How to hire a CDL driver the DOT way, step by step
Every check a motor carrier runs before a new driver drives, in the order you run them: the application, MVR, PSP, previous employer verification, Clearinghouse query, road test, pre-employment drug test, random pool, and the driver qualification file (DQF). Start with the overview, or jump to the step you're on.
- Overview: Every check in order
- Step 1: Driver application
- Step 2: MVR check
- Step 3: PSP crash and inspection history
- Step 4: Previous employer verification
- Step 5: Clearinghouse full query
- Step 6: Road test
- Step 7: Pre-employment drug test
- Step 8: Random testing pool
- Step 9: Create and keep the DQF
- Step 10: Why Vertical Identity
- Overview
Every check in order
Hiring a CDL driver takes a series of checks, and running them out of order can turn a good hire into an audit finding. Here is the whole hiring process in two stages you can run the same way every time: Pre-screen, then Qualify.
Hiring a CDL driver →Hiring Truck Drivers: How to Hire a CDL Driver the DOT Way, Every Check in Order — Vertical Identity on YouTube. Overview of the Hiring CDL Drivers course. - Step 1
Driver application
A driver can't drive for you until you have a completed, signed application on your form. Here's what 49 CFR 391.21 requires on a CDL driver application, the notice you must give before it's submitted, and what to keep in the driver qualification file.
Driver onboarding →DOT Driver Application: What a CDL Driver Employment Application Must Include — Vertical Identity on YouTube. Part of the Hiring CDL Drivers course. - Step 2
MVR check
A driver can hand you a clean application and still be carrying a suspended license or a fresh DUI. The motor vehicle record is where you find out how they actually drive, and federal rules require you to pull one. Here's what an MVR shows, the rule and deadline under 49 CFR 391.23, and the red flags that should make you pause a hire.
Order an MVR →MVR Check for Truck Drivers: What to Look For Before You Hire a CDL Driver — Vertical Identity on YouTube. Part of the Hiring CDL Drivers course. - Step 3
PSP crash and inspection history
A driver's license won't show you the crashes they've been in or how their roadside inspections went. The FMCSA Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP) report will. Here's what it shows, whether you have to use it, and how to pull it the right way.
PSP reports →Check a Truck Driver's Crash History Before You Hire: PSP Report Explained — Vertical Identity on YouTube. Part of the Hiring CDL Drivers course. - Step 4
Previous employer verification
A driver who hid a positive drug test or a stack of crashes at the last job can become your next crash. Federal rules require you to investigate a new driver's safety performance history with previous employers. Here's what 49 CFR 391.23 requires, the 30-day clock, and how the Clearinghouse changed the drug and alcohol part.
What goes in a DQF →Did You Call Their Last Employer? DOT Employment Verification for CDL Drivers — Vertical Identity on YouTube. Part of the Hiring CDL Drivers course. - Step 5
Clearinghouse full query
Before a new CDL driver touches one of your trucks, you have to check the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse for violations that bar them from driving. Here's what the full pre-employment query is under 49 CFR 382.701, how it differs from a limited query, what a hit means, and the account setup that has to come from you.
Clearinghouse queries →Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse Full Query: Is Your New Driver Allowed to Drive? — Vertical Identity on YouTube. Part of the Hiring CDL Drivers course. - Step 6
Road test
A CDL road test is required before a driver can drive for you, unless you accept a valid equivalent. Here's what 49 CFR 391.31 requires, when 391.33 lets you accept a CDL or an earlier certificate instead, and what to keep in the driver qualification file.
What goes in a DQF →CDL Road Test Requirements for Carriers | Road Test Certificate | 49 CFR 391.31 — Vertical Identity on YouTube. Part of the Hiring CDL Drivers course. - Step 7
Pre-employment drug test
The DOT pre-employment drug test has to come back as a verified negative before a new CDL driver does any safety-sensitive work for you. Here's what 49 CFR 382.301 says, when hiring really starts, the narrow exception, and the mistake that gets carriers in trouble.
Pre-employment drug testing →Can a New Driver Start Before the Drug Test Result? DOT Pre-Employment Drug Test — Vertical Identity on YouTube. Part of the Hiring CDL Drivers course. - Step 8
Random testing pool
Every covered driver has to be in your DOT random drug testing pool. Here's what a random pool is, why carriers use a C/TPA that manages the pool, when to add a new driver (when you order the pre-employment drug test), and the mistake of leaving a driver out.
DOT random testing program →Is Your New Driver in the Random Pool? DOT Random Drug Testing Explained — Vertical Identity on YouTube. Part of the Hiring CDL Drivers course. - Step 9
Create and keep the DQF
A driver qualification file (DQF) starts the day you make a conditional offer. Here's how a carrier starts the file for a new CDL driver, what happens from the application to the hire date, and how to keep the file current.
DQF Pro →How to Start and Keep a Driver Qualification File (DQF) for a New CDL Driver — Vertical Identity on YouTube. Part of the Hiring CDL Drivers course. - Step 10
Why Vertical Identity
Hiring a CDL driver means a driving record, a crash history report, a Clearinghouse query, a drug test, a random testing pool and a file to keep it all in. Here's how Vertical Identity puts it in one place for trucking companies.
Why Vertical Identity →Why Trucking Companies Use Vertical Identity: DOT Hiring, Random Testing and DQF in One Place — Vertical Identity on YouTube. Part of the Hiring CDL Drivers course.
Run every hiring check in one place
Your random testing program and DQF Pro driver files come in one membership, one price, one portal. Order MVRs, PSP reports, Clearinghouse queries and pre-employment drug tests from the same account. Join online: members.verticalidentity.com/enroll