Drivers who have been in the trucking industry for any length of time understand the importance of a good driving history. The data on your driving record as a commercial driver will be reported and filed in several ways, which is how trucking companies who are considering hiring you will decide if you are a good candidate.
There are three most commonly used sources for recording and reporting your driving history: your Motor Vehicle Report (MVR), Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP) report, and Drive-A-Check (DAC) report. The information on your MVR is filed in the state in which your driver’s license is registered. Information on this report includes your driver’s license status and class, any violations you’ve received, prior convictions, restrictions on your license, and possibly other information related to your driving record. This is also where points associated with any tickets or violations you’ve received will be recorded. Information on your MVR is recorded for at least 10 years, and sometimes longer. Your PSP records are kept in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) database. Information on this report includes any violations on a federal level, such as crash data and inspection records that are used to calculate your Compliance, Safety, and Accountability (CSA) score. Unlike your MVR, it does not include personal driving record data or local violations. In this section, we will be focusing primarily on your DAC report, and addressing some of the questions you may have about it.
While your MVR and PSP data are recorded by state and federal agencies, your DAC information is recorded by a private company. Typically, when you’ve submitted an application to a company and they are considering hiring you, they contact the company that handles DAC records and receive a report indicating whether or not the information on your application is accurate. The information filed in your DAC record contains a lot of details and covers many areas in addition to driving history. At a minimum, your report will include:
- Your license number and any restrictions and endorsements related to it
- The number of years you’ve been driving commercially
- All previous employers in the last ten years, your length of employment with them, and the reason for leaving each job
- Your Social Security number, date of birth, and other relevant identification records
- The types of freight and trailers hauled throughout your driving history
- Number and types of loads hauled
- Driving school performance records
- Your eligibility for rehire, based on your number of accidents or incidents
- Information from your PSP, including the last five years of crashes (if applicable), details on any accidents, including fault, and the last three years of road inspection data from the MCMIS
- Information from your MVR
- Details about your work habits
- Your criminal background check
- Previous drug test results
It’s important to note that it is possible that inaccurate data may appear on your DAC report. Much of the information reported, such as reasons for leaving a job, is reported at the sole discretion of the reporting employer and is not subject to investigation for accuracy. Therefore, it’s very important that you are aware of the information on your DAC report. If you discover inaccurate or false information, it is your right to dispute it and make sure it is corrected. As a driver, you are entitled to one free report each year by submitting an application to the company that handles DAC records. You will need to provide your name, address, Social Security number and driver’s license number to receive a report. If you do discover false or inaccurate information, you will need to contact the company that handles DAC records to make sure it is corrected as quickly as possible, so your future employment possibilities are not jeopardized.
Contact us today and let us help you protect your record.