Does CarMax hire people with felonies?

What CarMax has said

CarMax hasn't published a policy on hiring people with criminal records that we could find, and it is not on the Second Chance Business Coalition member list. Its Associate Privacy Notice, which covers job applicants, says CarMax gets information from background check providers, that recruiting can include reference or background checks where applicable, and that it may collect criminal records data for vetting where the law permits. None of the ten job postings we opened in six states mentions a background check or records. The careers site says CarMax promotes a drug-free workplace, which is a general statement and not a testing policy, and its Class A commercial driver posting points to federal DOT and FMCSA qualification requirements.

We didn't find a public statement from CarMax about hiring people with records: not on its careers site, in its reports, or in its announcements. That doesn't mean it won't hire you. It means there's nothing on the record to point to.

Does CarMax do background checks?

CarMax runs background checks. CarMax's Associate Privacy Notice (effective August 28, 2023), which covers current, former and potential employees and is linked from its job postings, lists background check providers among the sources it collects information from, says recruiting includes completing reference or background checks where applicable, and says the information it may collect includes criminal records data for vetting purposes where permissible under applicable law. It doesn't name a vendor, say which jobs are checked, when the check happens or how far back it looks. None of the ten CarMax postings we opened (Virginia, California, Washington, Wisconsin, Tennessee and Georgia) describes a background check.^1,2,3,4,5,6

• Criminal history

• How long a background check takes

Does CarMax drug test?

CarMax hasn't published a drug testing policy. The careers site footer, shown on every posting we opened, says CarMax promotes a drug-free workplace. That is a general statement; CarMax hasn't published whether or when applicants are tested, and its Associate Privacy Notice doesn't mention drug testing. CDL drivers are covered by the federal rule described under role notes.^4,5,6,7,8,9

Rules for specific jobs

• Class A commercial drivers (vehicle transport)

  (federal rule) FMCSA says CDL drivers who operate commercial motor vehicles on public roads are subject to DOT drug and alcohol testing, and an employer must receive a negative pre-employment drug test result before permitting a CDL driver to operate a commercial vehicle.¹⁰

• Class A commercial drivers (vehicle transport)

  (company policy) CarMax's Class A driver posting in Winchester, VA requires a valid Class A CDL, two or more years of Class A experience, a clean driving record with no serious violations in the past three years, and the ability to meet DOT and FMCSA qualification requirements. That is one posting.⁴

Your rights, and how far back a check can go

• Under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), an employer must get your written permission before it gets a background report about you from a background screening company.^15,16,17
• Before an employer decides not to hire, keep, or promote you because of something in a background report, it must give you a copy of the report and a document called "A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act."^15,16
• You have the right to dispute inaccurate or incomplete information in your background report directly with the company that made it.^15,18
• The FCRA's seven-year limit does not apply to criminal convictions, so under federal law a conviction can show up on a background report no matter how old it is.^19,20
• Under the FCRA, background and credit reports generally cannot include arrest records, civil lawsuits, or civil judgments that are more than seven years old (or older than the statute of limitations, if that is longer).^19,21

Your full background check rights

Before you apply

• You can ask a background screening company for the information it has on you, and the CFPB keeps a list of consumer reporting companies, including employment screening companies, with their contact details.^15,18,22
• According to the Clean Slate Initiative, 14 states and Washington, D.C. have passed Clean Slate laws that meet its criteria for automatically clearing eligible records: Pennsylvania, Utah, New Jersey, Connecticut, Michigan, Delaware, Virginia, California, Oklahoma, Colorado, Minnesota, New York, Illinois, and Missouri, plus D.C.²³
• The Federal Bonding Program, run by the U.S. Department of Labor, lets states give employers free fidelity bonds that protect them against losses from a newly hired worker's dishonest acts, for job seekers with past justice involvement or in recovery from substance use.^24,25

See whether you can clear your record in your state