Bus Driving Company Accused of Numerous Background Check Failures

New Jersey’s Acting Attorney General recently announced the indictment of a school bus company’s owners. The press release highlighted the alleged egregious actions taken by these owners that jeopardized the safety of those being transported.

The allegations against the company include they:

• Knowingly hired drivers that did not hold valid commercial driver’s licenses or required license endorsements.
• Hired drivers who had criminal histories or were using illegal drugs.
• Falsified vehicle inspection forms to indicate their buses consistently passed required pre- and post-trip company inspections.
• Falsely represented the qualifications of their drivers and aides under state, federal and local law.

As one example of the harm caused, the press release cites an event in February 2019 where an employee allegedly used heroin in the company’s parking lot before driving a school bus transporting 12 special needs children. While driving, the employee allegedly overdosed slamming into the wall of a building. The employee needed to be revived via Narcan by police.

Following an audit by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, it was determined that of the 51 drivers listed on the company’s roster, only 9 files were complete. Of the remaining files, 4 were missing, 23 had no driver abstracts, 2 had expired abstracts, 11 had no physical exams, 13 had expired physical exams and 4 had expired copies of driver’s licenses.

A similar indictment was also announced against a different school bus company in March 2021. As outlined in the press release:

Personnel files seized in 2019 during execution of a search warrant revealed that A-1 employed many drivers who did not have valid commercial driver’s licenses or required endorsements, had suspended licenses, and/or had criminal records. A-1 also employed bus aides with criminal records. A number of files were missing mandatory records of fingerprinting, background checks, and drug testing. Two bus drivers were charged with driving buses for A-1 with one or more children on board while under the influence of narcotics. One of them crashed the bus. Another former driver is a registered sex offender.

These examples are just a sampling of the many negligent hiring issues in the news as of late. While the incredibly difficult labor market may drive some employers to consider eliminating background checks, this story (and many others) demonstrate the crucial importance of comprehensive background screening when it comes to protecting the safety of workplaces and individuals.