Hi. I'm new here and interested in getting into trucking. I've done some research and found that a strong work history is important, and that's something I don't have. I've been on ssdi for the past 8 years, but now I'm healthy and want to return to work, and I want to get into the trucking industry. I'm 34 years old and have a clean driving and criminal record, and I know I have what it takes to be a hard-working trucker. I have been working part-time helping my family's business out the past year and a half, but that's under-the-table. Does that still count as work history? Are there ways of explaining my situation to companies that will convince them to give me a chance? Any advice would be greatly apprieciated!

Jamie

Regardless of the industry you are going to need to explain where you have been and what skills you bring to the job (ie able to read a clock and be at work when your told to be there) . My WAG is ssdi stand for social security disability insurance, if it dose then good medical proof will be helpful.

IMHO you might want to do a lot of research on labor related sites to get an idea how to handle this.

Of course for the trucking industry these people can tell you about that, but you may want to call a local trucking company that runs ads for ’Drivers Needed’ and talk to them.

Good luck and keep us posted about what you do, find, learn etc.

I would NOT mention "working under the table" for one reason, you were still getting SSDI payments at that time right? Ifso as a company I'd be wondering if you where a workmens comp. case just looking for a place to happen.
Your really going need to start E MAILING compinies (save the reply's) and ask them, try to be as specific as possible and get a specific answer or better yet a prehire letter that mentions the SSDI time. It's going to be tough .

Thanks for the replies. I think I'm going to try to verify the income i've made in the last year, if I can, so at least I have one year of recent employment history, though I have to find out the rules at social security. I'm not on workman's comp and never have been. Maybe there's a way I can prove that to companies? I think pre-hires are the way to go. I don't want to invest time and money into school if noone will even hire me. How possible is it to get pre-hires before starting school????

pre hire dose not mean you have a job. its only mean your apacation looks like they will hire you, then they put you though school after that they will look into your appacation and see if your hireable. if not then you must pay them back.

Something else you may not have thought of Jamie, is there's no law that states that you have to start your truckdriving career at SuperMegaCorp Unlimited. There are many smaller companies that are legit in every sense of the word that you can land an interview with. They won't have the countless layers of bureaucracy and hundreds of hiring rules that a megacorp would have. It might very well come down to good old-fashioned eye to eye contact with the guy hiring you and you telling him that you won't let him down. And if you're smart, you'll back up that pledge.

You might even find that you like working for a small company. I think it's a good thing to have the boss know your name.

The main question that any potential employer would have is whether you are physically able to do the job. Most will likely want a release from your doctor. Some may require that you go to a doctor that they choose in order to get released to work. You will need to account for your time for the past 10 years. It doesn't matter what you were doing as long as you account for the time. Carriers are required by law to at least check the last 3 years of your history, whether you were in school, on disability or working. Without being able to prove what you have been doing for that period of time, none will hire you. It is up to you as to how you handle working for your family. Showing that you can still work could help, but if you continued receiving disability during that time could potentially hurt you.

I would suggest that you call some of the carriers for whom you would like to work. You will need to either pay for your own schooling or find a carrier who is willing to train you. Since you have been on disability, there may even be some government program that will assist you in training for a new career. A smaller carrier might be more flexible, but may have difficulty insuring you due to lack of experience.

I'm 99.99% sure that I'm physically able to do the job, and I know my doctor will vouch for me. I'm thinking about claiming my 2012 income, as to show I've been working. I've been earning below the amount that will affect my ssdi, so that's not an issue.
I want to do my own schooling, and I think I can get the government to fund it. I'm going to start calling companies soon (I want to give my family time to find a replacement for me) and find out if
I'm hireable.
Also, I think a company would get some kind of tax break for hiring me (being on ssdi), but that's not why I'd want then to do so. I want them to hire me because they trust I'd come through and work hard....