What 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).
The MVR is the state DMV record of license-eligible events. License status is the headline: a valid Class A CDL with no restrictions reads "ELIGIBLE / VALID"; a suspended license reads "SUSPENDED" with a reason code. The hire/keep decision starts there.
Conviction history covers moving violations the courts reported back to the DMV. Typical 3-year window for non-CDL drivers; many states return 3-5 years for CDL drivers and offer extended-history products (5, 7, or 10 years) for an additional fee. The §391.23(a) pre-employment investigation requires the prior 3 years across every state where the driver held a license.
License actions are the disqualifier signal. A §391.15 disqualifier (DUI, refusal, controlled-substance offense, hit-and-run, felony involving the vehicle) shows as a license-action event with a reason code. Some states surface the underlying conviction; others surface only the resulting license action.
What the MVR does NOT show: FMCSA roadside inspection events (those live on the PSP report sourced from MCMIS), reportable DOT crashes that did not result in a state-level conviction (also PSP), and FMCSA Clearinghouse drug-and-alcohol violations (those require the §382.701 Clearinghouse query). A complete §391.23 packet runs all four — MVR + CDLIS + PSP + Clearinghouse.