Truck driver phone screen questions: CDL class and restrictions, medical certificate, Clearinghouse, English proficiency, lanes and home time
On this page
- What do you need from the carrier before the call?
- How should a 15-minute truck driver phone screen run?
- Which knockout questions come first?
- How do you match the screen to the carrier's DOT file?
- What does the English proficiency rule mean for a phone screen?
- How do you confirm lanes, home time and freight in three minutes?
- How do you test motivation on a truck driver phone screen?
- How do you ask about pay without asking salary history?
- When should you advance a truck driver?
- What should you not ask a truck driver on a phone screen?
- Questions people ask
A truck driver phone screen is a 15-minute recruiter call that checks what the carrier's DOT file will check, in the same order, before anyone talks about lanes and pay. Confirm the CDL class, issuing state, endorsements and any restriction codes, when the medical certificate expires, and the answer to the question 49 CFR 40.25(j) makes every DOT employer ask about positive or refused pre-employment tests in the last two years. Then cover the record for the last three years, verifiable months in the equipment, and whether the lane, home time and pay basis work. Rules are as of November 2026.
This page is the first-call version. The deeper bank, with the full restriction code table, equipment questions by trailer, hours of service and ELD questions, is in truck driver screening questions; sourcing is in Boolean search strings for truck drivers. For van and box truck roles without a CDL, use the delivery driver screening questions.
What do you need from the carrier before the call?
A regional dry van job with weekly home time and a dedicated tanker run with daily home time need different drivers. Get these facts first; the truck driver job description template shows where each belongs in the posting.
| Fact | Why the screen needs it | A usable answer (example) |
|---|---|---|
| CDL class and endorsements | The first knockout. | "Class A; tanker and hazmat (X) required." |
| Equipment and transmission | Decides which restriction codes rule a driver out. | "Day cabs, automatic; 9,000-gallon tankers." |
| Interstate or intrastate | Interstate drivers must be at least 21 under federal rules. | "Interstate, four-state region." |
| Carrier and insurer minimums | Experience and record limits come from the carrier, not regulation. | "12 months verifiable Class A; no more than two moving violations in three years." |
| Lane and home time | Where most driver placements fall apart. | "Out Monday, home Friday night; Saturday resets about once a month." |
| Pay basis and extras | Drivers compare weekly totals, not headline rates. | "Per mile, with detention after two hours and a stop rate." |
| Touch freight and orientation | Hand unloading and an out-of-state orientation lose drivers late. | "No touch freight; three days of orientation at the terminal." |
How should a 15-minute truck driver phone screen run?
- Opening (1 minute). The lane, equipment and home time in two sentences, how long the call will take, and your consent line if you record.
- License and qualification knockouts (5 minutes). Class, state, endorsements, restrictions, age for interstate, medical certificate, the 40.25(j) question.
- Record and experience (3 minutes). Violations and accidents in three years, states licensed in, verifiable months, last day driven.
- Lane, home time and freight (3 minutes). The actual schedule, touch freight, team or solo.
- Motivation, pay expectations and logistics (2 minutes). Why now, weekly pay needed, start and orientation.
- Their questions and the next step (1 minute). The application, the Clearinghouse consent and the road test.
The timings are a planning example. If a knockout fails, say so kindly and end the call or redirect to another opening.
Which knockout questions come first?
| Question | What a good answer sounds like | Weak answer or red flag |
|---|---|---|
| What class is your CDL, which state issued it, and which endorsements are on it? | "Class A from Ohio, with tanker and doubles." Knows it without looking. | Unsure of the endorsements, or says "hazmat" with a lapsed TSA check. |
| Can you read me the restriction codes on your license, if there are any? | "None", or reads the codes and knows what each means. | "I don't think so." An E (no manual) or L or Z (air brake) restriction can rule out the equipment. |
| This route crosses state lines. Are you at least 21? | "Yes." | Under 21, for an interstate role. Ask only this, not their age. |
| When does your medical examiner's certificate expire? | A month and year comfortably after the start date. | Expired, or expiring in the first weeks with no exam booked. Never ask why a certificate is short. |
| In the last two years, have you tested positive or refused to test on a DOT pre-employment drug or alcohol test for a job you did not go on to get? | A plain no. | Any yes goes to the carrier: under 49 CFR 40.25(j) the driver cannot perform safety-sensitive functions until the return-to-duty process is documented. |
| How many months of verifiable driving do you have in [equipment], and when did you last drive? | A number backed by employers and dates, and recent driving. | Counts school miles, or has not driven in over a year. |
| Are you legally authorized to work in the US, and will you now or in the future need visa sponsorship? | A direct answer to both parts. | None from the answer. Ask the same two parts of everyone. |
The class and restriction codes are defined in 49 CFR 383.91 and 49 CFR 383.153; the full code table is in truck driver screening questions. The age rule is 49 CFR 391.11(b)(1). For hazmat roles, TSA's hazmat endorsement page says the security threat assessment fee is valid for five years and rose to $88.25 for new and renewing applicants effective October 1, 2026, so ask when the driver's assessment expires. The authorization wording follows the Justice Department's Immigrant and Employee Rights Section FAQ (all as of November 2026).
