Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP)
What New Truck Drivers Need To Know About the FMCSA Pre-Employment Screening Program:
The pre-employment screening program allows commercial drivers, carriers, and other industry service providers access to individual drivers' safety records from the FMCSA.
What information does the Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP) contain?
PSP record contains a driver’s most recent 5 years of crash data and the most recent 3 years of roadside inspection data from the FMCSA Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) database. The record displays a snapshot in time, based on the most recent MCMIS data load to the PSP system. A new snapshot is uploaded approximately once per month.
Why is the PSP necessary?
In response to a mandate by Congress in 2005, the FMCSA developed the system to make safety performance information electronically available for pre-employment screening purposes. The FMCSA believes that making this driver data available to potential employers, industry service providers, and drivers will improve the quality of safety data and help employers make more informed decisions when hiring commercial drivers, as well as speed up access to this same information. Since carriers are going to do background checks, this helps speed up the process, ultimately getting your pass or fail quicker.
About the PSP: The PSP is a voluntary program, for both carriers AND drivers, and any carrier request requires the driver's consent. Drivers may purchase their own records at any time, currently costing $10 each.
Data from the Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) is uploaded to the PSP system approximately once a month. This is a 'MCMIS data snapshot'. The date of the most recent MCMIS data snapshot is available on the bottom of your PSP record. Reporting times vary by state. If you do not see a crash or inspection that you expected to see, then you may consider accessing your PSP record again approximately a month after the snapshot date printed on your PSP record.
Where does the information in the PSP come from, and what does it contain? Your state motor vehicle record information is not available through PSP. A PSP record only contains MCMIS inspection and crash information, uploaded to MCMIS by FMCSA federal staff and state partners. The PSP report does not include citations, warnings, or tickets.
Crash and roadside inspection data are submitted to FMCSA and stored in the Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS). PSP reports consist of commercial motor vehicle driver information from the federal MCMIS database. A PSP report displays a driver’s 5-year crash history and 3-year roadside inspection history. This includes all serious safety violations that are cited during an inspection. Conviction information is not included on the PSP report.
The state motor vehicle record information is not available through PSP. A PSP record only contains MCMIS inspection and crash information. Motor carriers and drivers must continue to request state motor vehicle records from the state's motor vehicle department.
Is The PSP Effective At Making The Carriers and Roads Safer?
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) conducted a study to evaluate PSP's safety impact. The study results showed that companies regularly using PSP have, on average, reduced their crash rates by 8% and their driver out-of-service rates by 17%. The entire Safety Analysis and Industry Impacts of the Pre-Employment Screening Program is available here.
Commercial Motor Vehicle:
A commercial motor vehicle is any vehicle used in commerce to transport passengers or property with either:
- A gross vehicle weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more
- A gross combination weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more which includes a towed unit with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds
CSA:
Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA)
The CSA is a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) initiative to improve large truck and bus safety and ultimately reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities that are related to commercial motor vehicle
FMCSA:
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
The FMCSA was established within the Department of Transportation on January 1, 2000. Their primary mission is to prevent commercial motor vehicle-related fatalities and injuries.
What Does The FMCSA Do?
- Commercial Drivers' Licenses
- Data and Analysis
- Regulatory Compliance and Enforcement
- Research and Technology
- Safety Assistance
- Support and Information Sharing
BMI:
Body mass index (BMI)
BMI is a formula that uses weight and height to estimate body fat. For most people, BMI provides a reasonable estimate of body fat. The BMI's biggest weakness is that it doesn't consider individual factors such as bone or muscle mass. BMI may:
- Underestimate body fat for older adults or other people with low muscle mass
- Overestimate body fat for people who are very muscular and physically fit
It's quite common, especially for men, to fall into the "overweight" category if you happen to be stronger than average. If you're pretty strong but in good shape then pay no attention.
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.Fm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.Motor Vehicle Record:
Motor Vehicle Record
An MVR is a report of your driving history, as reported from your state Department of Motor Vehicles. Information on this report may include Drivers License information, point history, violations, convictions, and license status on your driving record.
Out-of-Service:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
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