Best Ways to Vet Drivers: What You Don’t Know Will Hurt You

Bad drivers are bad news. Most trucking firms know that the consequences of hiring bad drivers is even worse than the pain of having a truck sit idle until a competent person is hired.

Using a systematic hiring system is a must to separate the proverbial wheat from the chaff is no longer a luxury. It’s a must. The process needs to be integrated with a background check provider.

HireRight® is the industry leader and knows both trucking and hiring. Here are two examples.

1. There’s a difference between the information that firms can get on two important background checks for drivers, the motor vehicle report information (MVR), and the Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP). HireRight does an excellent job explaining the differences in this article.

Both reports have some overlap but they also provide important information that the other does not. Some excerpts:

"MVR and PSP records are maintained by different sources. MVR driving records are reported by each State’s Department of Motor Vehicles (“DMV”, or similar State agency), and there is no national database housing driver records. The FMCSA is responsible for the PSP report. An important point to remember is that the two records are not linked, so the information may not match. Also state information collected varies, state to state."

"A PSP report may include traffic citations or warnings which prompted a roadside inspection but will not include all of the driving record activity. The list of DOT crashes represents a driver’s involvement only, it does not determine responsibility."

"An MVR will provide the driver’s driving history as reported by a given State’s DMV. PSP reports only contain entries of traffic convictions and warnings related to roadside inspection."

"Citations, warnings, and tickets yet to be settled in the courts will not appear on an MVR."

"Use of the PSP in hiring decisions for drivers is not required by regulations. However, it is becoming a fairly common best practice among motor carriers and bus operators."

"FMCSA regulations require that a three year MVR report be checked within 30 days of hiring and then rechecked annually."

You can get a copy of the 2016 report or even sign up to hear this data firsthand in a free webinar on January 20, 2016 by clicking here.

Included are:

• A perspective on the current candidate’s market
• Current Human Resources hiring challenges
• Common background screening practices and benefits
• New initiatives organizations plan on for 2016

It’s a new year. What you don’t know will hurt you. Resolve to learn more and to use that information for the betterment of your fleet.