's on paper? If so, to what extent of the job description can I request from a recruiter to verify in writing? Or would this approach hinder me in the job seeking process in any way?
Perhaps this topic has been covered before, so if there's a link somewhere from the site that could give me some guidance, that would be helpful. Thanks!