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Straight answers.
Driver screening, answered
Direct answers to the 25 most common driver-screening questions — MVR cost and turnaround, CDLIS, PSP, the FMCSA Clearinghouse, and the §391.51 DQ file. Every entry links to a full answer with the underlying federal regulation cited inline.
What is CDLIS?
CDLIS - the Commercial Driver's License Information System - is the AAMVA-operated nationwide database that links every state CDL on a single driver, so motor carriers can pull a multi-state license history in one query instead of probing each state DMV individually.
Read the full answerDo I need the FMCSA Clearinghouse for non-CDL drivers?
No. The FMCSA Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse only covers drivers operating commercial motor vehicles that require a CDL under 49 CFR Part 383. Non-CDL drivers in vehicles below the CDL threshold are not in scope and you cannot register them in the Clearinghouse.
Read the full answerHow long do MVR and CDLIS reports take to come back?
Timing depends on the issuing state for the MVR. CDLIS lists the states where the driver has held a CDL; the state-of-record detail still comes from each state MVR. PSP and Clearinghouse timing is set by FMCSA, and the Clearinghouse query also waits on the driver's consent.
Read the full answerWhat is the FMCSA PSP (Pre-Employment Screening Program)?
PSP is FMCSA's driver-history report covering five years of crash data and three years of roadside inspections on any driver of a commercial motor vehicle. It is sold to motor carriers as a pre-employment screening report and is sourced from the federal MCMIS database.
Read the full answerHow far back does an MVR go?
A standard state MVR returns the previous 3 years of conviction history for non-CDL drivers and 3 years for CDL drivers in most states; some states return 5, 7, or even 10 years on request. The 49 CFR §391.25 annual review only requires the prior 12 months, but the §391.23 pre-employment investigation requires every state where the driver held a license during the prior 3 years.
Read the full answerWhat is the difference between MVR and PSP?
An MVR is the state DMV record of the driver's license-eligible convictions and license actions; PSP is the FMCSA federal record of the driver's last 5 years of crash data and last 3 years of roadside inspections, sourced from MCMIS. Carriers run both because they answer different §391.23 questions.
Read the full answerHow much does an MVR cost?
A 3-year state MVR ranges from about $4 to $30 depending on the state DMV's underlying record fee plus a small processing surcharge. FastDriverScreening packages MVR pulls from $50 (single state, 3-year) up to $175 for the DOT Pre-Employment bundle (MVR + CDLIS + PSP + 12 months of Clearinghouse query management in one order).
Read the full answerDo I need driver consent to pull an MVR?
Yes. The federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act (18 USC §2721) requires a permissible purpose plus, for almost every motor-carrier pre-employment use, written driver consent on file before the MVR is pulled. The Fair Credit Reporting Act adds a separate disclosure-and-authorization requirement for any consumer-report use including pre-employment screening.
Read the full answerHow long do MVR results take to come back?
Timing depends on the issuing state. We email the MVR when that state delivers it. CDLIS is the AAMVA pointer of CDL states; PSP timing is set by FMCSA's system.
Read the full answerWhat shows on a Motor Vehicle Record?
A state MVR returns the driver's license status (valid, suspended, revoked, expired), license class and endorsements, conviction history (typically the prior 3 years), license-action events (suspensions, withdrawals, disqualifications), and identifying information. It does NOT include roadside inspections (those are on PSP) or drug-and-alcohol violations (those are in the FMCSA Clearinghouse).
Read the full answerCan a driver pull their own MVR?
Yes. Every state DMV sells a self-pull MVR directly to the driver - typically online for a state-set fee. But a driver-pulled MVR is generally NOT acceptable as the §391.23 employer-record for hire purposes. The carrier has to pull (or have pulled by an authorized agent) the MVR with documented FCRA + DPPA consent for it to satisfy the regulation.
Read the full answerDo I need CDLIS for a non-CDL driver?
No. CDLIS is the AAMVA Commercial Driver's License Information System - it only contains records on drivers who hold (or have held) a CDL or commercial learner permit. A driver who has only ever held a non-commercial Class C license has no CDLIS pointer, so a CDLIS query returns empty.
Read the full answerWhen must a CDL driver be queried in the FMCSA Clearinghouse?
A pre-employment full query is required under 49 CFR §382.701(a) before the CDL driver's first dispatch in any safety-sensitive function, with documented driver consent. An annual limited query is required under §382.701(b) at least once every 12 months thereafter. Both apply to every CDL driver subject to §382.
Read the full answerWhy is PSP different from an MVR?
