Signing up to drive for rideshare or delivery is pretty easy.
You upload your registration, driver’s license, and insurance, and let them run a background check on you. As long as this all goes smoothly, you can get up and running in a few days.
And most of the time it does work like that.
But lately we’ve been hearing reports of drivers getting held up because their background checks are taking F O R E V E R. Worse yet, you might find that your access to the app is either not granted (if you’re new), or suspended (if you’re a current driver), if the background check shows up as “pending.”
It really can make you feel paranoid. Your mind races. What did they find? Do I have a felonious doppelganger out there in the world somewhere? I didn’t do anything wrong, I know it! How does this happen? It’s enough to make you want to scream to the Universe: “What did I do now??”
You have a clean driving record, and as far as you know, you haven’t committed any felonies … so what is the hold up?
In the past, and especially now with that ever-present COVID-19 pandemic, some quirky things have been going on with the background check process. We’ll go through some war stories here, and offer suggestions for getting on top of the situation before it leaves you hanging forever. Here’s what we’ll cover:
- Why background checks get delayed
- What about your legal rights?
- What to do if your background check is past due
We also recorded a YouTube video that discusses these same topics. Check out the video below:
Why background checks get delayed
The dastardly pandemic
Right now, the biggest reason for delayed background checks is … you guessed it, COVID-19. What does that have to do with your driving and court records? Well, in many states and counties, the courts are closed. Yes, even now, almost six months after the pandemic started, that’s the case.
You might wonder why they have to go to a court to get your records; wouldn’t they in a database somewhere?
The answer is yes, in most cases—but not always. Even today, in the midst of the technology age, many courts either have no computer systems, or have systems that are not up to date. Also, the in-person check is considered to be more thorough than the online-only check.
The company performing the background check (usually an outside firm like Checkr) must physically go to the courthouse and have a clerk pull the records. A post on the Checkr website explains how the situation of closed courts is delaying their procedures.
Even if your information is in an electronic file, and an online check is adequate for your company, you could still find yourself in Pending Limbo. If a question comes up about your record, for instance, and it can only be answered by a person who works for the court, this could lead to a delay—possibly a lengthy one.
Software glitches in the app
Although the closures of courts due to COVID is a major reason for delays in background checks, it isn’t the only reason. There have also been reports of glitches on the app; i.e., it says your background check is pending, but it really isn’t. We got a report about a driver who hadn’t gotten Uber Eats pings for about a month, but couldn’t tell why that was happening.
When he examined his account profile for “documents,” it had all the checkmarks in the right boxes—except for one that said there was a “problem.” This driver remembered Uber had done one of those “continuous” background checks on him about a month before. Those involve periodically re-checking drivers to ensure there are no incidents they need to know about.
The driver knew Checkr had cleared him because he had an email that said so. It was the Uber app that had the “problem,” not him. He tried resetting the app, deleting it and re-installing, and cried out for help from other drivers. Some responded to him with similar issues, and the worst thing? None of them were able to work for as long as a month.
With the Greenlight Hubs closed (again, due to COVID), the driver is stuck trying to get help from Uber customer support. He and the other drivers he contacted didn’t get much more than the standard line: “We’re working on it.”
Another driver with a similar issue was able to get help from Uber after contacting them by email. You have to be persistent with Customer Care.
Errors in the background check
No one is perfect, including the folks that perform background checks. This August 2019 article gives an interesting account of dozens of faulty background checks by Checkr. Many of these faulty checks led drivers to either not be approved when they applied, or to lose the place they had previously had on the platform. Many drivers sued Checkr for making mistakes … big ones.
Checkr merely takes an individual driver’s name and Social Security number, and runs checks across various databases. Here are some things that can happen:
- A person with the same name could have a criminal record;
- Charges against a driver could be dropped or expunged, yet still reported;
- They might check and report records that go further back than allowed by state law.
Companies restricting the number of drivers
In some cases, companies might want to keep the number of new drivers down, or eliminate those who aren’t very active on the platform. Make sure you’re being treated fairly here, and if you’re not? Speak up—loud and clear.
