While hiring new truck drivers, you have to follow strict industry standards regulated by the US Department of Transportation (DOT). The organization evaluates the transportation and trucking industry to ensure they follow firm safety guidelines. Thus, during the hiring process, you need to screen the truck drivers so you can identify who would be a good fit.
If you don’t know how to go about it, here’s a beginner’s guide. After reading this post, you’ll know how to identify good quality truck drivers that obey the DOT’s regulations.
How to Screen Truck Drivers
Trucking companies have to obey the regulations and legal requirements of the DOT to avoid being fined or possibly shut down. Ignoring state and federal laws is absolutely not acceptable. Thus, trucking companies must hire the right truck drivers. For trucking companies, a reliable truck driver should comply with company policies regulated by the government.
If you’re hiring truck drivers, you should follow the listed steps:
1. Check Their Driving History
When you’re screening truck drivers, you need to check their driving history. This can indicate to you whether or not they’re a good driver.
You’ll want to keep an eye out for:
- Speeding tickets
- DUIs
- Texting and driving
- Accidents
- Claims
These factors will be a good indicator of whether or not the driver makes safety their top priority. Also, a trucker with a bad driving record can greatly impact your insurance premiums.
You’ll also need to run a background check to make sure they don’t have a criminal record. If they do, they may be more likely to ignore regulations and guidelines. This can put your company’s reputation at risk.
2. Perform a Background Check
You’ll also need to run a background check to make sure they don’t have a criminal record. If they do, they may be more likely to ignore regulations and guidelines. This can put your company’s reputation at great risk.
A background check can also help you identify skilled and qualified drivers. Such as, you can check and see who has their CDL as well as other endorsements. If they do have the proper licensing and endorsements, that would be a good indicator of the level of skill and training they possess.
3. Identify Drivers Who Comply with Regulations
Along with background checks and driving history, you need to avoid drivers with a history of ignoring and disobeying regulations.
For example, if a driver has unplugged their ELD or altered their logbooks in the past then they pose a risk to your business. This type of information would be included in their driver files.
4. Follow FMCSA Regulations
Before hiring a new driver, the FMCSA requires that as an employer you:
- Check to make sure they have a valid driver’s license
- Verify the driver’s previous employment
- Evaluate their record from the past 3 years in every state they operated in
- Check for drug, alcohol, safety violations
Conclusion
You can protect your business from violating federal regulations by conducting a complete background check. Also, follow the above-mentioned information to ensure a driver’s qualified. By conducting thorough background checks you can avoid legal problems, penalties, and fines.
If you’re not sure about the questions to ask the driver during the pre-employment screening, you should hire a professional team to conduct your screenings. This way all your bases will be covered and you can feel more confident in your drivers.
Sources
https://www.trudiligence.com/dot-background-checks/