Motor Vehicle Record FAQs for Employers

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In any organization, each employee has a unique set of tasks that require a unique set of skills. Some skills, such as driving, require a great deal of trust on the part of the employer. Executing that skill perfectly is essential to the well-being of the organization and the public. When a position requires a specific and important skill like driving, it makes sense to ensure the person you choose for the position has a consistent history of responsible driving. You can ensure that through a motor vehicle record check.

Hiring teams use motor vehicle record (MVR) reports to identify whether or not a candidate has a responsible driving record. Many jobs don’t require operating a car or machinery on behalf of the organization.  This means you don’t have to run a MVR check on everyone. Still, it’s in your best interest to check the driving records of anyone who might operate a vehicle while on the job. Here are some common questions about MVR reports.

What does a Motor Vehicle Record report tell me?

The information in a report might vary depending on your state and the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) that compiles the report, but generally you can expect the following  in a MVR:

  • Current license status (suspended, revoked, cancelled)
  • Past license statuses
  • License class
  • Accident reports
  • DUI convictions
  • Vehicular crimes
  • Traffic violations
  • Insurance lapses

Altogether, each of these pieces of information can help you decide whether or not any candidate is a responsible driver.

Should I check an employee’s MVR more than once?

Most places have rules that require you to check MVRs on a regular basis. The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) suggests that any employee who has to drive a vehicle for work, regardless of if the employer owns the vehicle, should have an MVR report completed at regular intervals.

For employers who fall under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, they must review each driving employee’s MVR every 12 months. They must also keep the MVR on file for three years. This ensures employees keep their clean driving record throughout their time working with you.

How do I get a MVR report and how long does it take?

One Source can take care of MVR reports for you as an extension of our TotalCheck package. TotalCheck includes all the criminal history and identity checks you expect of any background report, and you can add a DMV driver’s history check or a Department of Transportation screening. You can also run a standalone driving history search on a recurring basis, or ad it as an extension of your TC package. We can help you decide what kinds of checks make the most sense for you depending on your job requirements.

At One Source, we take a lot of pride in producing thorough, accurate background reports quickly and efficiently. We strive for a turnaround time of 24-48 hours. The speed at which we can compile an MVR depends on the rules and operating schedules of your local DMV, but we generally get MVRs back in a less than a couple of hours.

To start hiring drivers with confidence, contact the One Source Client Relations Team and build your MVR process today.

How to Navigate the Changing Contractor Hiring Market

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Over the past few months on this blog, we’ve covered several aspects of how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted hiring. One perspective we have yet to cover is the influx of companies turning to contractor hiring and contingent workers.

Some industries are utilizing contractors through the pandemic because they might not know how many of their jobs will be truly permanent. Some industries are using contingent workers to complete tasks that arose suddenly during the pandemic and won’t be necessary later. Regardless of why your company might be hiring more contractors, it’s important to have a consistent screening process in place for temporary workers.

Contractors can deal with the same sensitive, proprietary information and have the same client interactions as full-time employees. To make your investment in contractors pay off, follow these tips for choosing contractors you can trust.

Set Consistent Expectations to help navigate contractor hiring

Despite the constraints of a crisis like the pandemic, you shouldn’t abandon your usual hiring practices. Maintaining consistency in screening expectations and hiring are key to avoiding unnecessary risk from a poor hire.

Apply the same screening standards to contingent workers as you would to any other employee. If you run drug tests or driving record checks on your full-time team, perform the same checks for temporary hires. Consistency will prevent headaches for your HR team and streamline your hiring so you can get the best contractors to work as quickly as possible.

Add a Few Contractor-Specific Guidelines

While your base screening process should be the same for contractors as it is for any other potential employee, you can add some screenings specific to contingent workers to amplify your background reports.

For one-off, temporary or contingent workers, you’ll follow approximately the same screening process you would follow for any other employee. You can include a few additional screenings such as drug screenings or driving records checks.

If you’re hiring a contractor, be aware that their staffing company will run their own background checks. You can let their staffing company know if you want any screenings or specific searches beyond their background checks. For vendors, construction workers or other workers who need access to your property, you can use One Source Certified Contractors (OSCC) checks to allow them access to your site. A school, for example, would use OSCC to find a contractor to fix their plumbing or renovate the school.