What about your legal rights?
The legal climate around background checks is not exactly sunny with a chance of a few clouds. It’s more like a typhoon with driving rain and hail the size of golf balls.
There are a couple things about background checks that make them slippery in terms of legalities. For one, not passing a background check can cause a person to lose his or her livelihood. Many people have sued the rideshare and delivery companies, as well as the background check companies they use because they lost the opportunity to work.
The other side of the story involves customers’ opinions about the thoroughness of background checks on drivers.
Many riders and delivery customers have sued the rideshare and delivery companies because drivers have displayed criminal tendencies that would have been apparent on their criminal record—had it been thoroughly checked.
There are the kinds of checks we already described; namely, checking a person against criminal records by name, SSN, driver’s license number, etc.; and using fingerprints. Obviously, the fingerprint method is more accurate and exhaustive, because if a person has been arrested, the fingerprints will be on file. If the fingerprints of the driver match prints in a criminal file, there won’t be any question about mixed identities.
So … why don’t the companies use fingerprint-based background checks?
Because using fingerprints for background checks is expensive for the companies, and is considered to be inconvenient and intrusive by prospective drivers. This September 2019 article in Vox tells of what happened in 2017 when officials in Austin, Texas wanted to make Uber drivers go through fingerprint-based background checks. Uber threatened to stop operating in the area, and they did just that—until the officials gave up on the idea.
There are a lot of legal issues around background checks, but the fact is, every driver has to get more than one of them. All the companies now check and recheck drivers’ backgrounds on an ongoing basis.
What to do if your background check is past due
Before you do anything, check into the cause of the problem:
- Did you provide all the requested information?
- Is it a problem with the courts?
- Is it a software issue?
- Could it be a case of mistaken identity?
- Do you have a criminal record that extends beyond the state time limit?
If you have any questions about what kinds of things the background check company is looking for, or about the time limits for certain convictions in your state, read this earlier Gridwise post for Uber, and this one for Lyft. This page from Checkr’s site tells you more about how far back in time each state goes when making background checks.
The court problems can’t be helped, at least for now. Unfortunately, you’ll just have to wait.
If you find that there’s a software issue, however, be relentless. Don’t stop contacting Customer Care until you get an answer and/or they fix the problem. If you want to get their attention, post on social media about what you’re experiencing. They’ll catch wind of your discontent, and maybe work a little harder to get things resolved.
In the case of mistaken identity, or the check looking at your record further back than the time limit in your state, do everything you can to stand up for yourself. There are laws in place to protect you, and you might be the one who has to make sure they are properly enforced.
Our best advice is this: If you get into a delayed background check situation with your company, try to work it out with them. If you can’t, and the situation is getting between you and your ability to make a living, consider seeking legal help.
Let’s hope things will get better once COVID-19 is no longer holding everybody back, and that companies, both the gig economy apps and their background checking services, develop a more respectful attitude toward drivers.
And, oh yes, there’s one more thing you can do to protect yourself, especially when it comes to those periodic background checks: Work for multiple platforms. If you have more than one company to work with, you can move over when and if you have problems with a continuous background check. Also, if you’re a newbie, apply to at least two platforms, and see if one gets that background check done faster than the other.
The answer for multiple platform drivers: Gridwise!
When you download Gridwise, you have the ultimate assistant for rideshare and delivery drivers right there in your device. You can track earnings and mileage for all the apps you use, and display useful graphs that inform you about how each is performing in terms of putting money in your pocket.
On our Perks tab, you’ll get cool deals and discounts for drivers, and access to our incredibly insightful blog, developed just for drivers. Get easy access to the Gridwise YouTube Channel, and join us on Facebook for Gridwise Gas Giveaways.
We’ll also tell you what’s going on in town and at the airport, and give you a heads-up on weather that might affect your shift. What would you do without Gridwise? You don’t have to find out … download the app now.
