Prime background, work history check

I do believe some of my posts may be to blame for the mixed messages. I originally stated in one of my earlier posts about many companies today (not just trucking) are requesting W2's and/or tax returns for employment verification and sometimes to gain knowledge of previously earned income. Some companies DO use this information to low-ball a potential employee - because I've had it happen to me.

I also commented about companies out-sourcing basic HR duties such as background checks, reference calling, drug testing, payroll, etc. because many HR "professionals" are not professionals nor have a degree and either cannot perform the duties or don't know how. I did not say that Prime did this, I made a generalized statement that many companies DO outsource for many reasons.

I posted my personal experiences while performing some of these HR practices in my line of work to help answer the questions about background & credit checks. I was in no way implying, defaming or otherwise putting down Prime or any other company. I was trying to explain the reasoning behind why some companies do thorough checks and others do not.

I'm not trying to ruffle anyone's feathers around here....

 

Let's see. Were going to issue a $75,000.00 rig to everyone we hire. Not else left to say.

 

Careful... you need to back something like that up with fact - and you can't Swifty. BTW, I do know Injun, and she can testify to my bonafides.

 

More like $120,000... at least to one of us. They buy 'em in bulk, and most likely get the big carrier discount. So what's the problem with that? AFAIK, that's a selling point with the people who book freight with us. No broken-down junkers allowed.

 

They also require a Member-4, not a Member-2, for those of you who knows what that is.

If you don't, it doesn't apply to you.

What irritates me about that, is that it is not strictly legal to ask for it, or to base a hiring decision off of it.

 

Prime asked for my son-in-laws W2s IN ADDITION to everything else he gave them. He had one job in the past 14 years, it paid him VERY well. They already verified it via several other means. The company is a household name - most people have heard of this company (it's not a trucking or trucking-related company) and he held a fairly high-profile position and his name and face remain on one of the company's link on its website to this day of which Prime was provided from day one. Sorry, I'm not buying that Prime is using the request for his W2s as a verification of authenticity. There is no way on earth this world-wide, blue-chip, high-profile would put someone on their corporate website and list them as an employee only so that person could leave and misrepresent himself to become a truck driver. In fact, that's about as far-fetched a claim as one could possibly come up with in this scenario and could serve as fodder for any comedian.

Lastly, regarding the claim that it's a felony to fake a W2, it's not a felony to pass a fake W2 to any entity except the government and/or to obtain a loan, etc. for the simple fact that requiring this federal document is NOT a requirement or necessity by a company in order to secure a prospective employee's employment which is my exact contention and beef with some of these companies. At best, when it's NOT a government entity (bank, loan office for car, house, etc.) it MAY be considered forgery but ONLY if the act is committed to cheat a person, company, or government organization out of goods, services or money. A job does NOT fall under this category as the document is requested only to ascertain a personal (to the company) satisfaction ... ask any attorney.

 

Never give your member-4

 

Well it just goes to show you how LOUSY an industry truck driving is. If you go to school to do ANYTHING ELSE it DOES NOT MATTER what you did before you went to school, they don't care about your work history prior to you going to school. Been unemployed for a year and go to school to be a nurse, plumber, HVAC, hair dresser, ANYTHING and it doesn't matter what you did before you went to school one iota. Which is another reason of 99 million reasons that trucking sucks and is an awful job to try and pursue in the first place!

 

Nevertheless, the requirements to investigate the background of transportation workers is quite stringent, and with the nature of some of our cargo I have no problems with this carrier asking for W2s. If it keeps the hosers out that's fine by me. As far as the penalties for submitting fraudulent documents to the government, perhaps you should ask the driver of a semi involved in an accident with a bus load of kids a few years ago in Minnesota. They could have hit him with negligent homicide. He's in prison for submitting fraudulent documents to the federal government-multiple consecutive felonies.

 

Prime will find everything. This includes any and all arrests, charges that were dismissed, and trials that resulted in 'not guilty' verdicts. Disclose everything.

Prime is a private company, and as such it can decline to hire anyone for any reason other than that the individual is a member of a Federally protected class.

And being a member of a Federally protected class doesn't make you immune; they can still decline to hire based on any other reason.

Prime is fair, strict and consistent with their hiring policy, and this is a good thing.