Keeping Your Roads Safe: A Guide to Motor Vehicle Reports for Employers

Every time an employee gets behind the wheel, you're entrusting them with a massive responsibility - operating a multi-ton vehicle at high speeds. The slightest lapse in judgment or negligence can have devastating consequences.

As an employer, you have a legal and moral obligation to ensure the safety of not just your employees, but every other driver sharing the roads with them. Failing to properly vet your drivers' records can open your company up to costly lawsuits and liability claims in the event of an accident. 

This is where a Motor Vehicle Report (MVR) comes in. An MVR provides an official record of a driver's history, revealing past violations, suspensions, and other incidents that could signal high-risk driving behavior. 

By incorporating MVRs into your hiring and ongoing monitoring processes, you're taking a crucial step towards keeping your employees, customers, and the public safe from preventable accidents.

Whether you employ commercial drivers or have employees who occasionally get behind the wheel for job related activities, understanding MVRs is critical for mitigating risks and maintaining a strong safety culture.

Understanding Your Options

At its core, a standard Motor Vehicle Report provides a one-time snapshot of a driver's official driving record from their state's department of motor vehicles. 

This includes information like license class, status, and expiration date, as well as any violations, suspensions, revocations, or accidents on record.

Standard MVRs are a cost-effective and fast way to verify a driver's history, making them suitable for pre-employment screening of job candidates as well as periodic checks on current employees in non-regulated driving roles. 

They also add another layer of identity validation, as the information on the license should match the subject provided information in their application. However, it's important to note that MVRs only capture information at a single point in time.

What if you need a more in-depth and up-to-date look at an individual's full driving history and safety record? 

This is where other motor vehicle report options come into play for employers with heightened safety concerns or those hiring drivers for regulated commercial operations.

By tapping into additional data sources beyond the standard DMV record, these reports provide a broader window into a driver's background and ongoing safety performance. While they require an additional investment, the enhanced visibility is worth it to identify high-risk drivers before they become a liability.

No matter your MVR needs, having an objective measure of a driver's safety record empowers you to make well-informed hiring and risk management decisions that keep your employees, vehicles, and the motoring public safe.

Specialized Reports for Specialized Drivers

While standard MVRs are powerful tools, some employers require even more robust solutions to continuously monitor their drivers and maintain the highest safety standards.

For employers who hire drivers with commercial driver's licenses (CDLs), more comprehensive reporting solutions are available to thoroughly vet candidates and monitor existing employees. 

The Commercial Driver's License Information System (CDLIS) provides a detailed history on CDL holders, including violations in any U.S. state or jurisdiction where they have been licensed.

CDLIS reports are essential for any company employing commercial drivers like truck and bus operators. The enhanced visibility into a driver's complete record across multiple states allows you to make confident hiring decisions and maintain a safe, compliant fleet.

For an even deeper dive into a commercial driver's safety performance, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's (FMCSA) Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP) report is the gold standard. 

This comprehensive background check taps into inspector, carrier, and driver data from the FMCSA's Motor Carrier Management Information System.

A PSP report provides insights into a driver's crash history, inspection records, compliance with FMCSA regulations, and other safety data points over the past five years. While there is an added cost, PSP gives employers an unparalleled 360-degree view into a commercial driver's safety competence before extending an offer.  

For companies focused specifically on commercial vehicle safety, FMCSA Crash and Inspection reports provide a narrower but valuable look at a driver's accident history and records of vehicle inspections by federal safety officials.

Whether used in pre-employment vetting or as part of ongoing safety monitoring programs, these specialized commercial driver reports equip you with deeper insights to effectively assess risk and make confident personnel decisions.

Keeping Up with the Times

If employers want truly continuous visibility into their drivers' records and behavior, one-time MVR checks simply won't cut it. 

For companies operating vehicles in safety-sensitive industries or those subject to DOT regulations, having an up-to-the-minute pulse on driver risk is critical. This is where Vigilant NYS DMV LENS™ becomes an invaluable asset. 

As a designated agent, Commercial Investigations leverages the state's License Event Notification Service (LENS) to review your employees' driving records and automatically deliver timely email notifications on any change that impacts their ability to operate a vehicle safely and legally.

With Vigilant NYS DMV LENS™, you receive instant alerts on high-risk events like accidents, convictions, license expirations, endorsement changes, and more. 

By tapping into LENS, you gain the ultimate safety net in immediate alerts when new incidents arise with your drivers. This allows you to take swift corrective action before minor issues potentially escalate into larger liabilities down the road.

The continuous monitoring capabilities of Vigilant NYS DMV LENS™ are particularly powerful for organizations that employ drivers in high-risk roles, such as emergency vehicle operators, passenger transporters, and commercial fleet managers. With real-time awareness, you can proactively ensure each driver meets the qualifications and safety standards demanded by the position.

Beyond being a force multiplier for safety, Vigilant NYS DMV LENS™ also helps employers maintain compliance with federal, state, and internal regulations regarding driver screening and monitoring.

For employers who cannot compromise on driver safety and risk mitigation, implementing a LENS monitoring program is a worthwhile investment that pays dividends through reduced accidents, liabilities, and business disruptions caused by preventable incidents.

Choosing the Right Report

With so many MVR options available, it can be difficult for employers to determine which report or monitoring service best fits their needs and budget. Here's a quick decision-making guide to help you choose the right solution:

Standard MVR: This basic one-time report is suitable for most employers who need to verify driving records during pre-employment screening or periodically check on employees in non-regulated driving roles. 

MVRs provide a cost-effective snapshot of violations, suspensions, and other incidents that could signal high-risk behavior behind the wheel.

CDLIS/PSP/FMCSA Reports: For companies that employ commercial drivers like truck, bus, and delivery operators, these specialized reports are an essential investment. 

The CDLIS provides a multi-state view into a CDL holder's full driving history, while the PSP report offers the most comprehensive 5-year record from the FMCSA's databases. Crash and inspection reports can supplement with a narrow focus on accident history and vehicle inspections.

Vigilant NYS DMV LENS™: If continuous, real-time monitoring of employee driver records is a priority, Vigilant NYS DMV LENS™ solution is the ideal choice. 

By tapping into the DMV's event notification system, LENS keeps you automatically informed of any violations, credential changes, and other high-risk incidents with your drivers. This empowers a proactive approach to risk management and ensures adherence to DOT and other safety regulations.

No matter which option you select, having an objective measure of your employees' driving safety is crucial for mitigating risks and protecting your business from liability.

The right MVR solution is the one that provides you with the appropriate level of visibility into your drivers' backgrounds and ongoing behavior for your company's specific operational needs.

Take Control of Driver Safety Today

With a clear understanding of the different MVR products and services available, you're now armed with the knowledge to implement a driver screening and monitoring program tailored to your company's unique needs. 

Whether you opt for a one-time check or continuous monitoring, the first step is partnering with a trusted provider experienced in efficiently vetting driving records.

At Commercial Investigations, we offer easy access to the full suite of MVR reports as well as our proprietary Vigilant solutions including NYS DMV LENS™ monitoring. 

Our team has years of expertise requesting, interpreting, and monitoring DMV records from all 50 states and can administer an effective program seamlessly integrated into your existing hiring protocols.

Don't leave your company open to risk and liability caused by unsafe drivers. Request a consultation today to learn how our MVR products and background screening services can promote a culture of safety and give you complete confidence in your employees' ability to operate vehicles responsibly.

The roads can be unpredictable, but with the right due diligence when vetting your drivers, you can minimize the chance of preventable accidents, violations, and other incidents that put your employees, customers, and the public in harm's way.