CSA Driver Pre-Employment Screening
What is the CSA Pre-Employment Screening Program?
The CSA Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP) allows carriers, individual drivers, and industry service providers access to commercial drivers’ safety records from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS). Records are available 24 hours a day via the PSP website.
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Why did FMCSA develop the PSP?
Developing a system to make safety performance information electronically available for pre-employment screening purposes was mandated by Congress in the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users, Title 49 U.S. Code, section 31150 Public Law 109-59 Section 4117. FMCSA believes that making this driver data available to potential employers and operator-applicants will improve the quality of safety data and help employers make more informed decisions when hiring commercial drivers. The PSP provides more rapid access to commercial driver safety performance information than was previously available under Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) or Privacy Act requests.
Seeing is Believing
What information does the Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP) record contain?
A 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 MCMIS database. MCMIS is a federal government database, which is different from the state data sources used to generate Motor Vehicle Records (MVRs). MCMIS data is uploaded to the PSP system approximately once a month.
A PSP record displays the motor carrier for whom the driver was operating for at the time of the crash or inspection. It also shows the location and date that a crash or inspection occurred. Additional safety details about crashes such as injuries, fatalities, and towaways are included in a PSP record. Likewise, inspections show details like whether a vehicle was placed out of service. The PSP record does not contain a score.
How do drivers obtain their PSP record?
Drivers can access the system through the website: https://www.psp.fmcsa.dot.gov
A user may only access his or her own personal information in this system.
What you’ll need:
- Your current driver’s license number
- A credit card ( Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express)
- A valid email address
- For your full history, each driver’s license number you’ve held in the last five years
- A way to view PDF documents.
A PSP record costs $10. This fee includes a search on your current commercial driver’s license record, and/or any commercial driver’s license you have held during the last five years. You need to provide the license number and license state for each license.
You will be able to view your record on-screen or as a PDF. You can save or print your record to keep it permanently.
Drivers may also obtain their own information free of charge from FMCSA by submitting a Privacy Act request.
Is information from traffic tickets going to be posted prior to the court date or will the information only be posted if there is a conviction?
No. The PSP only contains MCMIS information.
How does a driver contest information in their PSP record?
Drivers may use DataQs to challenge safety information they feel is incomplete or incorrect in their driver profile (DIR). https://dataqs.fmcsa.dot.gov
After a challenge has been properly submitted, DataQs automatically forwards it to the appropriate office for resolution and allows the party that submitted the challenge to monitor its status. If the information is corrected, the change is then made in MCMIS, and the PSP system receives the change when the MCMIS data is refreshed.
Can drivers refuse consent for their crash and inspection data to be included in PSP?
No, inclusion of drivers’ safety information in PSP is mandated by statute (49 U.S.C. 31150). Further, the source of the information is the MCMIS database, which includes accident reports and inspection reports, not from the drivers themselves.
How do motor carriers enroll in the program?
Motor carriers can enroll at https://www.psp.fmcsa.dot.gov/psp
Does a motor carrier have to use the PSP for hiring drivers?
No, the PSP is a voluntary program for carriers.
Who can request a Driver Information Resource record?
Motor carriers may request Driver Information Resource (DIR) records solely for the purpose of conducting pre-employment screening and only with the operator-applicant’s written consent. Motor carriers are required to maintain all signed, written consent forms for five (5) years.
Individual drivers or operator-applicants may purchase their own Driver Information Resource record at any time.
Will non-motor carrier entities be able to access this information?
No. The PSP is solely for the purpose of conducting pre-employment screening. Any other individual or group (e.g., a law firm) must make a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the FMCSA if they wish to receive driver information.
Is the operator-applicant informed when this data is released?
Yes, in fact, Congress required that the operator-applicant provide written consent in order for the data to be released. However, once the operator-applicant has provided written consent to the motor carrier, the operator-applicant will not receive a separate notice from the National Information Consortium Technologies (NIC) that the information was released.
How does an operator-applicant know that their information was not released without his/her consent? Is the operator-applicant notified each time information is released?
NIC is subject to routine audits by FMCSA to ensure compliance with applicable Federal laws and regulations and compliance with the contract terms. Motor carriers are subject to random audits by NIC and/or FMCSA to ensure that operator-applicant written consent is obtained and those records of consent are maintained. As stated previously, since operator-applicants are consenting to the release of the information either through a prospective employer or through the PSP system themselves, there is no independent notice provided to operator-applicants.
Does a motor carrier have to use the PSP for hiring drivers?
No, the PSP is a voluntary program for carriers.
How will motor carriers obtain the data?
FMCSA is working with a contractor, National Information Consortium Technologies, LLC (NIC Technologies), to provide the data to motor carriers with the operator-applicant’s written consent. The details, process, and interface are all currently being developed.
Who can request a Driver Information Resource record?
Motor carriers may request Driver Information Resource records solely for the purpose of conducting pre-employment screening and only with the operator-applicant’s written consent. Individual drivers or operator-applicants may purchase their own Driver Information Resource record at any time.
Will operator-applicants be able to obtain their MCMIS information?
Yes. Operator-applicants will be able to get a copy of their inspection and crash data in MCMIS through PSP for the prescribed fee. Motor carriers may continue to obtain driver safety performance information by submitting a Freedom of Information Act request to FMCSA https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/foia/foia.htm and operator-applicants may obtain their own information free of charge from FMCSA by submitting a Privacy Act request.
How does information get into PSP? Is it only from MCMIS or will city police departments, county safety offices, and other enforcement agencies be able to add crash and inspection information? For example, could CBP put information into PSP on driver convictions for smuggling that happened in the Federal Courts?