You can source contractors from staffing agencies who will run their own background checks for you. If you decide to hire any of the contractors full-time, you can then use your own screening process to vet them thoroughly before they become a full employee.

Whether you need several contingent workers quickly or want to spend some time finding the right person to handle a task for you, be sure to complete a proper screening before you give anyone access to your organization. One Source can help you screen all potential contractors so you can move forward. Contact our Client Relations Team to learn more about contractor screening.

One Source Background Check Resources Review: April-July 2020

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At One Source, we provide comprehensive, transparent and useful background check education and resources on a weekly basis. We are experts in the screening industry, and we want everyone to have access to a categorized review of One Source’s background check resources to determine their security needs.

We will continue to curate blog posts and include them in this quarterly review of our blog. We’ll organize the blogs by topic to make it easier to find the information you need and utilize our knowledge when you need it. With that said, let’s dive into the One Source Background Check Resources Review.

Background Check Resources Review : General Background Check Information

Should social media checks be included in screenings?

A job candidate’s social media accounts can provide a clear picture of their true behaviors and personality—and social media screenings can absolutely have a place in the hiring process. However, that screening should not be as simple as letting your hiring manager quickly scroll through a candidate’s profile(s). In this blog, we explain how you can ethically and seamlessly integrate social media checks into your hiring process.

How to maximize your investment in quality background checks

When done right, background checks drive success. But when done insufficiently, poor background checks can lead to serious difficulties. That’s why background checks should be considered as investments in the future of your organization. Here we’ll talk about how making the most of your investment in background checks strengthens your company and how you can avoid the hidden costs of inadequate screenings.

The state of the screening industry during the pandemic

This blog is from the first week of May, and we do have more current COVID-19 information on our site. However, this blog sets the baseline of the screening industry’s response to the pandemic and how the pandemic has impacted screening turnaround times and protocols.

Compliance and Ethics

Answering all of your Fair Credit Reporting Act and adverse action FAQs

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) guides the background check process for employers and offers privileges and rights to the candidates who undergo screenings. Complying with the FCRA is essential to hiring teams, and One Source can answer all your compliance questions and guide you through an ethical hiring process.

Can I ever run a background check without permission?

Technically, if you have someone’s full name, you could run a background check on them without their knowledge. However, that doesn’t mean you should. Ethically—and often legally—you should always obtain permission before screening anyone. In this blog, we dive into the rules, expectations and potential consequences of running background checks in different contexts.

New Compliance Laws You Should Know in 2020

Regardless of whether your company is hiring right now, new compliance laws will likely affect you down the road. So it’s best to stay one step ahead and be prepared when your business is ready to hire again. Here are some of the most important state and federal regulations about screening and hiring that have been passed in recent months.

Protesting and background screenings: Is your business prepared?

Thousands of people have been arrested in recent months due to petty infractions from protests. Many of these arrests are released without charges. It’s up to each organization to decide how to manage protest arrests in their hiring, but we have some guidelines to help you develop a process.

Employers & Hiring Departments

How a background check company can enhance your hiring process

Hiring is already complicated enough—you have to write the perfect job description, filter through resumes, organize interview times and screen your candidates. Background check companies like One Source can help streamline and enhance your hiring to take some weight off you and help you find the right candidate.

Recognizing and minimizing hiring bias with background checks

First impressions are important in the hiring process, but unconscious biases can incorrectly shape those initial meetings. Background checks and smart hiring practices are effective ways to minimize biases. Here, we discuss a few screening methods you can implement to make your hiring unbiased and successful.

How employers can safely bring employees back to the office

As offices slowly start to reopen and employees begin to return, employers are busy planning how to keep everyone safe once they’re back under one roof. Not only are employers tasked with safely bringing employees back, but also creating a secure environment for customers and clients. We have some insights from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to guide your reopening plans.

Managing the challenges and changes of remote hiring

Remote recruiting is tricky new territory for recruiters and job seekers alike. But sometimes in hiring, adaptability is the name of the game. Meeting applicants where they are and adjusting accordingly can help bring out the best candidates. That being said, remote hiring isn’t easy—here we explore a few challenges you may encounter and how One Source can help.

Should I screen my furloughed or laid off employees if they come back?

Whether employees were furloughed, laid off or worked from home, you will need to take a look at your new employee processes. With One Source’s help, businesses can determine whether it is necessary for them to screen furloughed employees.

