MVR vs. PSP vs. DAC vs. Clearinghouse: What CDL Drivers Need to Know

A Motor Vehicle Record is the driving record maintained by a state driver-licensing agency.

Depending on the state and the type of record ordered, an MVR may show:

• Current license status
• License class
• CDL endorsements
• Restrictions
• Traffic convictions
• Points
• Suspensions
• Revocations
• Cancellations
• Commercial disqualifications
• Crashes or administrative actions
• Medical-certification status
• A CDL downgrade

The exact contents and lookback period vary by state. Some states offer several products, such as a status-only record, a three-year history, a seven-year history, or a complete driving record.

That means drivers should not assume the cheapest or shortest record contains everything they need. Read the description of each record product before ordering.

Federal regulations require motor carriers to obtain driving-history information from the applicable state licensing authorities during driver qualification. Carriers must also review an employed driver's MVR at least annually. The state determines how the record is supplied. 49 CFR §391.23, 49 CFR §391.25

An MVR is not a complete federal safety report or employment-history report. It ordinarily does not provide:

• Every FMCSA roadside inspection
• Complete PSP crash information
• A driver's complete work history
• DAC information
• Complete Clearinghouse violation details

The correct starting point depends on what is wrong.

• The court disposition is wrong or incomplete: Begin with the court that handled the case.
• The court has the correct disposition, but the state record is wrong: Contact the state driver-licensing agency.
• The state requires proof: You may need to obtain a certified court disposition or other official documentation.

DataQs is not the normal correction system for an ordinary state MVR entry.

For complete instructions, see How to Get and Review Your Motor Vehicle Record in the America First Logistics Driver Resource Center.

The FMCSA Pre-Employment Screening Program provides safety information associated with a commercial driver, including:

• Five years of FMCSA-reportable crash data
• Three years of roadside-inspection data
• Inspections with violations
• Inspections without violations
• Carrier and inspection information associated with those events
• Certain inspection-violation adjudication information
• FMCSA crash-preventability determinations when an eligible crash has been reviewed

A driver can request their PSP report through the official FMCSA PSP website.

PSP information is primarily based on roadside inspections and reportable crashes. It is not simply another version of your state traffic-conviction history.

An officer may document an inspection violation even when:

• No citation was issued
• A citation was later dismissed
• The driver was not convicted
• The violation concerned the vehicle or carrier rather than conduct normally shown as a state traffic conviction

Some adjudication information associated with inspection-related citations may be added to FMCSA data. That does not make the PSP report the same as an MVR.

A crash appearing on a PSP report does not, by itself, mean FMCSA determined that the driver caused it.

The official PSP disclosure explains that crash information does not assign or imply fault. Reportable crashes may appear regardless of fault. FMCSA PSP Disclosure and Authorization Form

If an eligible crash has been reviewed through FMCSA's Crash Preventability Determination Program, the result may be displayed. However, the absence of a "Not Preventable" determination does not prove that a crash was preventable.

PSP also does not give an individual driver a safety score.

PSP is a pre-employment screening program. An enrolled prospective employer must obtain the driver's required written or electronic authorization before requesting the report.

Not every carrier uses PSP, and federal regulations do not require every carrier to purchase a PSP report on every applicant.

If FMCSA crash or roadside-inspection data is incomplete or incorrect, the correction process generally begins through DataQs.

DataQs does not decide ordinary state traffic cases and cannot erase accurate information merely because it is unfavorable. Supporting documents are important.

For more help, see:

• How to Get Your PSP Report
• How to Correct FMCSA Information Through DataQs

DAC is a private employment-history consumer-reporting product provided by HireRight. It is not an FMCSA database, an MVR, or a universal employment record.

Participating employers may furnish information such as:

• Employment dates
• Equipment operated
• Types of loads hauled
• Driver status or experience
• Reason for leaving
• Rehire eligibility
• Accident information
• Truck-driving-school performance

The actual contents depend on what participating employers reported. Some employers do not use DAC, some do not report every field, and some drivers may not have an active DAC file.

Federal regulations require carriers to investigate certain prior-employer safety-performance information. However, the regulations allow multiple investigative methods and do not require carriers to use HireRight or DAC. 49 CFR §391.23

A carrier may contact previous employers directly, use a reporting company, or use other permitted methods.

Drivers may request a free consumer disclosure from HireRight containing their DAC Employment History File or other active file information, if a file exists.