PSP only contains MCMIS inspection and crash information that is uploaded into MCMIS by FMCSA Federal staff and State partners.
What processes are in place to ensure that operator-applicant data is properly released?
NIC Technologies is required to adhere to the Privacy Act, the applicable sections of the Fair Credit Reporting Act and all other applicable Federal laws to protect driver information. NIC Technologies is also required to develop processes and systems to protect the FMCSA-supplied data from unauthorized disclosures, including processes to ensure that operator-applicant’s written consent is obtained, thefts, manipulation, or dissemination, in accordance with federal security requirements, including the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act of 1994.
Will non-motor carrier entities such as insurance companies be able to access this information?
No. The PSP is solely for the purpose of conducting pre-employment screening.
How does the driver’s record from a State Department of Motor Vehicles fit into the process?
This information will not be available through PSP. The PSP only contains MCMIS inspection and crash information.
Will this information contain data on suspensions that are not related to safety issues (like child support)?
No. The PSP only contains MCMIS inspection and crash information.
How do I enroll in the Pre-Employment Screening Program?
Motor carriers can enroll in the PSP at www.psp.fmcsa.dot.gov. There, you will find the enrollment documents. Please download the documents, complete all required fields and follow the instructions to return the documents to NIC Technologies.
How do I return the enrollment forms?
Enrollment materials may be emailed, or mailed to:
Pre-Employment Screening Program
P.O. Box 6810
McLean, VA 22106
Email: [email protected]
How long does enrollment take?
Please allow up to 2 weeks for NIC Technologies to complete your enrollment. Once your enrollment is complete, NIC Technologies will email the main contact listed on your account and provide instructions for accessing user credentials.
When will the Pre-employment Screening Program be available?
This is available and now and all carriers need to be using PSP now.
Will the PSP service be available 24/7?
Yes. Aside from periodic maintenance, the site will be available 24/7.
How will Driver Information Resource records be returned?
NIC anticipates reports will be transmitted (almost immediately in most circumstances). Records will be presented to the user in HTML. The user will also have an on-screen option to generate a PDF of the record.
Does my third-party screening provider participate in the PSP program, if so, can I obtain this information through them?
Yes. Please consult your provider to determine if they plan to participate in the Pre-employment Screening Program.
I represent a motor carrier who will access records directly through a PSP subscription. How will I pay for the records?
Motor carriers will pay via automated clearing house (ACH) debit. PSP will deduct the full invoice amount from the checking or savings account provided by the motor carrier.
This process is also known as ‘e-check’. Motor carriers will receive an email notification each month that their invoice is ready to view, and have an opportunity to view their monthly statement prior to the ACH debit initiation.
I represent a motor carrier who will access records through a third-party screening provider. How will I pay for the records?
The third-party screening provider will invoice you directly.
What does the subscriber fee cover?
The subscription fee covers the cost of monthly billing and customer service, which will be available by phone and email, Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST. A motor carrier will receive PSP credentials for up to ten individual users with one subscription.
How many user accounts will I have?
Each subscription includes up to 10 user accounts, including the administrator. If you need more user credentials, you may purchase a second subscription for an additional ten user credentials. The cost of the second subscription is the same price as your initial subscription ($100 or $25).
How do I obtain a username and password?
Please contact your company’s system administrator to request DOT PSP user credentials. If your company is not yet participating in the Pre-Employment Screening Program, please enroll at www.psp.fmcsa.dot.gov.
Can I request more than one driver’s record at a time?
Yes. The PSP system will allow motor carriers to search a driver’s history in multiple states. A single $10 fee applies regardless of the number of states queried.
Can I purchase Driver Information Resource records for current employees?
No. Records may be requested exclusively for the purpose of pre-employment screening.
I understand there is no fee for enrollment. When will I be charged the subscription fee?
A subscription fee will be charged the first month the system is available. You will be notified by email of the date records will be available, and on this date your subscription fee will be charged. You may withdraw from the program before this date and no fee will be charged.
You may also withdraw from the program at any time after PSP records are available. If you have never purchased PSP records with your account, your subscription fee will be refunded in full.
Will I be able to change my list of users later on?
Yes. You can add, edit or delete users. The PSP customer service team will be available to assist with these requests.
How can I contact the PSP customer service team in the future?
Please send questions about the Pre-employment Screening Program via email to [email protected].
Will my company information be used for any other purpose?
No. Company information will only be used for enrollment in the PSP system.
I represent a third-party screening provider. I would like more information about how to participate.
Please email [email protected].
I am an individual driver. How do I enroll?
No enrollment is required for individual operator-applicants. You may purchase your personal record once the PSP system is live.
I represent a motor carrier. Will my drivers be able to access their records?
Yes. Operator-applicants will be able to access their own records once the PSP system is live. No enrollment is required of individual operator-applicants.
I represent a motor carrier. Will I need the operator-applicant’s written consent to purchase their PSP record?
Yes. A template consent form will be available in the enrollment package, which can be found at www.psp.fmcsa.dot.gov.
I represent a motor carrier. What legal obligations do I have using this service?
In the enrollment package, you will find documentation of all legal obligations incurred by using the PSP service. You will be required to consent in writing that you will only use the records for pre-employment screening purposes, that you have obtained the written consent of all applicants whose records you purchase, and that you will abide by regulations provided under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, among others.
What if I find bad information in my PSP record, or a driver contests the information in their PSP record?
All requests to correct information must be handled by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Department of Transportation. The Web site for data correction is: https://dataqs.FMCSA.dot.gov/login.asp.
