Technology helps manage driver records By Aaron Huff

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Before extending job offers to drivers, fleets build a skeleton file of past employment, motor vehicle records, credit history and other documents, many of which can be obtained quickly through online services. After hiring, managing driver files becomes an ongoing burden: The U.S. Department of Transportation requires employers to keep files current for drug tests, physical exams, safety records, annual MVRs, commercial driver’s licenses and endorsements. Now fleets of all sizes are gathering much more extensive and frequent driving records via onboard computers and other technologies. If managing paper and electronic files is stretching your resources away from more productive work, technology may offer a solution.

Compliance experts
Besides converting fleets’ paper records to electronic records, outsourcing firms provide ongoing auditing and notifications of incomplete, missing or expiring documents. Some firms also provide a Web-based platform for clients to access their driver documents from any location.

Compliance was the primary reason Valley National Gases chose to outsource its driver qualification files. The Wheeling, W.Va.-based compressed gas distributor employs 400 drivers at 90 locations. The company can mail, fax or directly scan documents to the Web-based Driver Qualification Data Service (DQDS) from Lee TranServices (www.leetrans.com). With DQDS, the fleet can limit, by user login, which files are accessible to certain managers or departments.

By outsourcing, Valley National Gases can be more proactive with compliance instead of reactive, and safety managers have more time to devote to more safety-sensitive functions within the company, says Dennis Forgash, safety coordinator for the company’s Mid-Atlantic region.

Outsourcing driver file management does not mean fleets lose control or flexibility. Rair Technologies (www.rairtech.com), which offers full-service outsourcing for driver qualification and log auditing, recently released a new version of its Web-based management platform. Users can create additional tabs to store driver files, as well as documents that are not required for compliance purposes, such as driver photos, videos and claims. Administrators can restrict access for each tab by user login, says Steve Wilhelm, senior vice president of marketing and business development.

Managing risk
Fleets that choose to keep both technology and driver files in-house can leverage new software to manage not only paper records but also an increasing amount of driver data from multiple databases and sources.