CDL Grad- Told I Was Hired Then Not Hired

Hello, I am a new CDL graduate and applying to trucking companies. I received a pre-hire agreement with JB Hunt for local intermodal. My driving and criminal records are clean. I took a drug test for them and spent a week watching onboarding videos. I spoke with the local dock manager and was expecting to start working and training for six weeks. I had a start date. The person doing my background check and calling my personal references, told me I was hired and congratulated me and welcomed me to the company. A few hours later my onboard (recruiter) asked if I could go take the drug (urine only as I passed the hair test) again because the lab lost it. I was planning to do that, then she called me back to say they couldn't hire me because I had too many months of unemployment. I was laid off my last job due to covid, then worked for myself. She said they don't hire if you have more than 18 months of unemployment for inexperienced positions, but if I had 3 months experience driving trucks that wouldn't matter. I felt the information they had was incorrect as I only was unemployed for a year. I called the woman who did my background check as I was confused. She said that information didn't come from her and she would take it to her supervisor and told me I didn't need to do anything. I didn't hear back and tried calling again and was then connected to another background check person. She told me they were then saying they couldn't verify my last employer and claimed I had 30 some months unemployed! She asked me to provide W2 which I did and said they would try and get my application going again. Now none of them answer my calls. I sent them an email saying I am disputing the information they have and asking them to provide me with the information they discovered during my pre employment screening and used to disqualify me. Still haven't heard back yet. Is this normal in the industry. Not getting a very good first impression. I feel like it is a bogus reason to not hire me and has no bearing on my ability to do the job. Seemed suspicious as they told me I was hired and then not hired. Feel like I am being discriminated against, although being unemployed isn't federally covered by those laws, it does despairingly affect those of already disadvantaged status. Any others have this experience or advice on how to move forward. I have a new application in with another company but am stressed that the same thing is going to happen. Thanks!

They are not obligated to give you any reason. Don’t threaten them or dispute their findings... waste of time and energy. Move on...

Apply For Truck Driving Jobs

Apply to numerous companies. Be 100% honest and truthful on your application. Accurately disclose all employment or unemployment events. Be prepared to prove what happened during any gaps. You also must prove any self-employed activities. Documentation.

Please realize once you apply the competition begins. Trucking companies look for the lowest risk candidates. Don’t leave anything out of your application or misrepresent any facts. The background checks are thorough and accurate.

Good luck.

Discrimination? Because they didn't hire you as a brand new driver with zero experience and a huge risk for them, or something else?

Apply elsewhere! I was rejected by Roehl many moons ago in a galaxy far far away. I was in driving school. I got all bent out of shape etc. One of my instructors laughed and laughed. Told me "Welcome to trucking"! Within two weeks I had multiple offers.

You might want to get 2-3 "letters of reference" from longtime friends, or last job. Stating what you were doing while out of work, they wanna know you didn't go train to be a terrorist etc lol

I did that when I started, since I was "unemployed" technically 2 years... Working for myself / cash, once again, doing auto repair side jobs andU-Haul road calls for old boss. Had no issues getting into trucking in 2019

I understand the risk companies are taking in hiring new drivers. Seems the issue is that they don't want to do the hard things in this industry, which is spending extra money, taking extra time to train people to safely operate trucks. If 9 out of 10 new drivers quit or have accidents in the first year how am I more of a risk to hire because I had a period of unemployment compared to another new driver or even someone with only 3 months of experience. The training schools willingly take your money and basically only help you pass the test. Then companies won't hire you without a minimum of 3 months driving experience. The background checker told me I was hired, then someone above her vetoed that decision then went on to discredit my work history further, even though I provided w2 forms and can verify my work history and was initially vetted by their own background check! I'm going to train with another company this week so I am sure I can find other opportunities. Something just felt off with how they treated me. Oregon is an at will state and I'm not really interested in pursuing it, but companies need to also be compliant in the adverse action of denying my employment; And yes that adverse action is discrimination when it affects certain classes of people who are protected based on age, sex, sexual orientation and race.

Discrimination? Because they didn't hire you as a brand new driver with zero experience and a huge risk for them, or something else?

Same exact thing could, will and has happened to a white person. I doubt JBH gives a rats ass whether you are purple, green or black. They don’t care! No reason to.

There is total diversity in this industry. But you wouldn’t know that.

We gave you advice, good advice. You wanna play the discrimination card? Be my guest... deaf ears.

Nobody is discriminating against you. Job history matters because it displays a pattern of responsibility. If you've had 7 jobs in a year, chances are you'll take the training and skip out when things get a little rough. Companies also reach out to your past employers to see what they have to say about you. If this is the attitude you had at previous employers, future employers In this industry won't be interested.

JB Hunt is terrified of doing the hard things. They're only one of the biggest carriers in the country. You know you only get that size by shying away from hard stuff.

I am not saying job history doesn't matter. I have a solid job history and good references and provided them with this. Their own background person told me i was hired! I am a hard worker and fully capable of finding and keeping a job and being responsible and am being hired on by another company already. A lot of people lost jobs because of Covid, which had nothing to do with their abilities or work attitude. Now as they are re entering the job market they carry the stigma of being unemployed and being deemed a risk. Needed experience seems a fair enough question to ask of an industry who's own lobby groups argued that there was no scientific evidence showing that behind-the-wheel training led to safer drivers so as to avoid the costs and economic hardships of having to train them but who at the same time require new drivers to have 3 months of experience to be hired! Seems Schneider was one company pushing for more minimum behind the wheel training. Apologies for getting everyone's hackles up for using the term discrimination! It is within my rights to dispute their background check and verification if I find it has errors and was used as a reason to not hire me. Companies should be held to the same standards and integrity that they require of employees. Nothing is falling on deaf ears! Hammer down, movin' on!

You said in your initial post that they had you down as being unemployed for over 18 months because they couldn't verify employment. You said you submitted w2s and they said they would see what they can do. That doesn't imply a guarantee. Then you went on to cry discrimination.

It is not within your rights to dispute their background check. You're talking nonsense.

If you're being hired by another company why are you still focused on this? Move on.