The reports from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Pre-employment Screening Program (PSP) can have a major impact on your ability to secure or maintain employment. As a professional driver, understanding what your PSP driver report reveals is essential. How can you find out?
Exploring the PSP Driver Report
With their size and weight, the behavior of commercial trucks is a major factor in road safety. Encouraging professional drivers and the companies that hire them to prioritize safety is invaluable if communities value safe roadways.
The FMCSA’s Pre-employment Screening Program was created to provide employers with access to accurate commercial driver performance data. The idea was to make it easier for motor carriers to make informed hiring decisions. What does a PSP driver report disclose? How can you see yours? And what if you spot an error?
Reviewing PSP Driver Reports
According to the FMSCA, PSP driver reports are like snapshots that offer a summary of a driver’s performance over a specific period. Updated on a monthly basis, they do not list a Compliance, Safety, and Accountability score. Instead, they include the following information:
- Crash data: The report contains crash data for the past five years. If any incidents occurred, the record will state the time and location of each crash. It will list which motor carrier the driver was working for. It will also mention if the incident resulted in any fatalities, injuries, or towaways. In some cases, the record may reflect a determination of whether the crash was avoidable or any legal charges stemming from it.
- Roadside inspection data: The report contains roadside inspection data for the past three years. It will list the time and location of each inspection. The motor carrier the driver was working for will also be noted. Expect to see details about the vehicle’s status, including whether it was taken out of status.
Viewing PSP Driver Reports
Much like savvy consumers regularly check their credit reports, drivers in the know understand the benefit of keeping an eye on their PSP driver reports. According to the FMSCA, drivers are welcome to view their reports at any time. They can either go online or submit a Privacy Act request.
Others are only entitled to view these reports when they are vetting the driver for potential employment. The driver’s written authorization is required for any viewing. Once that is obtained, a potential employer can go online or use an appropriate third party like a driver screening company. Alternatively, they may submit a Privacy Act request.
Correcting PSP Driver Reports
No system is perfect. Occasionally, drivers find accidents or violations have been listed under the wrong name. It’s also possible that the details of incidents were listed incorrectly. If a review of your PSP report reveals an error, there’s no reason to let someone else’s mistake follow you around for up to five years. In fact, it can be a real issue because the information that appears in PSP reports is used to calculate CSA scores.
Instead of letting the problem fester, take steps to correct it. Visit DataQs. This FMCSA system lets you request and follow a review of data issued by FMCSA that is thought to be incorrect or incomplete. After you submit your request for a data review, you’ll be contacted via email. You may receive a request for more information or a notification of the investigation’s findings. The FMCSA will inform you regarding its decision to keep, fix, or remove the questioned data from its system. If changes are made, they’ll be reflected in the next monthly update.
_____
Are you proud of your PSP driver report? If you are an experienced professional driver with a solid record who is looking for a new opportunity, consider BLC Transportation today. We have opportunities for both company drivers and lease-purchase drivers. With our lease-purchase program, you can make 90 percent of the line haul while driving new trucks that provide comfort, fuel efficiency, and reliability. Plus, we offer bonuses and incentives, a health insurance subsidy, a friendly passenger/pet policy, assistance with registering for an LLC, and more. Join our team today!