Use HireRight's official instructions for requesting a copy of your DAC report. You do not need to purchase an unofficial third-party service just to exercise your disclosure rights.

DAC reports are consumer reports subject to the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Depending on the application method and circumstances, the exact disclosure and permission process may differ. The law includes a transportation-specific procedure for certain remote applications to DOT-regulated driving positions, so not every driver will necessarily see the same form.

If information from a consumer report affects an employment decision, read every notice you receive. It may identify:

• The consumer-reporting company involved
• How to request a copy of the report
• How to dispute inaccurate or incomplete information
• Other rights that may apply before or after an adverse employment decision

If DAC information is inaccurate or incomplete, submit a formal dispute to HireRight. The dispute process is free.

HireRight may contact the former employer or other source that furnished the disputed information. The former employer may therefore be involved, but drivers should not rely only on an informal call to the former employer when a formal consumer-report dispute is available.

Use HireRight's official background-report dispute instructions.

For more help, see How to Get Your DAC Report in the Driver Resource Center.

The Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse is a secure federal database containing specified violations of FMCSA's DOT drug-and-alcohol testing program for CDL and CLP holders.

It may contain:

• Verified positive DOT drug-test results
• Verified adulterated or substituted results
• DOT test refusals
• Alcohol confirmation results of 0.04 or higher
• Certain employer reports based on actual knowledge
• Substance Abuse Professional assessment information
• Return-to-duty eligibility information
• Negative return-to-duty test information
• Completion of required follow-up testing

Different parties report different events, including employers, Medical Review Officers, Substance Abuse Professionals, and designated consortium/third-party administrators.

The Clearinghouse is not a general background report. It does not normally contain:

• Traffic tickets
• Roadside inspections
• General crash history
• Criminal history
• Complete employment history
• Non-DOT drug tests
• Every negative DOT drug or alcohol test

It is more accurate to describe the Clearinghouse as a database of specified violations and return-to-duty information—not a record of every drug or alcohol test a driver has ever taken.

Drivers may register and view their own Clearinghouse information electronically.

Registration is not universally required merely because a record could exist. However, a driver must register to:

• View their own record online
• Respond to an employer's full-query consent request
• Select a Substance Abuse Professional when required

FMCSA explains these driver functions in its Clearinghouse query and consent guidance.

A limited query tells an employer whether the Clearinghouse contains resolved or unresolved violation information. It does not release the details.

• It requires general written or electronic consent obtained outside the Clearinghouse.
• The consent may cover more than one year if the duration is stated.

A full query allows an employer to view detailed information.

• It requires the driver's specific electronic consent inside the Clearinghouse.
• Every pre-employment Clearinghouse query is a full query.

If a limited query indicates that information exists, the employer must follow the required process for a full query.

Employers must conduct a pre-employment full query and at least an annual query for covered drivers. FMCSA Clearinghouse guidance

A driver with a prohibited Clearinghouse status cannot perform a safety-sensitive function, including operating a commercial motor vehicle.

Completing the return-to-duty requirements can make the driver eligible for reinstatement. It does not necessarily mean the physical CDL or commercial privilege is restored instantly without any state processing.

Drivers should verify both:

• Their Clearinghouse status
• Their current state license status

Clearinghouse corrections are more complicated than simply contacting whoever reported the entry. The correct federal route depends on what the driver is challenging.

A petition under 49 CFR §382.717 may apply to certain administrative or reporting errors, such as duplicate information, inaccurate transcription of supporting documents, or specified documentation problems.

However, that petition generally cannot be used simply to challenge the validity of a drug-test result, refusal or other violation. Those disputes may require FMCSA's current Privacy Act correction process.

Drivers should follow the current instructions carefully and provide documents explaining exactly what is wrong. Accurate information is not removed merely because it creates employment or licensing consequences. See 49 CFR Part 382 and FMCSA's Clearinghouse correction guidance.

Correcting the original source does not guarantee that every other report will update immediately.

For example, a corrected court disposition may still need to be processed by the state. A corrected federal record may need to be confirmed on a newly requested report. An erroneous Clearinghouse prohibited status may have caused a state licensing action that also needs verification.

After a correction:

• Keep copies of the supporting documents.
• Obtain written confirmation when possible.
• Allow the stated processing time.
• Request a fresh copy of each affected record.
• Confirm that the correction appears everywhere it should.