Prime background, work history check

Because in most states, they can.

In my opinion, a credit check should only be performed in unique circumstances - such as investments, banking, money handling, etc. and then used in conjunction with background checks, performance reviews and references to assist in the decision-making process. They should not be the only deciding factor in whether or not a potential employee is hired.

Before the recession and my illness, I had a credit rating of around 795. Now, after a layoff, cancer diagnosis and relocating several times for work, it has taken a beating. Just because my "rating" is low now doesn't mean that I'm a deadbeat, or an embezzler, I just hit hard times like millions of other Americans. I have a solid working history, outstanding performance reviews, several commendation & recommendation letters and a clean background with no criminal activity.

Some "professionals" equate a poor credit rating with a poor work ethic; that you must not be responsible or that you have a poor work ethic. I say bull hockey. If these same "professionals" had an ounce of common sense, they would take ALL the information presented and evaluate it to form a decision based on all facts. Too many people today have a God Complex and sit on their pedestals passing down harsh judgements on those who have a few past dings in their lives.

 

By law, that is what they are supposed to do; however, anyone who's been out looking for work these last few years knows that is not the case.

Employers know they can skirt the law easily just by the way they answer a question:

New Employer: "Hi, this is Jane Doe from XYZ Company calling to verify employment of a Mr. John Doe. Could you please verify the dates of employment for Mr. John Doe and his last held position with your company."

Former Employer: "Yes, Mr. John Doe worked for ABC Company from January 1, 2012 until December 31, 2012 as a Truck Driver when his employment was terminated."

New Employer: "Would you re-hire Mr. John Doe in the future?"

Former Employer: (takes a slight pause before answering) "No."

Now, the above conversation is legal because the former employer is not defaming the former employer; however, the way he answered the questions presented would make a new employer a bit weary of hiring John Doe. Just because the former employer said his employment was terminated, he gives no details to whether or not the employee was fired or quit.

 

As a driver how can they lowball salary by looking at W2s? AT PRIME, Company Drivers scale is set by a milage chart, LO work on percentage of load.

Pay is set in stone, there is the starting pay for zero experience and goes up from there at half cent increments. It's based on miles. If you are experienced at another carrier they have a chart for that too that matches years experience with milage. 2 years experience might start a penny per mile more than the starting pay, for example.


I know every raise and what I have to do to get it. Just Turn miles and when I hit that mileage mark, the raise is automatic. The only wild card is management, they gave us a 2 cent across the board raise last year.


Lowball? My rear. Over inflated sense of worth more likely.

 

AFAIK... and it's been awhile, Prime doesn't do credit checks as part of the background check.

 

Another thing, I don't have the time to dig up the posts, but I distinctly remember that there have been a couple applicants to Prime who have been held up by their former employers either ignoring or refusing to respond to employment verification (also places that have gone out of business). Each time after recruiting has exhausted their patience with phone calls and faxes, they have simply requested the W2 for employment verification.

i would guess if you have a handful of cooperative former employers with no red flags and only one who won't play ball and wont respond, they probably make the call to accept the applicant with just a W2 verification.

 

A number of my former employers were out of business - I supplied W2's in lieu of other proof of employment. It's not that they're being nosy, its an expedient way of proving employment.

 

Agreed. One of hubby's former employers was OOB. The W-2 was to verify employment.

 

Prime uses a private company to conduct background checks. If that company can't ascertain what Prime wants to know, including positive verification of employment, then Prime is also a victim and getting scammed by the company doing the background search. I agree with WV Daddy's Girl, Prime is doing it as a sneaky way to find out how much a prospective employee made at a previous job.

Yea, I'm aware of THE REFERENCE STORE and it used to work much more than it does now as any reputable company performing background searches can ferret this phony information out if they bother to do the right checking. For example, each company has a unique tax ID number. You can't fake that. A call to the IRS will confirm if the tax ID number matches the number on the prospective employee's W2s (which is also none of their business) and all the employee has to do is provide the potential employer his or her's former employer's ID number.

Companies like Prime HATE educated people who know why they pull this garbage and won't play along. As long as drivers continue to accept being treated like dirt by starter companies the situation will continue to deteriorate as it has each year for many years. Screw 'em. If I were starting over today, no way in hell would I go with one of these mega companies and I'd tell them exactly why and include a letter to corporate telling them exactly what I think of their intrusive policies. While it may not have an immediate effect, those letters do get read and if they get enough of them, well, the squeaky wheel gets the grease, even if that wheel turns ever so slowly.

 

That is a total crock. I happen to know for a fact that all of the background checks are done in-house.

 

What makes you think you're all paid the same? And who told you anything like the starting pay is set in stone? There's a reason Prime lists AVERAGE wages on the website and not what they pay by the mile in conjunction with experience. Same thing with unloading. Prime says it pays by the piece or pound for unloading but reality is the rate is whatever Prime says it is and changes on a whim.

But why not post this information regarding Prime's starting pay for new drivers with no experience for each division? After looking into this with my son-in-law, I learned a lot about Prime I wish I didn't. You got one thing dead right, Prime definitely has an overinflated sense of self-worth.