Personality Tests Make Inroads in Trucking

In an August incident of alleged road rage in Pennsylvania, a truck driver was charged with using his big rig to push a stalled car more than 12 miles down Interstate 83 at speeds of up to 60 mph. The trucker was said to be angry because he felt that the car’s driver had cut him off.

Such news reports prompt public cries of outrage and fear of trucks. They cause motor carrier executives to shake their heads in dismay at the damage done to the industry’s image. They also illustrate the importance of the character of the individual driving the truck.

While background checks, at least into a candidate’s driving record, and perhaps face-to-face interviews are typical of the screening of driver applicants done by trucking companies, gaining insight into the person’s character — to have a sense of his or her ability to cope responsibly with the demands of the job — is not a clear-cut path. Nonetheless, trucking increasingly sees value in assessing such intangibles.

“One of our first clients was a medium-sized trucking company in the Midwest that had a problem with accidents and spiraling insurance rates,” said Jared Lock, a psychologist and business manager of Hogan Assessment Systems in Tulsa, Okla.

When that company turned to Hogan to screen drivers, the number of accidents went down, and so did its insurance rates, according to Lock.

For the full story, see the Oct. 2 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.