6 Months Safe Driving With A CDL A Carrier

We're you with Western Express when you hit the hydrant? You said you were fired from your first job for hitting the hydrant, but it sounds like you started at Western and left and then get fired from a different company.

How long do you think I'd have to wait? Another 4 months for it to be a year? 2? 3 years?

Waiting isn't beneficial to you. You need to accept any job offer you get and get some safe driving time under your belt.

As a CDL holder, you have to list 10 years of employment on each application and your prospective employers will reach out to your previous employers.

The longer you wait the harder it will be to find a job. You'll end up with a stale CDL due to your lack of experience and have another hurdle to overcome.

The suggestion to wait is being made because there is strong likelihood that there will be a total of 0 job offers. Desperation job acceptance is a terrible suggestion, anyway.

We're you with Western Express when you hit the hydrant? You said you were fired from your first job for hitting the hydrant, but it sounds like you started at Western and left and then get fired from a different company.

How long do you think I'd have to wait? Another 4 months for it to be a year? 2? 3 years?

Waiting isn't beneficial to you. You need to accept any job offer you get and get some safe driving time under your belt.

As a CDL holder, you have to list 10 years of employment on each application and your prospective employers will reach out to your previous employers.

The longer you wait the harder it will be to find a job. You'll end up with a stale CDL due to your lack of experience and have another hurdle to overcome.

Western Express was my first company I worked for. No prior convictions or anything, just a young dumb 21 year old that accepted the first offer someone gave me. I worked for them for 3 months and hit the hydrant at the start of February, and then two weeks later I was fired for leaving the scene and failing to report it on time.

I know now what I did was probably the dumbest thing I have ever done in my life, but it seems nothing can change it now.

Perhaps my best course would be to wait out the three years and hopefully get on with a company that offers a refresher course.

Either that or maybe I don't belong on the road at all. I'll direct myself to the nearest McDonald's and stay in my lane. Thank you all for your honesty.

I understand why he's telling you to wait, but that's not going to help you. Like I said, any CDL job will require 10 years of work history. You also don't have a year experience to fall back on for the next 3 years which means you'll have a stale CDL.

I also don't get the issue you have with Western Express. Any company would've done the same thing they did in response to your actions.

I understand why he's telling you to wait, but that's not going to help you. Like I said, any CDL job will require 10 years of work history. You also don't have a year experience to fall back on for the next 3 years which means you'll have a stale CDL.

I also don't get the issue you have with Western Express. Any company would've done the same thing they did in response to your actions.

A stale CDL is a myth. Incidents, tickets, and work history are relevant pieces of information used. "Stale" CDL is an idea that came about because some training companies won't hire students where more than a determined amount of time has passed since CDL school completion, but that varies from one company to another.

The seriousness of the incident, as a result of leaving the scene puts this driver in a position where there probably aren't any companies that will hire him. If a known established company doesn't hire him, it will be like a 1099 that is going to take advantage. That's a dangerous place to be in. That's what I am talking about when I say it's a bad idea to advise taking a job out of desperation.

You are right that even after 3 to 5 years when a company is no longer concerned about the incident, it will still be an issue because it was a reason for termination. This is exactly why another driver mentioned that leaving the scene took what could have been just a rookie mistake and made it potentially a career killer.

Not trying to say that you don't have a valid point, I just completely disagree that the answer to the dilemma is take any job that comes along. That's how people end up in really bad situations.

We're you with Western Express when you hit the hydrant? You said you were fired from your first job for hitting the hydrant, but it sounds like you started at Western and left and then get fired from a different company.

How long do you think I'd have to wait? Another 4 months for it to be a year? 2? 3 years?

Waiting isn't beneficial to you. You need to accept any job offer you get and get some safe driving time under your belt.

As a CDL holder, you have to list 10 years of employment on each application and your prospective employers will reach out to your previous employers.

The longer you wait the harder it will be to find a job. You'll end up with a stale CDL due to your lack of experience and have another hurdle to overcome.

Western Express was my first company I worked for. No prior convictions or anything, just a young dumb 21 year old that accepted the first offer someone gave me. I worked for them for 3 months and hit the hydrant at the start of February, and then two weeks later I was fired for leaving the scene and failing to report it on time.

I know now what I did was probably the dumbest thing I have ever done in my life, but it seems nothing can change it now.

