Work History Importance Question

i have been reading on this site about the different companys and schools and i see things like

"As usual, a solid employment history is very important.".......... and

"Previous employers and references will be checked and must be verifiable."

what if the past few years had been rough... or there was unemployment, or you just never had anything stable? is that a no no for most trucking companys? I was looking into PRIME but they seem to be very strict on past employment.. i like that they travel to Canada as well and was hoping i could get in with them... but my past 5 years has consisted of living overseas and being out of a job for over a year.

Any one work or have worked for PRIME and can weigh in?

thanks

Kenneth, this is one of the many onerous things that excessive government regulations have brought to our industry. These employers are required to have this stuff on file - this is a post 9/11 requirement to help make sure terrorist aren't trying to get into our nations trucks and cause havoc of some sort.

If you've got some gaps in the time frames sometimes it is acceptable to have three notarized letters from friends or family members who can verify that you were unemployed and actively looking for gainful employment during that time. If you explain your situation to your recruiter they may be able to offer up suggestions as to what form of documentation will be acceptable in a situation like that.

All trucking companies will require this, but it seems that some of them are more lenient on what they will accept than others. So you may have to be willing to have a back up plan with a #2 or #3 choice of companies that you might be interested in working for.

Kenneth,

I presently work for Prime, went through their training program.

They are difficult to get on with when you have the issue that you have. But it is not impossible. I have heard of several folks that have with your type of issue. Best thing is to get with a recruiter, explain everything & then follow whatever is required to get the info they ask for. Not impossible, but possibly doable.

I did not have any issues when I started, so other than what I have given you, no idea what is involved.

Hope this helps.

Ernie

Thanks, i currently live in Sweden and will be returning stateside in hopefully less than a month. i have lived here since 2009 so thats what i was worried about. i didnt have a job the first year in a half i was here but got one and worked there a little over 2 in a half years. it is verifiable they would just have to call Sweden to verify (boss speaks english). I wasnt sure if living out of the country would be considered verifiable history or acceptable.

Kenneth,

I presently work for Prime, went through their training program.

They are difficult to get on with when you have the issue that you have. But it is not impossible. I have heard of several folks that have with your type of issue. Best thing is to get with a recruiter, explain everything & then follow whatever is required to get the info they ask for. Not impossible, but possibly doable.

I did not have any issues when I started, so other than what I have given you, no idea what is involved.

Hope this helps.

Ernie