News

Carriers report plans to focus on driver screening

April 8, 2005

Oregon-based Unicru, Inc., a provider of employee selection assessments and other recruiting and hiring solutions, conducted a survey of fleets at the recent Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) annual convention in which respondents indicated they planned to focus on increased driver screening in 2005 as a means of enhancing their safety performance.

Only 35% of those surveyed reported that they currently augment background checks with other advanced screening tools, such as job fitness assessments, however. Respondents also noted that they expected to focus on improving driver retention and making safety an even more integral part of hiring, firing, benefits and compensation decisions.

Adam Mertz, senior manager of transportation workforce solutions at Unicru, also made a presentation during the TCA conference on “Building a Safety-Conscious Driver Organization.” Among his recommendations to fleets:

· Utilize technology to prescreen candidates and eliminate useless administration

· Integrate additional background screening beyond the DOT requirements

· Prioritize candidates for recruiters

· Incorporate exit evaluations

· Tie performance and tenure back into hiring decisions

About the Author

Wendy Leavitt

Wendy Leavitt joined Fleet Owner in 1998 after serving as editor-in-chief of Trucking Technology magazine for four years.

She began her career in the trucking industry at Kenworth Truck Company in Kirkland, WA where she spent 16 years—the first five years as safety and compliance manager in the engineering department and more than a decade as the company’s manager of advertising and public relations. She has also worked as a book editor, guided authors through the self-publishing process and operated her own marketing and public relations business.

Wendy has a Masters Degree in English and Art History from Western Washington University, where, as a graduate student, she also taught writing.