Conduct a Motor Vehicle Report Review

Conducting a motor vehicle report (MVR) review will verify whether a driver has a current license and provide a history of the driver’s record.  Obtaining this information is an excellent tool to assist in selection and qualification of employees.  Research shows that MVRs can predict the likelihood of a driver’s involvement in a future crash because accident risk increases in relation to the number of accidents or citations on a driver’s record.  Multiple “moving” violations on an employee candidate’s MVR suggest that individual is not a good choice because the person may be reckless or indifferent to following rules.  A “clean” driving record, especially over years of driving, says something about a person’s maturity and sense of responsibility.  Conducting MVR reviews also reduces the risk of negligent hiring lawsuits if an employee gets involved in an accident.   Following these steps will help you conduct a thorough MVR review.

Require an MVR review as part of your employee pre-qualification process. Ask employee candidates to obtain and submits MVRs from all states where they have held a license. This is important because drivers may change their state of licensure to spread their accident and citation record to make their record in any one state look better. Obtain records for at least the past three years and keep in mind that many reportable accidents and traffic citations never appear on an MVR because they are dismissed through attendance at traffic school or court supervision. An MVR portrays the “best case” scenario; a driver’s record may actually be much worse than it appears.

Determine your tolerance for risk and devise a “point” system to define an acceptable MVR. Minor infractions carry low points and serious infractions carry high points. An employee candidate is disqualified is he or she exceeds the number of points that are considered acceptable. There are, however, certain offenses that automatically disqualify an applicant or at least prevent them from any driving duties while at work. These include:

• A felony involving the use of a motor vehicle
• Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or refusing to be tested
• Leaving the scene of an accident (hit and run)
• A suspended or revoked license
• A high number of “preventable” accidents

A person’s license should be from the state where they reside. Investigate any exceptions. Check the year the individual’s license was issued. This will help establish qualifications if you have a minimum experience requirement for drivers. And since most people obtain their licenses by their late teams, look for issue dates within the past few years. If the applicant is 25 years or older, this could indicate that he or she holds licenses in other states or that there are other irregularities. Carefully evaluate both what is on the MVR and what is missing.

You can find out if employee candidates have lived in other states by requiring a history of past employers that includes employer addresses. Credit and background checks also provide the person’s home addresses.