x3allamerican Using FMCSA PSP for Pre-Employment Screening
PSP is an FMCSA-run service that provides 5 years of driver crash + inspection history. Useful as a complement to MVR + driver-disclosure information.
What PSP contains
- 5 years of driver's crash history (DOT-reportable crashes)
- 5 years of driver's inspection history (roadside inspections)
- All violations cited against the driver
- Out-of-service designations
- Driver's CSA Driver Fitness BASIC contribution (if any)
What PSP does NOT contain
- Criminal background
- Civil history (court cases)
- Employment history (use § 391.23 inquiry for that)
- Personal information beyond crash/inspection data
Cost + how to obtain
- $10 per record per driver
- Available via PSP-Online (paid subscription)
- Available via NICB membership
- Available via JJ Keller, Foley, other vendors
- Most commonly: FMCSA portal directly
When to use
- Pre-employment screening (driver applicant evaluation)
- Driver investigation (post-incident review)
- Comparison against driver's stated history
- Identifying patterns (driver claims they're clean; PSP shows otherwise)
How to interpret a PSP report
- Look for pattern (frequent inspections, multiple OOS designations)
- Pay attention to violation severity (driver was OOS = high concern)
- Compare to driver's self-reported history (consistency check)
- Note "preventable" designation on crashes (driver was at fault)
What raises concerns
- 3+ DOT-recordable crashes in 5 years
- 2+ OOS designations
- Pattern of HOS violations (suggests pattern of behavior)
- Driver licensing/medical issues
- Multiple disqualifying offenses
What's normal
- 0-1 crashes in 5 years
- 0-2 inspections
- Minor violations (faded reflector, expired permit) typically resolved
FCRA considerations
- PSP is a "consumer report" under FCRA
- Driver consent required before pulling
- If used in adverse action, FCRA disclosure process applies
Compass background tracker
- Integrates PSP for pre-employment workflow
- Cross-references against driver's application
- Flags discrepancies for investigation
- Generates FCRA-compliant adverse action documentation if needed
CFR citations
- 49 CFR § 385
- FMCSA Pre-Employment Screening Program
How Compass surfaces this
Searchable in Compass Ask. Runs against carrier fleet data when invoked from the relevant tracker. Read-only; no actions without explicit user approval.
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