Perhaps my best course would be to wait out the three years and hopefully get on with a company that offers a refresher course.

Either that or maybe I don't belong on the road at all. I'll direct myself to the nearest McDonald's and stay in my lane. Thank you all for your honesty.

Why the surrender and the defeated attitude? If you truly wish to be an employed driver, get out there and apply everywhere. Admit to and own your past error to any company that will have a look at your application. As for waiting a few years then doing only a refresh with a trainer, forget that. You're going to need to start from scratch, so the time to get going is now. Good luck!

Ryan wrote:

A stale CDL is a myth.

Not true Ryan.

Stop driving for a year and then try to get a job without any refresher training. Not going to happen. Many carriers will pass entirely or require a complete restart.

Ryan wrote:

A stale CDL is a myth.

Not true Ryan.

Stop driving for a year and then try to get a job without any refresher training. Not going to happen. Many carriers will pass entirely or require a complete restart.

I always see it advertised as so much experience within a certain amount of time, like 2 within the last 3 or even 2 within the last 5. The real issue for the OP is not the time out of the seat; it's the incident. That is going to be what keeps the OP from having another opportunity.

As has been suggested, apply everywhere and hope that some company takes a chance. But, I stand by not taking a job with just any company.

I have personally known drivers that went 6 months and up to 3 years without driving and got hired without a refresher. It varies from company to company. A clean driving record, no matter how old the CDL, no matter how far back the experience, is capable of getting a job. A major incident, especially leaving the scene... Potential career killer, no matter how much experience the driver has.

As has been suggested, apply everywhere and hope that some company takes a chance. But, I stand by not taking a job with just any company

Nobody suggested taking a job with any company. I shouldn't have to tell the OP to do their due diligence and make sure the company is reputable.

I have personally known drivers that went 6 months and up to 3 years without driving and got hired without a refresher

How much experience did those drivers have? To avoid a refresher, you generally need "1 year in the last 3 years", "3 years in the last 5 years" or "5 years in the last 10 years" experience.

3 months doesn't buy a lot of good faith.

I know what the real issue is. It’s obvious…

But a stale CDL is a real thing…not a myth. I’ve witnessed the results multiple times and haven’t seen the liberal outcome that you have. Agreed policies vary from one company to the next… but it can’t be completely ignored.

Ryan wrote:

A stale CDL is a myth.

Not true Ryan.

Stop driving for a year and then try to get a job without any refresher training. Not going to happen. Many carriers will pass entirely or require a complete restart.

I always see it advertised as so much experience within a certain amount of time, like 2 within the last 3 or even 2 within the last 5. The real issue for the OP is not the time out of the seat; it's the incident. That is going to be what keeps the OP from having another opportunity.

As has been suggested, apply everywhere and hope that some company takes a chance. But, I stand by not taking a job with just any company.

I have personally known drivers that went 6 months and up to 3 years without driving and got hired without a refresher. It varies from company to company. A clean driving record, no matter how old the CDL, no matter how far back the experience, is capable of getting a job. A major incident, especially leaving the scene... Potential career killer, no matter how much experience the driver has.

As has been suggested, apply everywhere and hope that some company takes a chance. But, I stand by not taking a job with just any company

Nobody suggested taking a job with any company. I shouldn't have to tell the OP to do their due diligence and make sure the company is reputable.

I have personally known drivers that went 6 months and up to 3 years without driving and got hired without a refresher

How much experience did those drivers have? To avoid a refresher, you generally need "1 year in the last 3 years", "3 years in the last 5 years" or "5 years in the last 10 years" experience.

3 months doesn't buy a lot of good faith.

You quite literally said, "take any job offer you can get." I have been around a fair amount of time, and I really thought that you meant ANY job offer. Yeah, you kind of do have to spell it out, if that's what you mean.

I am not trying to compare the OP to an experienced driver. I understand why it seems that I am. My entire point is that the incident is going to be what stands in the way and not lack of experience, not even time out of the seat. IF this driver can find another opportunity with a reputable company, then obviously that's the best option. I don't see it happening. That's my opinion. So, the next best option is to wait it out, which I believe will be what has to happen. Obviously, I could be proven wrong. If I am, then I truly hope that the OP makes the best of it and has a long and safe career.