PSP shows the driver's last 5 years of FMCSA roadside inspections and last 3 years of reportable DOT crashes - what the inspector observed on the road. The MVR shows the state DMV's record of license-eligible convictions and license actions - what a court reported back to the DMV. They answer different §391.23 questions, so carriers run both.
Read the full answerWhat is a Driver Qualification (DQ) file?
The DQ file is the per-driver compliance dossier required under 49 CFR §391.51. It holds the §391.23 pre-employment investigation, every §391.25 annual MVR review and the company official's written review note, the medical certificate, the road-test certification, and the application for employment (the driver's §391.27 list of violations was removed from the rule in 2022 and is optional now). Auditors pull DQ files before they pull anything else.
Read the full answerHow do I renew driver screening for an existing driver?
Run a fresh MVR every 12 months for the §391.25 annual review. Run an annual Clearinghouse §382.701(b) limited query on every CDL driver once a year. Pull a fresh PSP whenever there's an open question about the driver's on-road behavior. The Annual Refresh package ($150) bundles the §391.25 MVR and CDLIS with 12 months of Clearinghouse query management, which covers the §382.701(b) limited query.
Read the full answerHow fast does an MVR result come back?
Timing depends on the issuing state. We email the MVR when that state delivers it. CDLIS lists prior CDL states, and PSP timing is set by FMCSA's system. The slowest piece sets when the bundle is complete.
Read the full answerWhat is the difference between an MVR and a driving record?
"Driving record" is the everyday term; MVR (Motor Vehicle Record) is the state DMV product that delivers it. The MVR is the formal, machine-parseable extract of license status, conviction history, and license-action events that satisfies the §391.23 / §391.25 driver-qualification regulations. A "driving record" pulled from a DMV-self-service portal is the same dataset, but the carrier-pulled MVR carries the consent paperwork and audit trail the regulations require.
Read the full answerDo I need an MVR for a non-CDL driver?
Yes. 49 CFR §391.23(a) requires a state-DMV violation record on every driver of a commercial motor vehicle, regardless of whether the vehicle requires a CDL. The MVR is the document that satisfies that requirement. The CDL-specific reports (CDLIS, the §382.701 Clearinghouse query) drop out for non-CDL drivers, but the MVR does not.
Read the full answerCan I pull MVRs for multiple states on one driver?
Yes. For 49 CFR §391.23(a) compliance, you must pull MVRs from every state where the driver held a license or permit during the prior 3 years. The CDLIS pointer query identifies those states for any CDL-licensed driver; for non-CDL drivers the carrier asks the applicant directly and confirms via the application form. Multi-state fan-out happens in parallel from a single intake.
Read the full answerWhat is a Clearinghouse violation?
A Clearinghouse violation is any drug-or-alcohol event reported to the FMCSA Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse under 49 CFR Part 382, Subpart G. The reportable events include positive drug tests, alcohol tests at 0.04 BAC or higher, refusals to test, and on-duty drug or alcohol use. Once reported, the driver is "prohibited" from safety-sensitive functions until they complete the §382.503 return-to-duty (RTD) process.
Read the full answerHow long does a CDLIS query take?
Timing depends on the issuing state for the driving-record detail. A CDLIS query lists every state where the driver has held a CDL. Each of those states still has to deliver its own MVR.
Read the full answerDo I need PSP for pre-employment screening?
PSP is not strictly required by 49 CFR §391.23, but it is the cheapest and fastest evidence that the carrier conducted a "good-faith effort" to investigate the driver's safety-performance history under §391.23(d). Most carriers run PSP as a default item on every pre-employment file because the $10 cost is small relative to the audit-defense value, and because PSP catches roadside events that never appear on an MVR.
Read the full answerWhat shows on a PSP report?
A PSP (Pre-Employment Screening Program) report shows 5 years of FMCSA roadside inspections and 3 years of reportable DOT crashes on the driver. Each inspection entry lists the date, state, level (1-6), inspection result (no violations, warning, OOS), and any violations cited. Crashes show date, state, fatality/injury/tow-away status, and the assigned crash report number.
Read the full answerCan an employer share an MVR with another fleet?
No. An MVR pulled under one carrier's DPPA permissible purpose (typically 18 USC §2721(b)(9) for CDL pre-employment) cannot be re-used by a different carrier. Each motor carrier must establish its own permissible purpose and obtain its own driver consent before pulling. Sharing an MVR pulled by one carrier with another carrier exposes both to DPPA + FCRA liability.
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Don’t see your question?
Order a report on a driver. Timing depends on the state. Five packages from $50 (MVR Basic) to $175 (DOT Pre-Employment with 12 months of Clearinghouse query management) — or email a real compliance specialist.