I am about to switch jobs and a lady told me she had to wait a few a days for some paperwork to come from my current employer. She said it was required by the DOT. Cant they just check to see if you have any points on your license without contacting your employer?

There was an employee verification number she could call but she needed more info.

She finally called and she said the reference check was good.

In a worst case situation could a current employer tell other companys negative things about you to keep you from getting another job? I was concerned about the fact that my company might sit on the paperwork for a while but they didn't.

 

It is pretty much the standard for any comapny to do a reference check & employment check. Think about it...the new company doesn't know you from Adam, most companies also take negatives "with a grain of salt", unless you've had "at fault" accidents or something like that you shouldn't be too worried about prospective employers calling past employers.

 

they probably wanted to verify your employment dates, and how many miles you drove.
they usually also ask, would you rehire this person?, if the answer is no, then you may have a problem