How 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.
Each state DMV controls how far back its MVR product reaches. The most common public-record window is 3 years for moving violations and 3-5 years for serious violations and DUIs. A handful of states (Florida, New York, Texas) offer extended-history MVR products that look back 7 or 10 years for an additional fee.
For pre-employment under 49 CFR §391.23(a), the regulation explicitly requires "the violation record" for every state where the driver held a license or permit during the preceding 3 years. So the floor is 3 years, but in practice a carrier orders the longest history product the source state offers — extra history at the same fee is rarely refused.
For the §391.25 annual review, only the most recent 12 months matter. Many carriers still order 3-year MVRs annually so the history file accumulates without a separate ad-hoc pull when an investigator asks for it.
CDLIS history reaches back to 1996 for any state where the driver has held a CDL — older non-CDL license history is not in scope. State DMVs preserve their own license-history records on a longer horizon (often life-of-license), but the public-record MVR product is windowed by state law.