Background Checks – Trillium Staffing

How To Hire A CDL Driver

Jenna Mathieu — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 19:05:17 +0000

Does your company specialize in something other than drivers? If so, hiring a safe a qualified CDL driver can be a serious task. Due to the nature of their product line, many manufacturers, retail facilities, and warehouses employ their own driving staff. Unfortunately due to strict DOT regulations, insurance, and other factors these employers may be opening themselves up to costly and dangerous liabilities.

While the application and screening process can be laborious for any position, the steps involved to remain in compliance while hiring CDL drivers can be overwhelming. Did you know that in order to fulfill legal obligations you may have to:

Obtain employment verification and drug/alcohol test results
Obtain certificate of compliance with driver’s license requirements
Obtain applicant’s description of previous vehicle accidents
Obtain applicant’s statement of On Duty hours
Obtain a copy of applicant’s DOT physical card and physical
Obtain a copy of the applicant’s driver’s license
Obtain a copy of the applicant’s MVR
Obtain a negative drug screen result

While employing a driver you must also ensure that your equipment, insurance coverage, and policies remain in compliance with all local, state, and federal regulations. Simply staying informed on the latest regulation and compliance changes can be a full time job.

So what should an employer who doesn’t specialize in hiring drivers do? First and foremost, an employer should determine whether or not investing in compliance, training, and insurance premiums outweighs the benefits of them outsourcing their driving staff. Second, you should determine whether a third party logistics firm or a driver staffing agency would better service your needs. A driver staffing agency can provide you with screened and qualified drivers for long and short term needs, while maintaining control and responsibility of properly screening and employing the driving staff.

Want to learn more about how you can gain access to Trillium’s national network of professional drivers? Contact us today! Learn more about our Dedicated Driver Services here! Are you a safe and professional driver who is seeking a rewarding career? Visit us here to locate a driving career in your area!

Trillium, a national leader in staffing and recruitment is a valued staffing partner to over 5,000 companies nationwide. Trillium is privately owned by Oskar René Poch.

Is Your New Hire One of the 84 Percent?

Jenna Mathieu — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 19:08:15 +0000

If you have ever worked in recruiting or HR this statistic may not shock you. As many as 84% of new hires do not live up to expectations. With today’s screening, testing, and interviewing processes this may seem like a high number. Unfortunately, some behaviors just cannot be predicted.

According to Business Insider, here are the top 13 most common reasons for termination:

Poor performance
Bringing your personal problems into the office
Falsifying your resume or application
Attendance and punctuality
Lying or stealing
Sleeping on the job
Associations with office politics
Engaging in gossip or complaining about work
Sexual harassment
Insubordination
Violation of company Internet or email use policy
Being intoxicated at work
Social Media misuse

While some behaviors cannot be predicted, there are a few things you can do to reduce employee turnover.

Provide clear expectations that are reinforced regularly. If an employee has clear performance goals, attendance expectations, and understands your organizations policies and procedures they are often less likely to have issues in these areas.
Promote a positive and productive work environment. Employees in a new environment can quickly be pulled into existing gossip or office politic issues. Making sure these issues are handled with your existing staff can decrease the likelihood of your new hire becoming involved.
Provide work environment based training. Providing your staff with trainings on topics such as office etiquette, sexual harassment, and your specific policies for computer use and social media can be crucial to a new hire’s success. Often times trainings revolve around job specific duties and behaviors that may have been considered acceptable for a previous employer could carry over.

Recruiting, identifying, and screening for the right fit is a difficult job. Working closely with hiring managers on a regular basis and having a clear expectation of what you expect from each role on your team can greatly increase the odds of success.

Want to learn more about how you can gain access to Trillium’s national network of top level talent? Contact us today! If you are a stand out in your profession and seeking contingent or long term career opportunities, visit our job seekers section for more information!

Trillium, a national leader in staffing and recruitment is a valued staffing partner to over 5,000 companies nationwide. Trillium is privately owned by Oskar René Poch.

EEOC Reports on 2012 Charges

Jenna Mathieu — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 13:45:52 +0000

Have you recently faced an EEOC charge? If so, you’re not alone. The EEOC recently announced statistics from fiscal year 2012 that reflect over 99k charges in the private employment sector. What does that amount to for employers?

With the EEOC obtaining $365 million for victims of discrimination and over 99K private sector workplace discrimination charges filed in 2012, there is definitely a need for improvement and education among employers. Here are a few of the more frequently filed charges:

Retaliation- 37,836
Race- 33,512
Sex Discrimination (including sexual harassment and pregnancy)- 30,356

What can you do to decrease the likelihood of being charged in an EEOC case?

Work with your legal counsel to develop and implement discrimination and harassment policies if you don’t already have them in place.
Require all staff to review and sign off that they have reviewed and understand the policies.
Engage your supervisory staff in regular trainings about fair and legal hiring and management practices.
Encourage your staff to attend off site educational seminars on equal opportunity hiring and diversity in the workplace.
Do not ignore inappropriate behavior. Report and act on it quickly.
Make it very clear that there is no tolerance for discrimination of any type from your staff.
Encourage supervisors and managers to attend EEOC Training Institute seminars and workshops.

Promoting and maintaining a EEO compliant workplace means much more than just avoiding charges and penalties. It means a positive working environment and employment brand that also yields higher productivity, less employee turnover, employee referrals, and easier recruitment process.

Trillium, a national leader in staffing and recruitment is a valued staffing partner to over 5,000 companies nationwide. Trillium is privately owned by Oskar René Poch.

