First Advantage Reveals Key Trends in Commercial Driver Safety 2010-2013

Company Offers Key Insight Into Current Use of Employment Verification in the Transportation Industry


ATLANTA, GA--(Marketwired - Mar 18, 2014) - First Advantage, a Symphony Technology Group (STG) company and the leading global provider of background screening analytics and identity solutions, today announced the release of the latest findings from its annual "First Advantage 2010 - 2013 Commercial Driver Safety Report."

The report is a comprehensive review designed to offer transportation industry employers a current benchmark for their U.S. Department of Transportation regulated driver safety programs. By tracking year-over-year trends and highlighting them in this annual report, First Advantage reveals fresh industry insights, many of which can be directly linked to recent regulatory changes and ongoing economic turbulence. In addition, the report provides employers with simple tips to improve their driver safety screening programs as well as an informed and timely industry forecast.

"Compliance within the commercial motor vehicle industry can be complex," said Dan Filby, executive vice president and managing director, Tax and Fleet, of First Advantage. "For many employers that are working hard to monitor and keep pace with these changes, our Commercial Driver Safety Report provides an important 'gut check.' Understanding how they stack up against other organizations in regard to managing compliance within their driver safety programs is key to identifying areas for improvement and the steps they can take to achieve greater success in their hiring and screening programs."

The report provides much-needed visibility into the efficiency and effectiveness of driver safety programs. Moreover, it makes intuitive correlations between industry-wide statistics, economic drivers and regulatory changes impacting the success of employment verification practices. Major findings from the research include:

  • Overall, instances of non-compliance in the application process have decreased drastically in 2013, which can be attributed to the growing use of electronic application programs to facilitate the process.
  • Despite this decrease, instances of non-compliance due to incomplete safety sensitive questions on behalf of the driver increased by 20 percent in 2013, highlighting the need for greater focus in this area.
  • The number of adverse employment verifications has steadily increased over the last four years, accounting for 41.6 percent in 2013. However, this increase is likely caused by a three-year rise in the volume of employment verifications conducted across the industry.

In addition, the report includes a special section contributed by Tenstreet, a web-based provider of recruiting, safety and HR solutions. Based on the company's recent survey on the use of technology in the hiring process, Tenstreet provides an in-depth view into current hiring trends in the transportation industry.

"Employers in the transportation industry must constantly seek to implement the tools and best practices that improve the way they maintain compliance, achieve hiring efficiencies and compete for the most qualified drivers," said Filby. "Our new report helps carriers identify how their practices compare with their peers, while highlighting the process improvements, such as the adoption of an automated screening solution, that can strengthen and streamline their hiring processes and account for shifting workforce demographics."

First Advantage has made the full report available for complimentary download at: http://learn.fadv.com/CommercialDriveReport.

About First Advantage
First Advantage provides comprehensive background screening, identity and information solutions that give employers and housing providers access to actionable information that results in faster, more accurate people decisions. With an advanced global technology platform and superior customer service delivered by experts who understand local markets, First Advantage helps customers around the world build fully scalable, configurable screening programs that meet their unique needs. Headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., First Advantage has offices throughout North America, Europe and Asia. More information about First Advantage can be accessed at www.fadv.com.

About Symphony Technology Group
Symphony Technology Group (STG) is a strategic private equity firm with the mission of investing in and being a partner in building great software and services companies. In addition to capital, STG provides transformation expertise to enable its portfolio companies to deliver more value to clients to retain and attract the best talent and to achieve best-in-class business performance. All STG portfolio companies are expected to grow through innovation. STG's current portfolio consists of 12 global companies with combined revenue of approximately $2.5 billion and thousands of employees spread across North America, Europe and Asia. For more information, please visit www.symphonytg.com.

About Tenstreet
Tenstreet was established in 2006, and currently works with a wide range of private and for-hire trucking fleets throughout North America. Tenstreet focuses entirely within the trucking industry, and is committed to providing world-class, customer-specific solutions that help fleets recruit, hire and retain drivers. For more information, please visit www.tenstreet.com.