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Driver's Application for Employment
A three-page truck driver application form for a carrier to give to applicants. It asks for everything 49 CFR 391.21 requires, in the rule's order, and ends with the certification in the rule's own words. It comes as a PDF to print and a Word template to edit.
No signup needed. Print as many copies as you need; three US Letter pages.
What the application asks for
Each item in §391.21(b), in order:
- The name and address of the motor carrier.
- The applicant's name, address, date of birth and social security number.
- Addresses for the last three years.
- The date of the application.
- Each unexpired commercial license or permit: issuing authority, number and expiration.
- Driving experience, by type of equipment.
- Accidents in the last three years, with the date, what happened and any fatalities or injuries.
- Traffic convictions and forfeitures in the last three years, other than parking.
- Any denial, revocation or suspension of a license, or a statement that there has been none.
- Employers in the last three years: names, addresses, dates and the reason for leaving, and for each whether the job was subject to the safety regulations and to DOT drug and alcohol testing.
- For jobs that need a CDL, employers in the seven years before that for which the applicant operated a commercial motor vehicle.
- The certification, signed and dated by the applicant.
Ten years of employers for CDL drivers
Every applicant lists all employers for the last three years. An applicant for a job that needs a commercial driver's license also lists each employer in the seven years before that for which they drove a commercial motor vehicle, with dates and reasons for leaving. The form has six employer blocks across pages two and three, and room to attach more.
The notice to the applicant
Before the application is submitted, a carrier has to tell the applicant that previous employers will be contacted about their safety performance history, and tell them in writing of their rights: to review what previous employers report, to have errors corrected and re-sent, and to attach a rebuttal (§391.21(d), §391.23(i)). The notice is printed on page three, above the signature.
Before you hand it out
- Fill in your company name and address at the top of page one, or write them in before copying.
- Add your own questions on a separate sheet. A carrier may ask for more than the rule requires (§391.21(c)).
- Check every page is complete. An unanswered section is the most common gap found in a driver's file; "none" is an answer, a blank is a question.
What happens after it's signed
The signed application goes in the driver qualification file. Within 30 days of the start date the carrier obtains the driving record from each state that licensed the driver in the last three years and investigates the safety performance history with previous DOT-regulated employers (§391.23). For CDL drivers, the Clearinghouse pre-employment query comes first (§382.701(a)). The driver qualification file checklist tracks each of those.
Questions
Is the application only for CDL drivers?
No. It works for any driver of a commercial motor vehicle. The longer employment history, seven more years of jobs operating a commercial motor vehicle, applies to applicants for work that needs a CDL (49 CFR 391.21(b)(11)).
Does the application have to ask for a date of birth and social security number?
Yes. 49 CFR 391.21(b)(2) lists the applicant's name, address, date of birth and social security number.
Can an applicant fill it in on a computer?
Yes, with the Word version: type into the boxes, then print it for the applicant to sign. The PDF is made to print and complete by hand.
How long do we keep a hired driver's application?
In the driver qualification file for as long as the driver works for you and for three years after (49 CFR 391.51(b)(1), (c)).
Related
Get the driver qualification file checklist →