MVR & State Driver Records
MVRs are the foundation of every Driver Qualification file. The Motor Vehicle Record is the state DMV transcript that determines whether a CDL driver is qualified under 49 CFR §391.15, and it is the first document FMCSA auditors examine when they open a DQ file.
A pre-employment MVR is required from every state where the driver held a license or permit during the prior three years. An annual MVR is required from every state where the driver currently holds (or held during the prior twelve months) a license. Both are signed-and-dated by the carrier with a §391.27 List of Violations review.
The MVR cluster below covers the full lifecycle: how to read each section line-by-line, how MVRs differ from CDLIS history files, how to apply the §391.15 disqualification analysis to convictions and administrative actions, and how to cross-walk MVR data into the PSP / clearinghouse pre-employment query workflow.
For most carriers the MVR is also the renewable annual signal: the §391.25 Annual Driver Review uses the prior 12 months of MVR plus a written certification of violations to confirm continued qualification. A clean MVR plus a signed §391.27 list closes out the file for another year.
Pricing-wise, a single-state MVR runs $40 in the MVR Basic package; the MVR + CDLIS bundle fills the multi-state gap by hitting every state where the driver has held a CDL since 1996 in one query.
Articles in this cluster
- How to Read an MVR: A Line-by-Line Guide for Motor Carriers
Decode every section of a Motor Vehicle Record - license status codes, class and endorsements, restrictions, accidents, citations, and suspensions.
MVR · 9 min read · Updated 2026-05-01
- CDLIS vs MVR: Why a Single-State Record Is Not Enough
A Motor Vehicle Record only shows what one state knows. CDLIS is the federal database of every CDL ever issued. Here is what each report catches.
CDLIS · 7 min read · Updated 2026-06-12
- MVR Comes Back With a Violation: A Decision Tree
A step-by-step framework for evaluating violations on a Motor Vehicle Record against the FMCSA disqualification criteria in 49 CFR §391.15 and §383.51.
Compliance · 8 min read · Updated 2026-05-01