How do you match the screen to the carrier's DOT file?
The carrier checks these records after the screen. A driver whose phone answers match the file is easy to place; one whose file surprises the carrier ends the placement and your credibility with it.
| Record | The rule, as of November 2026 | The screen question |
|---|---|---|
| Clearinghouse query | 49 CFR 382.701 bars an employer from using a driver in a safety-sensitive function without a pre-employment query, and under 49 CFR 382.703 the driver must give electronic consent through the Clearinghouse before the employer sees the record. FMCSA's Clearinghouse FAQ says that since November 18, 2024 state licensing agencies must query the Clearinghouse before issuing, renewing, transferring or upgrading a CDL, and 49 CFR 383.73(q) has the state downgrade the CDL of a driver in prohibited status within 60 days. | "Do you have a Clearinghouse account so you can approve the carrier's request?" |
| Driving record | 49 CFR 391.23 has the carrier request the record from every state where the driver held a license in the preceding three years, within 30 days of hire, and investigate safety performance history with DOT-regulated employers for the same three years. | "Which states have you held a license in over the last three years? What moving violations or accidents are on your record?" |
| Employment history | 49 CFR 391.21 asks for every employer in the last three years, plus the employers where they drove a commercial vehicle in the seven years before that. | "Walk me through your employers for the last three years, and any driving jobs before that." |
| Medical certification | Under 49 CFR 391.41(a)(2)(i)(B), since June 23, 2025 a CDL driver with a current certificate no longer needs to carry it; 49 CFR 391.45 sets re-examination at 24 months at most, and 12 months for insulin-treated diabetes and vision-standard certificates. | "When does your certificate expire?" |
| Entry-level training | 49 CFR 383.71(a)(10) has required, since February 7, 2022, training from a provider on FMCSA's Training Provider Registry before a first Class A or B skills test. | "Where did you train, and when did you get your CDL?" |
Staffing firms that supply drivers should settle who runs each check. FMCSA's definition of an employer at 49 CFR 390.5 includes a business that assigns employees to operate a commercial motor vehicle, not only one that owns or leases it, so agree in writing with the carrier which of you queries the Clearinghouse, pulls the records and keeps the qualification file. Drug testing outside the DOT rules is covered in drug testing laws in hiring.
What does the English proficiency rule mean for a phone screen?
The driver qualification rule at 49 CFR 391.11(b)(2) requires a driver who can read and speak English well enough to converse with the general public, understand highway traffic signs and signals, respond to official inquiries and make entries on reports and records. FMCSA's roadside enforcement FAQ, revised October 6, 2026, says the violation codes for this rule have been out-of-service violations since June 25, 2025, except where the trip stays within the U.S.-Mexico border commercial zones (as of November 2026).
Two cautions for recruiters. First, the carrier decides whether a driver meets the rule; note what you observed and pass it on rather than ending a call on your own judgment. Second, the EEOC's national origin page says national origin discrimination includes treating applicants unfavorably because of ethnicity or accent. Screen against the four abilities in the rule, ask every candidate the same questions, and never treat an accent as a proficiency problem.
How do you confirm lanes, home time and freight in three minutes?
| Question | What a good answer sounds like | Weak answer or red flag |
|---|---|---|
| Walk me through your last full week: days out, miles, and when you reset. | Concrete numbers that fit the hours of service rules: 11 hours of driving within a 14-hour window, a 30-minute break after 8 hours of driving, and 60 or 70 hours in 7 or 8 days, under 49 CFR 395.3. | A week that cannot fit those limits, or no idea of their own miles. |
| This run is [out Monday, home Friday]. Does that work every week, including the occasional Saturday reset? | A yes, or a clear limit: "I need every Sunday home." | Wants daily home time after agreeing to regional. |
| Is touch freight or hand unloading a problem? | A clear yes or no. | Agrees, then quits after the first hand unload. |
| Solo or team, and which have you done? | Separates solo from team time. | Team miles counted as solo experience. |
How do you test motivation on a truck driver phone screen?
| Question | What a good answer sounds like | Weak answer or red flag |
|---|---|---|
| What has you looking right now? | A specific push or pull: home time, a lane that closed, equipment, pay that dropped. | Only complaints about dispatch, for a carrier with the same model. |
| Why did you leave your last three carriers? | Reasons that fit the story and the dates. | A pattern of short stays with blame each time, or reasons that change when asked again. |
| If your carrier offered more to stay, would you? | "No", with a reason. | "Probably, if they matched the miles." That is counteroffer risk; tell the carrier. |
| Where else have you applied, and do you have an orientation date? | Stages and dates, names optional. | "Nowhere", then they start orientation elsewhere. |
How do you ask about pay without asking salary history?