This Could Effect Your Fleet!

Jenna Mathieu — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 13:42:27 +0000

How have recent regulations, weather conditions, and distractions effected your bottom line? Managing a fleet, remaining in compliance, and engaging a safety program is a lot to handle. Often times, employers lose focus on safety in the shuffle of handling multiple job responsibilities and keeping tabs on the latest regulations. How quickly can this add up?

Before cutting back on your safety program and enforcements consider the following:

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of occupational fatalities in the country.
A motor vehicle fatality occurs about every twelve minutes.
Crashes cost employers $60 billion in 2000.
Employers lost 3 million workdays in 2000 due to motor vehicle accidents.
More than 90% of motor vehicle accidents are a result of human error.
Annually, about 20% of a fleet is involved in a crash.
Not including indirect costs, an on the job non-fatal crash can cost over $76,000.

There is a direct correlation between a strong safety program and lowered accident occurrences. With over 90% of accidents being caused by human error, employers have a strong ability to curb their organization’s accident rates. Employing a strong safety program, employee incentives for safe driving practices, and a strong employee screening process can go a long way in protecting your bottom line.

Trillium, a national leader in staffing and recruitment is a valued staffing partner to over 5,000 companies nationwide. Trillium is privately owned by Oskar René Poch.

20% Increase in Truck Occupant Deaths in 2011

Jenna Mathieu — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 20:58:48 +0000

If you employ drivers you understand the great impact that accidents and injuries have on your organization. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, 2011 saw a 20% increase in truck occupant deaths over the previous year. While this number is startling, some additional statistics give us some insight into the recent spike.

The FMCSA also reports the following:

Speed was a factor is 22% of those deaths.
2% of the victims had a BAC of .04 or greater
4% were impaired, most often by fatigue
1/3 were not wearing a seat belt

While the increased number of deaths is startling, the facts surrounding their deaths allows employers the ability to help decrease truck occupant deaths. Enforcing strict safety policies can greatly decrease your risks of accidents and injuries. Offering incentives for drivers who comply with your safety policies also have proven success. Notify drivers that your organization will discipline up to termination for violations of your safety policy. While implementing and enforcing a strict safety policy for drivers can be costly and time consuming, the overwhelming list of direct and indirect costs of an accident, injury, or death are greater.

Some of the more prevalent costs include:

Cargo Damage
Vehicle Damage
Medical Costs
Insurance Costs
Loss of Revenue
Lost Clients
Lost Time at Work
Hiring and Training Costs for Replaced Employees
Government Agency Costs
Depreciation of Equipment
Accident Investigation and Reporting Costs
Equipment Downtime
Rental Equipment Fees

According to Truckinfo.net , one person is killed or injured in a truck accident every 16 minutes. The recent spike in truck occupant deaths is likely to increase that statistic in the near future. If your organization specializes in something other than logistics, you may considering partnering with a third party logistics firm or a staffing firm who specializes in hiring and managing drivers. The additional legal compliance that are required with employing drivers are no small task. Remaining in compliance is essential to protect your organization and their bottom line. Staffing firms who are specialized in managing drivers often provide additional options, such as dedicated driver services to manage not only recruitment of drivers but also full service employee and compliance management.

Trillium, a national leader in staffing and recruitment is a valued staffing partner to over 5,000 companies nationwide. Trillium is privately owned by Oskar René Poch.

75% of Employees Do This- How Do You Protect Yourself?

Jenna Mathieu — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 19:28:43 +0000

Let’s face it, a lot happens throughout the year. Hiring and HR Managers are busy with recruiting, screening, hiring, training, and managing all year long. Have there been any changes with your staff over the past year that you are unaware of?

Were you aware that the leading source of fraud is employee theft of personal information? While we all tend to focus on production, productivity in the workplace, and dealing with the day to day operations we may be missing critical information about our staff. While approximately 90% of employers implement a routine background check for new hires, a startling number do not perform background checks on their employees after their hire date for new convictions that are relevant to their position. Implementing a comprehensive background process is a great way to help ensure a safe, secure, and productive environment for staff, visitors, and customers. According to a 2009 report by the US Chamber of Commerce and Infortal Worldwide, as many as 75% of employees in all business sectors steal from the workplace and do so repeatedly.

Prior to completing any background check on a candidate or employee, be sure that you have obtained a signed release allowing your organization to conduct the search. Employees should be notified in the employee handbook if your organization conducts random or annual background screenings as well. Keep in mind that your employees and candidates are also entitled to several rights including:

Employers are prevented by federal law from considering bankruptcy while making employment decisions.
Employers are required to provide the candidate or employee with a copy of any consumer report and a copy of their rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, if information obtained from the said report contributes to dismissal or denial of employment.
Employers must consistently apply the program to all employees and clearly document their results.
Some specific states have laws that limit the employers use of credit reports to be used for dismissal or denial of employment.

While information that may be obtained through employment references, criminal background checks, and credit checks may have a large impact on determining an employer’s level of liability when hiring or maintaining an employee, the risks and liabilities due to employing an illegal background check process can be even greater. Partnering with an established and reputable staffing firm can often greatly assist you in the process. Speak with your staffing provider to determine what their current process is and how they may best assist your company with the screening of potential employees.

Before implementing or continuing a background screening process, it is highly encouraged to research federal, state, and local legislation. Consult with your labor and employment law attorney prior to implementing or making alterations to your background check policy.

Trillium, a national leader in staffing and recruitment is a valued staffing partner to over 5,000 companies nationwide. Trillium is privately owned by Oskar René Poch.