An Open Letter to Drivers (and employers)

We’ve had some questions on what we are all about and what we are trying to do. Here’s a start.

What’s the Problem?

For years, drivers applying for a job have (ironically) been the most uninformed party to job screening process. A driver might call an 800 number to apply for a job and following that action, the actions and details often got murky. Did the employer check references, driving records or criminal records? If so, what did the past employers say or what was on the driving or criminal record?

Once employed, a driver sometimes discovered that the company wasn’t what they expected when taking the job—but work can get in the way of finding another, better company. Further, some companies promised to report a bad employment history if the driver didn’t tow the company line (right or wrong) and left.

If the company did report a bad reference, sometimes the driver could get his version attached or air his side of the story—but only after the prospective employer had seen the bad reference.

And so, to address the above situations, DOTJobHistory has been created. For the first time, drivers have the ability to be proactive with their personal information—information upon which their livelihood depends. What does this mean?

Let’s start with the basics:

1. You know what’s reported on your own employment, driving, and criminal history.
2. You know who will see it.
3. If you disagree with a former employer’s reference, you can have your version of the experience reported right there when the negative version is reported.
4. If you do get into a situation in which you are incompatible with your employer, you have options and tools at hand to better your situation.

Get Out of Jail Free?

Thirty years ago, if a driver did a bad job with an employer, he might apply for the next job and simply omit the previous employer from the employment application (even though illegal). The prospective employer had no means (outside of luck) to discover the omitted past employer. To address this, private databases were built and employers began investigating gaps of employment by requiring tax records.

Is DOTJOBHistory a “get out of jail free” card, or a means to hide or suppress past employment behavior? Hardly. As a DOTJOB driver, you will address information before it goes on your report and you will provide your version of events rather than attempting to sweep events under the rug. There is too much at stake for employers to perform shoddy background investigations. Omitting an employer in an attempt to deceive a prospective motor carrier is not a sound strategy.

Motor carriers must perform a reasonably thorough background investigation in this age or they will become losers in the litigation lottery. Any accident involving a commercial vehicle exposes the motor carrier to intense scrutiny of its employee selection practices. And let’s face it: there’s not a one of us who has not seen a commercial driver that is a disgrace to the industry—that cause employers to screen carefully to insure they don’t hire that driver. And this is not an insult to drivers—we’ve probably all been appalled at one time or another with the actions of a doctor, clergyman or other worker in a generally well respected profession.

In short, DOTJOB allows drivers to address—not suppress—the situation.

The Irony

The irony is that by helping yourself, you help the employer who lands you as an employee. The prospective employer gets a quick, inexpensive look at the credentials of someone who has stepped out, been proactive and allowed his claims to be verified by an independent third party who knows what they’re doing. These attributes are many of the same that make the superior professional driver and are in demand by the top-tier companies. Like most worthwhile transactions and relationships, the result is a win-win equation.

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