Nov. 5 – A new law makes it easier for trucking companies to get a driver’s employment records, but it has some truckers worried about privacy issues.
S.2561, signed earlier this week by President Clinton, allows recruiters to use oral authorization from the driver to get employment records. The law changes a provision in the Fair Credit Reporting Act that requires employers to inform job applicants in writing that a safety and employment background check is being made.
Trucking companies say the exemption will let them hire drivers over the phone as a solution to their turnover problems.
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Assn. urged its members to contact the White House in an effort to get the president to veto the bill.
“Drivers will have no way of knowing by who and when their credit/employment history is being checked,” says Todd Spencer with OOIDA. “This bill allows less-than-honest motor carriers to really need no proof of your permission before they obtain your credit report.”