Many carriers limit how many driving jobs you can have had in the last few years, often 3 to 5 jobs in 3 years. Every short stint makes the next job harder to get.
Before you quit
- Line up the next job first. Get the offer and the start date before you give notice.
- Check your DAC and PSP reports. Make sure dates and reasons for leaving are correct.
- Finish your current load and turn in equipment properly. Abandoning a truck can follow you for years.
- Give notice if you can. Leaving on good terms affects how your employer reports you.
How to explain short jobs
Be honest and brief: "The account closed," "Home time was not as promised," "Family reasons." Carriers mostly want to know whether it will happen again. A recruiter who knows each carrier's rules can steer you toward ones that will accept your history.
When leaving fast is right
Unsafe equipment, being pushed to violate hours of service, or pay that is not what was promised. Document it: dates, messages, settlements. Then leave.
Our view
The best way to avoid job-hopping is to get the match right the first time: the real home time, the real freight, the real pay. That is the whole reason we ask so many questions up front.
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