The PSP (Pre-Employment Screening Program) report is an FMCSA program that lets a motor carrier view a commercial driver's recent federal crash and roadside inspection history during hiring. It typically shows several years of crash data and inspection history pulled from FMCSA systems. Using it generally requires the driver's written consent. PSP is a screening tool, not a mandatory step, but it helps carriers make informed hiring decisions and strengthen the driver qualification process.
Carriers spend a fortune on drivers who turn out to have a track record they could have seen up front. PSP is how you see it. It is not a background check in the criminal sense; it is the driver's federal safety history. Here is how to use it without stepping on the consent rules.
What the PSP report shows
PSP provides access to a driver's crash and inspection records from FMCSA's Motor Carrier Management Information System. In general terms, it includes several years of crash history and a few years of roadside inspection history, including violations. It gives you a factual safety picture of how that driver has performed on the road, which is hard to get any other way.
Consent and fair-hiring rules
Pulling a PSP report generally requires the driver's written authorization, and the way you use the information is subject to applicable fair-hiring and privacy rules. This is not the place to cut corners. Get consent, document it, and apply your hiring standards consistently. This connects directly to your driver qualification file process, where the PSP and its consent record can live.
How to use it well
A single old violation is not automatically disqualifying, and a spotless report is not a guarantee. Use PSP as one input alongside the rest of your qualification process: the application, the MVR, the road test, and the drug and alcohol program checks including the Clearinghouse. Together they tell you whether a driver fits your risk tolerance.
Common Mistakes Carriers Make
- Pulling a PSP report without documented driver consent.
- Treating one old violation as automatically disqualifying.
- Using PSP inconsistently across applicants.
- Not keeping the PSP and consent in the driver file.
What To Do Next
- Add PSP with written consent to your hiring workflow.
- Store the PSP and consent in the driver qualification file.
- Apply consistent, documented hiring standards.
- Book a compliance review to tighten your hiring process.
PSP is the cheapest insurance in hiring. For the cost of a report and two minutes, you see how a driver actually ran. Carriers skip it, hire on a good interview, and inherit somebody else's inspection history. Get consent, pull it, and read it.
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Get DQ Support →Frequently Asked Questions
A driver's federal crash and roadside inspection history from FMCSA systems, generally covering several years of crashes and a few years of inspections, including violations.
Generally yes. Pulling a PSP report requires the driver's written authorization, and use of the information is subject to applicable fair-hiring and privacy rules.
No. PSP is a voluntary screening tool, not a mandatory step. Many carriers use it because it strengthens hiring decisions and the driver qualification process.
Keep the PSP report and the signed consent in the driver qualification file, applied consistently with your hiring standards.