Many states and cities bar employers and their agents from asking about current or past pay, as of November 2026; the list is in salary history ban states. Drivers are paid per mile, hourly, by percentage of the load or by the day, often with detention, stop and layover pay, so give the weekly picture. Overtime may not apply: the Labor Department's Fact Sheet #19 explains the motor carrier exemption from overtime for drivers whose duties affect safety in interstate commerce, with a small vehicle exception (as of November 2026). State law can differ.
| Ask this | Not this |
|---|---|
| "This run pays [rate] per mile, about [miles] a week, plus [detention and stop pay]. Does that work?" | "What's your rate per mile now?" |
| "What do you need to make in a typical week to take this job?" | "What did you gross last year?" |
| "Besides pay, what matters most: home time, equipment, the lane?" | "Send me your settlement statements so we can beat them." |
If the candidate volunteers a number, keep it out of your notes and the submittal and record the expectation instead. This is general information, not legal advice; check the law where the job is based.
When should you advance a truck driver?
Knockouts (all must be yes)
- The CDL class and endorsements the run needs, with no restriction that rules out the equipment.
- At least 21 for an interstate run.
- A medical certificate that runs past the start date.
- No to the 40.25(j) question, or a documented return-to-duty the carrier will review.
- Meets the carrier's experience and record minimums, as the driver describes them.
- Can work the lane, home time and freight as stated.
- Work authorization answered, and sponsorship needs known.
| Area | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| License fit | Wrong class, or a restriction that conflicts | Right class, an endorsement pending | Class, endorsements and no conflicting restrictions |
| Record honesty | "Clean", then changes the story | Lists items when asked twice | Lists items with dates before you ask again |
| Experience | School miles only | Meets minimum in other equipment | Meets minimum in this equipment, recent |
| Schedule fit | Home time does not work | Works with one limit | Works as stated |
| Tenure pattern | Several short stays, unexplained | One short stay, explained | Stable tenure or clear reasons |
An example rule to agree with the carrier's recruiting or safety lead: advance when every knockout passes, license fit and record honesty score at least 2, and two other areas score 3. Hold when one fact, such as an endorsement date, needs confirming. Decline when a knockout fails. The rest of the loop, including the road test and dispatch roles, is in the interview guide for logistics roles.
What should you not ask a truck driver on a phone screen?
The EEOC says pre-employment inquiries should be limited to what is needed to judge whether someone is qualified, and its guidance on pre-employment questions bars disability-related questions before an offer. The DOT medical exam is the carrier's process, not a phone topic. Criminal history follows the carrier's background check and any fair chance law on timing; see ban-the-box interview questions and the FCRA background check process.
| Do not ask | Ask instead |
|---|---|
| "Why is your medical card only good for a year?" | "When does your medical certificate expire?" |
| "How old are you?" | "This run crosses state lines. Are you at least 21?" |
| "Where's your accent from?" | "Tell me how you handled your last roadside inspection." (Ask everyone.) |
| "Have you ever been arrested?" | "The carrier runs its background check at [the stage the law allows]. Any questions about that?" |
| "Does your wife mind you being gone all week?" | "You'd be out Monday to Friday every week. Does that work for you?" |
| "Do you go to church on Sundays?" | "Some weeks need a Sunday dispatch. Can you work that?" |
If you take driver screens through your computer, Interview Signal keeps the license, medical certificate and 40.25(j) questions pinned until you ask them and writes the endorsements and dates exactly as the driver said them, with no bot in the call.
Questions people ask
What should I ask a truck driver on a phone screen?
Ask the CDL class, the issuing state, the endorsements and any restriction codes on the back of the license, when the medical certificate expires, and the question 49 CFR 40.25(j) makes the employer ask about positive or refused pre-employment DOT tests in the last two years. Then ask what is on their record for the last three years, how many months of verifiable experience they have and in which equipment, and whether the lane, home time, touch freight and pay basis work for them.
Does a CDL driver still need to carry a DOT medical card?
Not since June 23, 2025. Under 49 CFR 391.41(a)(2)(i)(B), a driver who must hold a CDL or a commercial learner's permit and has a current medical examiner's certificate no longer needs to carry it. The certification still has an expiration: up to 24 months under 49 CFR 391.45, and 12 months for drivers certified under the insulin-treated diabetes or vision standards. Ask the expiration date, never the medical reason for a short card.
What is the English language proficiency rule for truck drivers?
49 CFR 391.11(b)(2) says a driver must be able to read and speak English well enough to converse with the public, understand highway traffic signs and signals, respond to official inquiries and make entries on reports and records. As of November 2026, FMCSA's roadside enforcement FAQ, revised October 6, 2026, says the violation codes for this rule have been out-of-service violations since June 25, 2025, except for trips that stay within the U.S.-Mexico border commercial zones. The carrier decides qualification; recruiters should not judge accents.
How old do you have to be to drive a truck across state lines?
At least 21, under the driver qualification rule at 49 CFR 391.11(b)(1). For interstate roles, ask whether the candidate is at least 21 rather than asking their age or date of birth. Intrastate driving follows the state's own rules, so check the state for intrastate roles.