Volunteer Organizations

Volunteer Screening Best Practices

If you’re considering volunteer screenings for the first time or increasing screening measures, you can follow One Source’s best practices. With a strong background check procedure, you can get your volunteers out to serve others quickly and safely.

One Source has an entire library of blogs, FAQs and more—covering every aspect of background checks. Review our other Background Check Resources Reviews on our blog for more useful tips and information. If you have any further questions about background screening or how One Source can assist you, contact our Client Relations team.

How COVID-19 Impacts Tenant Screenings

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There isn’t much about our daily lives the pandemic hasn’t impacted. And the housing industry is no exception. Property managers face potential for delinquent payments and apartment turnover as their tenants manage their own difficulties. The challenges become an endless cycle of waiting for the financial crisis to evolve to a more stable environment. What can potentially be lost in the shuffle is processes, or changes to them, for prospective tenants. Tenant screenings should certainly still remain a priority for property managers and owners.

Amending the FCRA During the Pandemic

As property managers screen potential tenants, it’s necessary to stay informed of changes impacting credit reports. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) in particular brings change to tenant screenings. When the CARES Act became law, federal and state government encouraged financial services companies to offer payment relief to consumers impacted by COVID-19.

However, the CARES act also triggered an amendment to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). If a consumer accepted assistance from their financial services companies, their account status is required to adjust accordingly. The assistance could range from deferring payments, making partial payments, modifying a loan or others. If a consumer participated, regardless of the aid, their account would be required to be adjusted from “delinquent” to “current” status. For consumers with delinquent accounts who elect not to accept the assistance, their status would remain.

How Does the Amended FCRA Impact Tenant Screenings?

Property managers have the opportunity to adjust how they screen a potential tenant. However, credit reports are imperative to gaining a better understanding about whether or not the tenant will consistently afford rent. Having a clear understanding of what information is provided can help property managers fill vacancies with greater confidence.

Consider the amended FCRA and how it could impact how you approve or disapprove tenant applicants. If an applicant accepted CARES assistance, consider their financial stability prior to the pandemic and now. While the current status is important, thinking long-term could paint a clearer picture of whether or not the tenant is a right fit. We can help identify the information needed to fully understand the financial information provided and its potential impact on your decisions.

One Source provides customizable tenant screening packages that, regardless of the depth of information gathered, can be turned around in 48 hours. As a leading background check solutions provider, we believe it’s our responsibility to know and understand current state and federal regulations, and help businesses determine what information is most valuable to their decision making. 

Should I Screen My Furloughed or Laid off Employees if They Come Back?

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Furlough. Layoffs. Remote employees. The arrival of COVID-19 created a tidal wave of change for businesses of all sizes. As retail and office spaces begin to reopen, HR departments and leadership will be working together to establish return-to-work plans focused on safety, operational efficiency, and government-mandated protocols. Depending on whether employees were furloughed, laid off or able to work from home, businesses will need to take a close look at their new employee processes. Businesses need to determine whether it is necessary for them to be screening furloughed employees. 

Were your employees furloughed or laid off?

In most cases, it’s not necessary to implement the hiring process for furloughed employees. Legally, they remained an employee. So while you may not need to go through an application process,  reviewing contracts, salary, and benefits may be necessary. This could also be a good time to conduct a new screening of furloughed employees.

Lay-offs terminate existing contracts. If a business would like to re-employ an individual, it’s in their best interest to treat it as a new hire. It may be possible to relax some procedures, but weigh the risks before you change anything. Consider each layer of your process and carefully determine why or why not it’s necessary to follow each step. This should include everything from application forms to background checks. Furthermore, be prepared to explain to your re-hires that these screenings are in the best interest of the company moving forward.

Is this a good time to review state and local laws?

As leaders discuss plans for reopening, in addition to reviewing policies and employee handbooks, it is just as important to review current federal, state and local laws. According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, if a former employee is rehired within three years of the origination date of the original Form I-9, employers have the option to either use the same form or complete a new one. Electing to utilize the previously completed form could help streamline the hiring and onboarding processes. This will allow you time to screen re-hires.

Businesses considering bringing employees back can also consider a solution that isn’t simply keeping all processes or eliminating others. When it comes to background screening, our team can work with yours to build a customized background screening program. We can help minimizes risk and supports your hiring process and goals. You may not yet know if you’ll re-screen returning members, but our services can give you confidence in your decision.