Driver background check for unemployment, what do they base it on?

Question

What do insurance companies use to determine your insurable?
I just applied for this awesome job that I really want. It is now depending on that the company finds me insurable for driving a company vehicle. I havent had any traffic tickets or anything since 7/04. But prior to that, I had a suspension for too many points. The points were from speeding tickets, mostly 5 overs. The points have dropped off by now, but the violations are still on my record. Anyone out there work for an insurance company and know if I would be insurable? Or work for a company that uses driver checks and what they look for?

The car is a mini cooper, so I am not sure if that qualifies as commerical or not. The suspension was because I had too many points ,which are all off my record now. As of 4/07 I have not had any violations. I am hoping that good behavior has shown I learned my lesson.

Answer 1

First: your driving record with the state is a public document; they can get a copy for a small fee.
Second: their worry goes beyond simply can they get insurance. There is a concept called "negligent hiring". What this means is that, above and beyond the actual damage that you might cause while driving on company business, which would b covered by insurance, they could be sued for negligence in putting a person with a known bad driver behind the wheel. This could lead to heavy actual and punitive damages, which would not be covered by insurance.

In your case, it would depend on how much risk the individual employer is willing to assume. A friend of mine who hires sales people to travel in company supplied cars told me his hands are tied by the company lawyers. A DUI is the biggie. A suspension in the last three years would probably be a show stopper, too. Another factor is the cost of insurance. You may only be able to get coverage through a "high risk" carrier, which could easily cost three to six (or more) times the rate of a major carrier Good luck.

Answer 2

I think almost any driving position will check your record for points and types of violations. Keep trying until you find one that doesnt.