Got my MC, DOT and IFTA, what the best way to look for a driver?

It is an indication of a tendency to take risks. In the financial and security world, it can also indicate someone's potential to be corrupted or bribed. It sucks, but it is what it is and there's plenty of data that support that logic as you point out.

 

I think that it is much too easy to get into somone's credit file. While I understand that there may be some data that supports using credit files, it is really no one's business unless you are applying for credit. Millions of Americans have lost their homes, been unable to pay their bills and had to file bankruptcy during the last few years. Most had good or excellent credit until the economy went sour. That in itself would make me think that using credit scores has little real value, especially with the economy we have had the last few years. I also agree that there are many reasons why people have had their credit ruined, including family illness and divorce. One reason there is so much identity theft is because of the ease in which anyone can access other's credit files.

I am a firm believer in giving people a second chance. I am also a proponent of using my gut in making hiring decisions. I have had applicants who have had a stellar application with strong recommendations who later were found to not the driver that they presented themselves to be. In some instances, a credit report could have given some guidance, but it cannot tell me how well an individual can drive a truck or anything about his safety record. In the past, many drivers had poor credit. One reason was due to them being on the road so much. They were not at home to pay the bills. Unless they had a spouse, friend or relative who could handle that for them, they were often late making payments. It had little to do with their character, but the circumstances of the job. It is now much easier to pay bills online and to take care of business using the internet and a computer or cell phone. I don't rely too much on a single resource when it comes to hiring. DAC does make mistakes and there can be instances where false information has been put on a driver's report. From my point of view, a MVR can give a much better picture of how a driver can handle responsibility. It will not tell me if a driver is honest or takes care of his assigned equipment. References can be falsified. Carrier's are very limited in what they can report about a driver to a potential employer. That is one reason why some can slip through the cracks and continue with their bad behavior from one carrier to another. I look at how many jobs a driver has had during the last 2 or 3 years. Having a lot of jobs indicates more to me than a DAC or credit report. It shows that the driver doesn't deal well with people and could be a problem. He could be someone who doesn't communicate well with his dispatcher and may be someone who leaves rather than trying to work through any problems.

I think that after you have dealt with drivers and people in general for a time, you get an instinct about people. I have found that having followed my gut instinct would have saved me problems with drivers in the past. It has also served me well in making goodh hiring decisions. We all make mistakes when it comes to hiring drivers. If someone could come up with a fool proof formula for hiring good drivers, they would be very wealthy. There are good drivers around, but it can take time and patience to find them. When you own trucks you should expect that there will be times when you will have an empty truck and no driver for some of them. You should prepare to be able to continue your business for a time until you find a replacement. The tendency is to fill the seat with a body. That is the wrong thing to do. Establish a minimum qualifications criteria that you will accept and stick to them. Also follow your instincts.