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PSP · Pre-Employment Screening Program

Five years of crashes. Three years of inspections. Pulled in under 24 hours.

A PSP report is the FMCSA's own record of a CDL applicant's safety performance — every roadside inspection, every DOT-recordable crash, every out-of-service violation. Carriers who screen with PSP have an 8% lower crash rate and 17% lower out-of-service rate than carriers who don't.

Order a PSP report · $20 → See sample report
5YR
Crash history
DOT-recordable, all states
3YR
Inspection history
Roadside, every violation
<24HR
Turnaround
From signed consent to PDF

An MVR shows convictions. PSP shows everything that happened on the truck.

State MVRs only capture traffic-related convictions — what made it to court. PSP captures every violation written up at a roadside inspection, whether or not a citation was issued, whether or not it stuck. HOS falsifications, brake adjustment, log discrepancies, OOS orders. The stuff a driver doesn't volunteer in the application.

SourceFMCSA MCMIS · § 31150

What's actually in a PSP record.

Two sections, fixed lookback windows, drawn straight from the FMCSA's Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS). Refreshed monthly — the snapshot date is printed on every report we deliver.

49 U.S.C. § 31150 Pre-Employment Screening Program
— SECTION 01 / CRASH HISTORY 5-year window

DOT-recordable crashes.

Every crash on the federal record where a vehicle had to be towed, someone needed transport for medical attention, or someone died.

  • 1.1
    Date and locationState, route, mile marker if available
  • 1.2
    Crash typeTow-away, injury, fatal, property damage
  • 1.3
    Vehicle & carrier at the timeWhich carrier the driver was operating under
  • 1.4
    PreventabilityIf reviewed via DataQs and ruled non-preventable, that flag appears
  • 1.5
    CasualtiesInjuries and fatalities tied to the crash
What it doesn't show: fault determination. PSP shows the crash; it doesn't litigate it.
— SECTION 02 / INSPECTION HISTORY 3-year window

Roadside inspection violations.

Every roadside inspection, every violation written up — whether or not a ticket was issued, whether or not it later got dismissed.

  • 2.1
    Inspection date and locationState, level (1–6), inspector basic identifying info
  • 2.2
    All violations on that inspectionBrakes, lights, HOS, log books, hazmat, driver fitness
  • 2.3
    Out-of-service ordersDriver OOS or vehicle OOS — the most consequential flag on the record
  • 2.4
    Severity weightingHow FMCSA scores the violation in CSA terms
  • 2.5
    Carrier at the timeUseful when an applicant has worked for several carriers
The signal: a clean inspection with zero violations is on the record too — that's a positive, not a gap.

PSP vs. MVR — they're not the same report.

A lot of carriers think one substitutes for the other. They don't. PSP and MVR cover different ground; the safety-conscious answer is to pull both. Here's where the lines fall.

Attribute
PSP report (FMCSA)
MVR (state DMV)
Sourcewhere the data lives
Federal · MCMIS
State DMV
CrashesDOT-recordable
✓ 5 years, all states
✕ Generally not included
Roadside violationseven without a citation
✓ All, even uncited
✕ Convictions only
Out-of-service ordersdriver and vehicle
✓ Listed per inspection
✕ Not captured
Carrier at the timewhich company driver was on for
✓ Yes, per record
✕ Not captured
License status & classendorsements, suspensions
✕ Not on PSP
✓ Authoritative source
Personal-vehicle convictionsoff-duty driving
✕ Out of scope
✓ Yes, all classes
Driver consent requiredbefore pulling
✓ Written PSP form
✓ FCRA / state form

From "we want to run this guy" to PDF in your inbox.

PSP is a regulated pull — the driver has to consent in writing, and the carrier has to retain that consent on file. We handle the full chain so the report you get is audit-clean.

STEP 01

You submit the applicant.

Just the basics: name, DOB, CDL number, state. Through the member portal or via a webform we send your candidate.

~2 min
STEP 02

Driver e-signs the consent.

FMCSA's PSP authorization form goes to the candidate's email or phone. They sign it; we store it in your file.

~5 min (driver-side)
STEP 03

We query MCMIS.

Once consent is on file, the report request goes to FMCSA. Most pull within hours; complex records can take overnight.

<24 hours typical
STEP 04

PDF and consent — both filed.

You get the PSP report and the signed consent in your portal. Both are produceable on demand if FMCSA audits the hire.

Held in portal · 7 yrs

Two ways to use PSP.

Carriers run it on applicants. Drivers run it on themselves before the carrier does — and clean up the record while there's still time.

— For carriers

Screen every CDL applicant before you offer.

PSP is the fastest way to surface the problems an applicant won't tell you about — out-of-service orders, falsified logs, repeat brake violations.

