Employment and driver details
Prior employer, dates of employment, and the role held while operating a commercial motor vehicle.
Superunit contacts prior employers by phone, email, and fax to collect driver safety-performance history and document every response and good-faith attempt.
For FMCSA-regulated hiring, the previous-employer investigation covers the driver’s employment and safety-performance history during the preceding three years—not just dates of employment.
Prior employer, dates of employment, and the role held while operating a commercial motor vehicle.
Accidents defined by DOT rules, with dates and available details such as fatalities, injuries, and hazardous-material releases.
The information received from each prior employer—or a documented record of the attempts made when an employer does not respond.
Under 49 CFR 391.23, carriers investigate a driver’s safety-performance history with DOT-regulated employers from the preceding three years. The investigation can use phone calls, letters, or other methods, but the contacts, attempts, and information received must be documented.
For FMCSA-regulated employers, the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse now satisfies the prior drug-and-alcohol violation inquiry. Direct outreach still handles employment and accident history, and may still be required for prior employers regulated by other DOT agencies.
Start every employer at once instead of working through the history sequentially
Run phone, email, and fax to reach HR, safety, or the designated records contact
Track each response with source communications and the information returned
Document good-faith attempts when a prior employer cannot be reached or does not respond
Sources: FMCSA Motor Carrier Safety Planner and FMCSA Clearinghouse guidance.
Run phone, email, and fax in parallel—and keep every attempt and response in one reviewable record.