What carriers check before hiring you
Federal rules make a motor carrier look back before it puts you in a truck. Your application has to list your employment for the past 3 years, and for drivers of commercial motor vehicles it reaches back 10 years (49 CFR 391.21). The carrier then has to ask your previous DOT-regulated employers from the last 3 years about your safety performance (49 CFR 391.23).
What "verifiable experience" means
When a recruiter asks for verifiable experience, they mean time behind the wheel that a past employer can confirm. Miles you ran for a company that closed, never answers, or paid you in a way that left no record are hard to count, even if you drove them.
Your DAC report and how to get a copy
DAC is the employment history report many carriers pull through HireRight. It holds what past employers sent in about your time with them. You can request your own copy, and under the Fair Credit Reporting Act you're entitled to a free copy from this kind of reporting agency once every 12 months (HireRight: request a copy of my DAC report). Read it before you apply. If something is wrong, you can dispute it.
Your PSP report
The FMCSA Pre-Employment Screening Program shows your crash history from the last 5 years and your roadside inspection history from the last 3 years. You can order your own record for a fee (psp.fmcsa.dot.gov).
When an old employer doesn't answer
The carrier has to make a good-faith effort to reach your past employers and document it. If one never answers, give the recruiter what you can: the company name and DOT number, your dates, your supervisor's name, and any paperwork from that job.
What to keep
- Pay stubs and W-2s or 1099s for every year you drove.
- Letters from past employers with your dates and the equipment you drove.
- Your own log of miles, loads and lanes.
- Copies of your DAC and PSP reports.
Where Driver Beyond helps, and where it doesn't
Driver Beyond does not replace the background checks a carrier has to run. What it adds is the side those reports don't show: the work you got right. When your carrier runs on Carrier Beyond, your miles, loads and states are recorded as you drive, and that record stays yours when you move on.
Sources checked October 13, 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice.