The DAC report (Drive-a-Check) report is, according to some, a great thing, and to others, a horrible injustice. It is a document that contains a truck driver’s employment history, including:
- Driving history,
- Department of Transportation (DOT) physical results,
- Background checks,
- Misc information that the company can request.
Why do some consider it a bad thing?
It is probably because the whole DAC system is not regulated like others. The chance of a carrier leaving false information on these reports for a former employee can destroy their career.
In a nutshell, DAC reports are biased opinions that should be, but not necessarily are, correct.
The reality is that DAC reports are mandatory with most hiring agencies and are an essential part of the hiring process. Therefore, it’s of great importance for you to know how to manage yours.
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What Information Is on a Dac Report?
A request for a DAC report can contain various information on your background and working history. It is important to say that the employer can request certain aspects of information that they consider to be important for the position.
A DAC report contains the following information from all your previous employers:
- The license number
- Information including restrictions and endorsements
- Name and location of employer, and the date the report was submitted
- The driver’s employment record
- The driver’s ID (name, date of birth, social security number)
- The period during which the driver worked for the employer
- What types of cargo the driver hauled
- Why the driver left the employer
- The driver’s eligibility for rehire
Additionally, it will show incidents, violations, tickets, and accidents. This information is tough to get off your DAC, as the act requires legal costs, which are very expensive.
Other information contained includes: Certifications and training received, work habits, drug and alcohol testing history, and information such as whether you enrolled with the company just to get trained and then quit.
Who Produces the DAC Reports?
DAC reports come from a private, for-profit organization named HireRight. They specialize in providing background checks for multiple industries, one of which is DAC reports for trucking companies.
As you saw from the paragraph above, the information about the driver is entered by the employer. Therefore, they are subject to biased opinions. There are many instances of companies entering false information on drivers with the hopes of damaging their credibility.
Luckily, since HireRight is providing background checks, they are legally obligated to operate under the FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act).
What this means for you as a truck driver is that you can dispute incorrect information and have it changed accordingly.
How to Dispute and Fix Incorrect Information in a DAC Report
A DAC report is much like a credit report, as it shows your eligibility for a new job by showing the good, bad, and ugly from all old jobs. The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) handles DAC the same as it handles credit reporting.
It is your obligation as a truck driver to periodically check your DAC report for any missing, inaccurate, or incomplete information. Do not take this as something odd, since managing your data is pretty standard in the trucking world.
Should you identify incorrect information on your report, you are protected by law and can file and have the report corrected.
To request a change in your report, you need to file a free DAC report dispute with HireRight.
You can contact HireRight’s Customer Service by using the following information:
- Phone: (800) 381-0645 (Mo-Fri, 7am – 7pm CT)
- Fax: (918) 664-5520
- Postal Address: HireRight Attn: Consumers Department 14002 E. 21st Street, Suite 1200 Tulsa, OK 74134
How Will a DAC Report Affect Your Career?
In today’s age of the Internet, one can not run from their past. Everything a person does, no matter whether it is good, bad, or ugly is out there, and you can bet it will come up when someone is looking in the right direction.
One can not simply run away from the past. It is the past that decides whether you are going to get hired or not. Whenever you apply with a medium or big trucking company, they will check your DAC report.
Whatever you did up until the point you applied for the job will be in front of your employer, and they will make the decision whether to hire you or not based on it.
The Hiring Company Will Look at Everything in a DAC
They will look for irregularities and discrepancies, and if there are examples that do not match between what you provided and what the DAC says, they will question you about it, if not outright reject your application.
The truth is that trucking companies receive lots of applications each day, so if you come clean and present everything as is, chances are you will get in front of candidates who withhold information. There is no point to do it, since the DAC report will show the real picture (if the driver keeps it under regular checks that is).
Which leads us to the following: What happens if there are errors in your DAC report that are not a result of false information provided by the company?
How to Submit a DAC Report Dispute?
As we mentioned before, you can use the FTC’s information on the Fair Credit Reporting Act that will guide you on how to correct any errors that are present in your DAC report.
HireRight has no choice but to comply with the FTC regulation and meet your request to fix the errors in the DAC report.
On the following link, you can find the Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
On the following link, you can find instructions on how to request your free DAC report under the Freedom of Information Act request to the FMSCA. Optionally, you can use the PSP (Pre-Employment Screening Program). This will cost you $10, but the perk is that you will have immediate access to your data, as compared to the up to 20 days wait period with the FMSCA request.
Can You Request Copy of Your DAC Report?
When it comes to how to check your DAC report, you can request a copy of it at any time for free (for copies that were prepared by HireRight, or in a database maintained by HireRight) by completing the HireRight Background Report form.
Additionally, if you would like something more tangible, you can request the form by telephone, fax, or regular mail by contacting the HireRight customer service at:
Hire Right DAC Report Contact Info – Phone No, Address, and Fax
HireRight Customer Service
Telephone: (800) 381-0645 (Monday-Friday, 7am to 7pm Central Time)
Fax: (918) 664-5520
Address:
HireRight
Attn: Consumers Department
14002 E. 21st Street, Suite 1200
Tulsa, OK 74134
The So Called “Gold Standard” of the Trucking Industry
It is funny how a thing so flawed can be called the “Gold Standard” of the trucking industry. However, without the DAC report, the whole trucking industry will be in mayhem.
Sure, it is far from perfect, but without this filter to separate the good from the bad, and give an explanation to the ugly things like accidents, feuds, and reason why a driver has left a company, the trucking industry would not have a way to decide who is a good hire and who is not.
Without DAC reports, trucking would be a very difficult industry to work in.
