How to Find Second-Chance Trucking Jobs
When they say second-chance trucking jobs, the phrase can mean a lot of things. Sometimes, it means you had a rough work history. Other times, it can mean that you got into a preventable accident. There are other cases where you might need this type of job after having a criminal history, or an employment gap.
You need to pay attention to your exact problem. Every situation requires a slightly different approach. Still, one universal truth remains. That is to say, if you keep wasting your time sending out applications to trucking companies that won’t even look at you, you will make the process much harder.
In other words, you need to think strategically about what second chance CDL jobs you send applications for. Look for companies willing to work with you. This doesn’t necessarily mean trucking companies that hire everyone.
Are Trucking Companies That Hire Everyone the Answer?
Many truckers tell you to look for companies that simply hire everyone. In truth, it doesn’t work that way. While it may seem like that, no trucking company looks at truckers and goes, “Hey, come on in. We hire everyone!” The best 2nd chance trucking companies don’t necessarily do that.
What actually happens is that every trucking company will have different requirements for:
Safety standards
Insurance requirements
Recruiter guidelines
Terminal locations
Customer freight expectations
Hiring territories
Different companies that offer second chance driving jobs will choose to be picky about different things. For example, one company might overlook an employment gap, but they will be hard on those with moving violations. You might have another willing to hire new drivers, but they will only hire them from specific regions. With another, they might see that an individual has an old non-violent offense and be willing to look past it, but they might require them to have a consistent and stable work history.
This is why looking broadly for a company willing to work with everyone will limit you and make it harder to find one that would actually hire you.
Your Circumstances Matter
Before you even think of sending out another job application, you need to be honest about what is holding you back. You might ask the following questions:
Are they not hiring me because of a lack of experience?
Do I have a CDL-related violation?
Did I get into a recent accident or receive a ticket?
Am I having an issue with my background or history?
Are they not hiring me because I’m changing jobs too frequently?
Do I have a long unemployment gap?
Whatever your situation, you need to understand that each circumstance will require a different approach. We want you to get clear on this because then you can target the specific companies that will be willing to work with you.
The Recruiter Sounded Positive…What Happened?
Have you ever spoken with a recruiter who sounded happy to be speaking with you, but then they never came forward with the job offer? There’s a reason this happens. When you speak to a recruiter, you need to understand how your application passes through multiple layers, and the recruiter is only the first layer.
That means your application will also need to pass through the safety department, underwriting reviews, and insurance requirements. If everything checks out, the recruiter will usually give you a job offer.
To get around some of these things and see if you’re wasting your time, you might ask questions like:
Have you worked with truckers in a similar situation to mine?
Does safety review your applications?
What documents do I need before I apply?
Asking these questions ahead of time will save you the frustration and time of filling out an application.
Dealing with Different Situations and How to Find a Trucking Job
We’re going to break down each situation and how to find second chance trucking jobs from companies more willing to work with you. Let’s take a look:
Complicated work history: Keep your explanation simple and professional. Recruiters want to know where you worked, why you left, what happened during the gaps, and why the problem won’t repeat itself. Give them an honest, professional, brief, and consistent answer. Don’t make excuses because this can work against you. That goes for all of these.
Having a preventable accident: Many times with this one, the issue comes from the trucking carrier’s insurance rejecting you, not from them. The insurance company will also perceive people with a criminal history as being a higher risk. What you want to look for is a company that is self-insured to slip past this problem.
Felonies and Misdemeanors: Like we said above, insurance can sometimes get you rejected because they will see you as higher risk. Companies that advertise for giving second chances in this way are your safest bet.
Call the Recruiter Before Submitting an Application
Before you attempt to submit an application, call the recruiter. Ask them if your situation would be worth submitting an application. Doing this can save you a lot of time. Even if they say no, at least you didn’t spend all that time applying for a job where you will never even be considered. Only apply to jobs where there is a realistic fit.
While this approach may seem slow in the beginning, you’ll see later how it saves time because your chances with the applications that you do send in will go up.
Sometimes, what you need to do before you begin again is to get your foot in the door. You may need to take a worse trucking job so that you can prove yourself before moving on to better ones.
Search Employers by Hiring Requirements
At Trucker Social, we have a variety of filters you can apply to help you look for specific companies that will increase your chances when looking for second chance trucking jobs. Try us out to see for yourself. You can sign up for your FREE Trucker Social profile and get started browsing through jobs that can help you start trucking again.
