Truckers subjected to pre-employment screening via federal initiative

The federal government has launched a new pre-employment screening process for truckers, aiming to improve road safety. The U.S. Department of Transportation claims commercial carriers and truck drivers ran 380,000 pre-employment driver safety record searches within the first year of its online research program, which was launched in May 2010. "Safety is our number one priority," said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to the website Safety.BLR.com. "Our pre-employment screenings program is helping us put safe drivers behind the wheel of large trucks and buses." The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Agency launched its Pre-Employment Screening Program as a way of offering drivers' inspection and crash records to hiring companies, the source reported. Potential employers are instructed to access the information to determine whether or not a job candidate could be a safety risk. PSP gives employers information on drivers, providing them with up to 5 years of crash history and 3 years of inspection data, the source noted. Included in this report are safety violations such as unsafe driving, drugs and alcohol use and hours of service. Conducting pre-employment screening is an important part of the hiring process. However, a firm must ensure all candidates are screened equally, no matter what type of position a job seeker is applying for.