The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) PSP report and a state motor vehicle record (MVR) offer different information. Both are important sources of data to consider when hiring a commercial driver.
WHAT’S IN A PSP REPORT?
Crash and roadside inspection data are submitted to FMCSA and stored in the Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS). PSP reports consist of commerical motor vehicle driver information from the federal MCMIS database.
A PSP report displays a driver’s 5-year crash history and 3-year roadside inspection history. This includes all serious safety violations that are cited during an inspection. Conviction information is not included on the PSP report.
When requesting a PSP record, motor carriers should submit each CDL number a driver has held in the last 5 years.
WHAT’S IN AN MVR?
States maintain records of drivers’ motor vehicle convictions known as MVRs. Conviction data is posted periodically to an MVR, depending on each state’s unique process.
An MVR includes information related only to the driver’s license issued by a particular state and includes data for any type of vehicle, including passenger cars, motorcycles, commercial trucks, and buses.
An MVR displays only a driver’s conviction data, which typically remains on an MVR for 3-5 years, but this varies by state.
WHY ARE THE REPORTS DIFFERENT?
An MVR shows what a driver has been convicted of by a state court.
Citations, warnings, and tickets yet to be settled in the courts will not appear on an MVR.
A PSP report includes violations collected at the roadside inspection or crash, which is sent to MCMIS. The PSP report does not include citations, warnings, or tickets.
Violations from a roadside inspection, or a crash, will not appear on an MVR. Convictions resulting from a violation will appear on an MVR. These violations, however, will remain on the driver’s PSP report.
A PSP report and MVR may not match, because a citation, warning, or ticket can be reduced by a state court.
MVR records and PSP records are maintained by different sources. State agencies are responsible for MVRs. FMCSA is responsible for the PSP report. The two records are not linked.