Maintaining a clean motor vehicle record is immensely important to any person interested in driving a commercial truck. Because safety is so important on the road, especially when operating a large truck, trucking companies scrutinize MVRs very closely when determining whether to hire a potential employee.
In fact, companies will undoubtedly screen the hiring process on the basis of the MVR, often considering only those with a clean record. This is because, in addition to valuing the judgment and safety of their drivers, trucking companies must meet certain guidelines to qualify for their insurance policies. Today’s technology makes it impossible to ignore driving issues, no matter how trivial the driver may consider them to be. It’s important to be aware of your MVR even after you’ve been hired for a job, as failure to keep it clean could result in required safety training or even termination.
So what constitutes a tainted MVR? While it depends on the specific company, they all tend to keep an eye out for the same issues. Moving violations are much more important than non-moving ones, especially when they arise from seemingly careless or reckless behavior. For example, a violation involving drugs or alcohol like a DUI will put your hiring in serious doubt. A history of accidents where the driver was deemed at fault will also look very bad to a potential employer.
One speeding ticket 3 years ago probably won’t ruin your chance at a truck driving job. A common standard trucking companies use to identify a problem is if a driver has more than three moving violations in the past 5 years. As mentioned, as long as a DWI or DUI remains on your record, you’ll have serious trouble getting hired. Non-moving violations that might raise a red flag include a pattern of overweight tickets, and other issues that signal repeated irresponsibility.
For trucking companies, hiring a driver with a safe motor vehicle record just makes sense. It bodes well for the reputation of their company, and for the safety of truckers and others who share the road.
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