By Michael K. Brown
Ameriseach Background Alliance
In meeting and talking with a large number of motorcoach operators, Amerisearch Background Alliance realized that one of the largest obstacles to success is the ability to find and retain high-quality, dedicated employees — employees who share the company’s values and who will help provide the industry’s highest possible client experience.
Over the years, using my own personal experience and by listening to the concerns of our United Motorcoach Association clientele, Amerisearch, in partnership with ISB Canada, has come up with a comprehensive, innovative blanket solution.
Until now, the employment screening industry has offered partial solutions that fail to approach this issue head on.
Clearly, this solution has to include an online and easy-to-use Department of Transportation-approved application process that can be used to qualify and verify applicant information. It must also provide an ongoing system that helps with training, driver files and notification updates. In the end the goal must be to improve both driver quality and retention.
A few companies currently place a hard-copy application link on their websites. Feedback from both operators and applicants indicates that this method is cumbersome and yields varied results.
What is missing is an effective procedure to notify and remind drivers and support staff of document expiration, changes and updates in laws, employment behavior, audits, and the documentation and instructions required to support these.
The MEE (Making Eligibility Easy) platform is Amerisearch Background Alliance’s solution to address these current challenges in the transportation industry. The platform manages the “end-to-end” driver-qualification process, from initial contact through interview management, qualification and hiring.
MEE allows companies to search for employees in areas where they now exist via social media.
Early this year, Amerisearch will integrate the MEE system to provide the industry with the following:
1.DOT-compliant online employee/driver application form that can be accessed from a static IP link
This customizable form can be added to your company website or sent directly to the applicant to produce a complete driver profile on any computer, smartphone or tablet. It will prepopulate all necessary release forms required to complete the following:
- Motor vehicle abstract PSP FMCSA crash and inspection report
- Complete criminal background check
- Previous employer drug and alcohol verification for up to seven years
- All state- and school board-required release forms
- 1-9 e-verify (if required or requested)
- Education verification
The application will allow Amerisearch clients to process, store or delete the application and any attached resume as the need for drivers and support staff evolves. The motorcoach operator will be able to control the process to avoid unnecessary charges.
2. Driver report
MEE electronically harvests all required data to produce a driver scorecard configured to the hiring rules of the company. The process:
- Enriches and standardizes the information into a single data silo
- Processes the data through our rules engine and against your hiring criteria
- Develops an individual result for each product
- Summarizes the results in a single scorecard Provides direct access to all source documents for greater detail
3. Driver requalification
MEEassists employers with the following:
- Managing certifications, licenses and insurance eligibility
- Configuring requalification rules
- Updating profiles automatically and attaching most recent results and documents
- Developing a la carte or packaged requalification products
- Emailing alerts and notifications to drivers and essential support staff, including required documentation and instructions sent at specified intervals to aid in requalifying drivers.
- Scheduling requalifications based on hire date or calendar
4. Reporting and Analytics
Provides access to all data and reporting capabilities measuring key metrics, including:
Company data (region, division, location)
Recruiter performance (i.e. quantity and quality of hires)
Hiring metrics (i.e. from application to hiring)
Driver segmentation
Marketing effectiveness
Training opportunities Exporting data to other systems, including HR, payroll and safety
Exporting data to other systems, including HR, payroll and safety benefits
5. Driver Assessment — a personality risk-assessment test to help identify safer drivers for under $30
Most people are aware that we have an IQ and EQ (emotional intelligence). But each of us also has a natural intelligence about risk for road safety, which we call the DSQ – Driver Safety Quotient.
The driver assessment evaluates driver stress levels, driver focus, impulsive or cautious behaviors and whether they are risky or risk adverse.
6. DOT-compliant electronic chain-of-custody (optional)
This will also help minimize errors during specimen collection, provide more consistent results and link all parts of the screening processes, thereby reducing costs and errors.
Michael K. Brown is vice president of compliance at Ameriseach Background Alliance. For more information please contact Amerisearch at 800-569-6133 or customerservice@amerisearchbga.com or visit http://www.amerisearchbga.com/?page_id=9
