Crete Carrier Corporation: Hiring, Background Check & Employment Verification FAQs

Crete Carrier Corporation was founded in 1966 in Crete, Nebraska, and moved its headquarters to Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1973, where it remains today. The company was purchased in 1971 by Duane Acklie and his wife Phyllis, and the Acklie family has been closely associated with its leadership since. It remains privately held rather than publicly traded.

The organization is structured around three divisions. Crete Carrier runs dry van truckload freight. Shaffer Trucking, acquired in 1974 and based in New Kingstown, Pennsylvania, handles refrigerated freight. Hunt Transportation, acquired in 1999, operates the flatbed and open-deck business. Together they provide freight transportation across the contiguous United States, and the group has been described as one of the twenty largest trucking organizations in the country, operating thousands of power units and a larger fleet of trailers.

Operationally, the company runs terminals and drop yards positioned around its major freight lanes, supported by maintenance shops and dispatch operations. The workforce centers on professional truck drivers working over-the-road, regional, and dedicated fleets, supported by diesel technicians and shop staff, fleet managers and dispatchers, safety and compliance personnel, driver recruiters, load planners, and corporate functions in Lincoln.

Company culture and employee programs:

Trucking employers compete heavily on the terms of the driving job itself, and Crete Carrier's recruiting materials emphasize equipment, home time options, and the stability of a long-established family-owned carrier. Driver pay in the industry commonly combines mileage-based pay with accessorial and safety components, and specifics vary by division, fleet, and experience. The company also hires student and recent graduate drivers in some fleets, which typically involves a finishing or mentor program before solo dispatch. Benefits and pay packages differ by fleet and position, so candidates should confirm details with a recruiter.

Yes. Employers in the trucking and transportation industry, including Crete Carrier Corporation, are legally permitted to conduct pre-employment background checks on job candidates as long as they follow applicable federal, state, and local law. In the United States, employment screening is governed by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), which requires a standalone disclosure, written candidate authorization, and a defined adverse action process. For driving positions, federal motor carrier safety regulations go further and actually require carriers to investigate specific parts of an applicant's history before allowing them to drive.

Crete Carrier is generally reported to conduct background checks as part of its hiring process, which is standard for motor carriers and, for driver roles, largely mandated by federal rule. Carriers must maintain a driver qualification file for each commercial driver, including driving records and prior employment inquiries. The scope of a Crete Carrier background check may vary by role and division, with driving positions screened against federal requirements and office positions screened more like other employers.

For drivers, the Crete Carrier hiring process usually begins with an online application or a call to a recruiter, followed by a review of commercial driving experience, license class and endorsements, driving record, and work history. Qualified applicants are generally invited to orientation, where driver qualification paperwork, testing, and equipment assignment are handled, and where a road test may be conducted. Office and shop roles follow a more conventional path of application, phone screen, and interview with a hiring manager. In both cases, a conditional offer is typically followed by authorization for a background check and any required testing before a start date.

Turnaround depends on the searches ordered and the responsiveness of outside parties. Criminal searches often return within a few business days. Driver screening tends to take longer because it depends on state motor vehicle agencies, responses from previous carriers, and queries to federal systems, none of which the hiring carrier controls. Applicants can speed things up by providing an accurate employment history with correct contact details for prior carriers. Candidates who want more detail can review background check turnaround times.

The employer decides the scope, within the requirements that apply to regulated driving jobs. For a trucking role, a background check may include some or all of the following:

Candidates should read the disclosures they receive at application and orientation to understand which searches and inquiries apply to their position.

The answer differs between criminal history and driving history. Under the FCRA, consumer reporting agencies are generally limited from reporting most adverse information older than seven years, with exceptions that can apply to convictions and to higher-salary positions, and several states are stricter still. Driving and safety history follow separate rules: federal motor carrier regulations require carriers to investigate a commercial driver applicant's employment history over a defined multi-year period and to obtain driving records from the states where the applicant was licensed, and state motor vehicle agencies set their own retention periods for what appears on a record.

Crete Carrier does not publish a detailed policy on applicants with felony records, and decisions are generally made case by case. Employers typically weigh the nature and seriousness of the offense, how long ago it occurred, and its relevance to the job. Trucking adds a regulatory dimension, because certain convictions can affect commercial driving privileges or disqualify a driver from specific endorsements and credentials, which is a licensing consequence rather than an employer preference. Many states and cities have adopted "ban-the-box" laws that govern when criminal history can be raised. Candidates with a record should be accurate on their application and ask a recruiter how their specific history affects the fleets they are considering.

Applicants are typically asked to sign disclosure and authorization forms before screening begins. Driver candidates should be prepared to provide a valid commercial driver's license with any required endorsements, a current medical examiner's certificate, a detailed employment history covering the period required by federal rule, and consent for driving record and clearinghouse queries. All candidates should expect to supply full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, and address history. Accuracy matters more than usual here, since gaps in a driver's employment history must be explained before the qualification file can be completed.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act is the US federal law governing how consumer reporting agencies collect, use, and share background check information. It requires an employer to obtain written consent before ordering a report, to provide the candidate with a copy of the report and a summary of rights before taking adverse action, and to allow the candidate an opportunity to dispute inaccurate information before a final decision is made. Drivers have additional dispute rights regarding safety performance history records maintained about them. For more on how the FCRA works alongside Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) guidance, see Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).

Driving jobs at an interstate motor carrier sit under federal motor carrier safety regulations, which set out what a carrier must confirm before a driver goes on the road. In general terms, that includes a valid commercial driver's license for the equipment operated, a current medical certification, driving records from the states where the applicant has been licensed, investigation of prior commercial driving employment over a defined look-back period including safety performance and any drug or alcohol testing violations, queries to the federal clearinghouse, a pre-employment drug test, and often a road test. Carriers may also set standards above the federal floor, such as minimum experience, limits on recent moving violations or preventable accidents, and age requirements tied to interstate operation. Candidates should ask a recruiter which standards apply to their fleet and division.

Running a personal background check with Checkr lets you preview what Crete Carrier Corporation may see and helps you identify potential inaccuracies before they affect your job application. In one secure report you can review:

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The resources and information provided here are for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. Always consult your own counsel for up-to-date legal advice and guidance related to your practices, needs, and compliance with applicable laws.