  • ✓ Pulled with written driver consent — both stored in your portal
  • ✓ Pairs with MVR & Clearinghouse query for full pre-hire workup
  • ✓ Filed as part of the DQ file — auditable on demand
  • ✓ Disqualify weak candidates before you spend on orientation
— Per report
$20/each
Order a report →
— For drivers

Pull your own record before applying.

If the carrier's going to see it, you should see it first. PSP errors aren't rare — and DataQs disputes can take weeks. Don't let a wrong record kill an offer.

  • ✓ See exactly what the carrier will see — same FMCSA snapshot
  • ✓ We flag any record we think is disputable and walk you through DataQs
  • ✓ Subscribe to monitoring so you're alerted when anything changes
  • ✓ Same $20 — drivers don't pay extra to see their own record
— Per report
$20/each
Pull my record →

Flat $20. No subscription minimum.

FMCSA charges $10 per report. We charge $20 — that covers the regulated consent workflow, secure storage of both the consent and the report, and audit-grade retention. Bulk discounts apply once you're running real volume.

— SINGLE
— On demand

One-off PSP report

For occasional pulls — a single applicant, a one-driver fleet, or a driver checking their own record.

$20
per report · pay-as-you-go · no commitment
  • ✓ Full PSP record (5-year crash + 3-year inspection)
  • ✓ Driver consent capture & storage
  • ✓ PDF + consent retained in your portal
  • ✓ <24 hour turnaround
Run a single report →
MOST CARRIERS
— Bundled

PSP + MVR + Clearinghouse

The full pre-hire screening trio — every report a carrier should pull on a CDL applicant before extending an offer.

$45
per applicant · all three reports, one workflow
  • ✓ PSP record · 5/3 year history
  • ✓ MVR · driver's license & convictions
  • ✓ FMCSA Clearinghouse query (limited or full)
  • ✓ One consent flow, one delivered packet
  • ✓ Filed straight into the driver's DQ file
Bundle screening →
— FLEETS
— High volume

Bulk & monitoring

For carriers running 10+ pre-hire packets a month, or who want PSP monitoring on existing drivers.

Contact us
10+ reports / mo · volume pricing
  • ✓ Per-report price drops with volume
  • ✓ PSP monitoring on existing drivers
  • ✓ Alerts when an active driver's record changes
  • ✓ Single invoice, admin-level reporting
Call (602) 899-1606 →

Related pages

Questions we hear daily.

What's actually in a PSP report?
A PSP report contains 5 years of DOT-recordable crash history and 3 years of roadside inspection history from the FMCSA's MCMIS database. Crash records show date, location, type, and casualties. Inspection records show every violation written up — including out-of-service orders — whether or not a citation was issued. It does not include conviction status, license class, or anything that lives at the state DMV; that's the MVR.
Is PSP the same as a background check?
No. A background check covers criminal records, identity verification, employment history. PSP is a narrowly-scoped FMCSA report on a CDL driver's safety performance — crashes and roadside violations. They're complementary, not interchangeable. A complete pre-hire workup typically runs all three: background check + MVR + PSP + a Clearinghouse query.
Do I need the driver's consent before I pull it?
Yes — written consent on FMCSA's PSP authorization form is required before a carrier can pull a record, and the carrier is required to retain that consent. We capture e-signed consent as part of the workflow and store it in your portal alongside the resulting report. Both are produceable on demand if FMCSA audits the hire.
Can a driver pull their own PSP?
Yes — and they should, before applying. Drivers can pull their own record at any time. We charge the same $20 (FMCSA's direct fee on the .gov site is $10, but we add the consent storage and DataQs walkthrough). If a driver finds an error, the dispute goes through FMCSA's DataQs system at dataqs.fmcsa.dot.gov; we help frame the dispute.
How current is the data?
FMCSA refreshes the MCMIS snapshot once a month — usually around the last week of the month. The snapshot date is printed on every report we deliver, so you can see exactly which version of the record you're looking at. If a critical violation just occurred, it may take up to a month to appear.
What's the turnaround?
Most reports come back within hours. The official SLA we commit to is <24 hours from the moment the driver signs the consent. The slow part is almost always the consent step — once that's signed, MCMIS is fast.
How long should I keep the report on file?
FMCSA's general DQ-file retention rule is 3 years after termination, but most safety-conscious carriers retain pre-hire screening artifacts for 7 years to cover litigation discovery windows. We retain everything we pull for 7 years in your portal automatically — no manual filing required.
What if the report shows a violation the driver disputes?
Disputes go through FMCSA's DataQs program (dataqs.fmcsa.dot.gov) — that's the only authoritative channel. PSP doesn't issue corrections; it shows what's in MCMIS. If the DataQs review modifies the record, the next monthly snapshot will reflect it, and a re-pulled PSP will show the updated record.

Don't hire a CDL driver without seeing their MCMIS record first.

$20 per report, <24 hour turnaround, consent and report stored in your portal for the next seven years. Run one, run a hundred — same workflow.

Order a PSP · $20→ Talk to us · (602) 899-1606→