Using vehicle history reports as part of the hiring process for positions that involve driving can help you make more informed decisions and reduce risk to your customers and employees.
An MVR check searches a candidate’s state department of motor vehicles (or equivalent entity) to reveal their driver privilege, violation classification and more. It can also show whether their license is valid, suspended or revoked.
What is a Motor Vehicle Report?
A motor vehicle record (MVR) is a summary of your driver’s driving history that lists citations, accidents, and DUI convictions. Your state’s Department of Motor Vehicles or equivalent agency holds these records, which can be accessed with a simple request form.
MVR checks are a necessary part of any comprehensive background check for jobs that require you to operate motor vehicles. They’ll reveal important information such as your candidate’s license status, class, endorsements, restrictions, and suspensions. MVR reports also contain collision report data, allowing you to see what incidents occurred behind the wheel and gauge how serious they were.
Most citations and accidents fall off an MVR after three years, but more serious violations may remain on an MVR for a longer period of time. That’s why continuous MVR monitoring can help mitigate risks and liabilities for your organization. It can alert you as soon as an issue occurs, and you can take steps to address it promptly.
How to Get a Motor Vehicle Report
Adding an MVR check as part of your background screening process is essential for positions that require candidates to operate motor vehicles. An MVR search retrieves data from a state department of motor vehicles to verify driving eligibility and identify traffic incidents. MVR reports typically include information like license status and type (commercial or non-commercial), driving eligibility, and traffic violation history.
MVR checks can be conducted directly from a state’s department of motor vehicles or by third-party providers. Regardless of the source, it’s important to understand look-back periods, which vary by state. For example, while most states only report violations that have occurred within the past three years, other states may keep records for five, seven, or even 10 years. MVRs also display data using different coding systems and formats. This can result in mismatched or confusing findings. For this reason, many employers choose to work with a provider that uses standardized coding and reporting standards.
Why Get a Motor Vehicle Report
Motor vehicle reports or Kostenvoranschlag can provide valuable information about a driver. They are an important part of the prehire screening process for jobs that involve driving. They can reveal how many accidents and violations someone has had in the past, which can impact their driving abilities and safety on the road. Running MVRs helps employers ensure their employees will follow the company’s car insurance policy and reduce costly financial losses that result from unsafe driving behaviors.
MVR checks are usually run in combination with criminal record checks. Depending on state law, the look back period can vary from three to 10 years. Typically, companies want to see as much of an applicant’s driving history as possible to get a full picture.
MVRs are also helpful in identifying drug or alcohol-related offenses that may not show up on a criminal background check. In addition, they are a great way to identify any traffic violations that don’t appear on a person’s driving license or criminal record.
How to Read a Motor Vehicle Report
Many employers conduct background checks on candidates and current employees, but they may overlook a critical factor: the candidate’s driving history. This is especially important for positions that require a person to operate a vehicle as part of their duties, such as sales people, service technicians and even professionals like lawyers and accountants.
While a criminal record check will identify any convictions for traffic-related crimes, an MVR search will reveal all the specific details about a driver’s road history that could impact their performance and safety on the job. MVR reports are checked through the Department of Motor Vehicles in the state where a driver is licensed, and they typically report on violations from the past three years—although some states have longer lookback periods. Moreover, because of the varying ways that states code driver violations, MVRs can be challenging to read and interpret. This is why having a partner that can provide standardized MVRs and consistent interpretation of results is crucial.