Greater Scrutiny Shrinks Pool of Qualified Drivers, Fleets Say

asier access to more background information about driver applicants is allowing carriers to make more-informed hiring decisions, which reduces the risk of employing drivers who pose a safety or security threat.

But some fleets said the additional data is also screening out more people, making it more difficult to find drivers.

Safety-conscious companies face “a real dilemma,” said Rob Abbott, vice president of safety and risk management at TransForce Services Group, a personnel leasing company in Alexandria, Va., that hires about 600 drivers a year for its clients. “The more thorough you are, the more you shrink the pool of available applicants.”