- MVR reports and candidate selection
- Turnaround time
- Region restrictions
- MVR rules
- Candidate experience
MVR reports and candidate selection
A motor vehicle record (MVR) is a driving history report as reported from a United States (US) state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) or similar government entity that issues driver licenses.
MVR reports can help identify candidates with unsafe driving records to help you assess the risk of potential and current employees. Some convictions, such as driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, appear only on MVR reports and not in criminal records screenings.
Governments might differ in the information they report, but MVR reports usually identify the information below:
- Full name
- Current license status
- Current license type
- Current license class
- Current license expiration date
- Current license issue date*
- Current license first issued date*
- Restrictions
- Endorsements
- Suspensions
- Violations
- Accidents
*Electronic records that Checkr accesses at the state level don't always include this information.
Turnaround time
MVR reports are typically available within 24 hours; most complete within a few minutes.
Delays can happen when Checkr finds no matching record. Checkr calls this situation an exception, and it usually happens when the candidate makes a typo in their driver license number, name, or birth date. Checkr automatically emails the candidate asking them to submit a photo of their driver license so that the report can continue. For more information, refer to MVR exceptions: What to do if an MVR report results in a Suspended status.
Region restrictions
The US state of Pennsylvania requires an affidavit to run MVR reports, and the Checkr MVR service doesn't cover the areas below:
- Guam (GU)
- Puerto Rico (PR)
- US Virgin Islands (VI)
- US Armed Forces - Americas (AA)
- US Armed Forces - Europe (AE)
- US Armed Forces - Pacific (AP)
MVR rules
Checkr enables you to define rules that evaluate a candidate’s driving record and determine whether a report status shows Clear or Consider.
Default rules
By default, Checkr applies the rules below to MVR reports. These rules are based on standard insurance requirements.
- Driver must be over 18
- Driver must currently be privileged to drive a passenger vehicle or motorcycle
- No more than 1 moving violation in the past 3 years AND No more than 1 accident in the past 3 years
- No more than 2 moving violations in the past 3 years (such as failure to stop at a stop sign, following too closely, improper passing)
- No more than 2 accidents in the past 3 years
- No major violation in the past 5 years (such as DUIs, or speeding 40+ mph over the limit)
- No cell phone or distracted driving violation in the past 3 years
If you want to change these default rules to suit your organization's needs or insurance requirements, contact Checkr Customer Support.
General rule customization
Checkr Customer Support helps you customize MVR rules. Customizing MVR rules enables you to further assess the below aspects of a candidate’s driving record:
- Accidents
- Age
- Driving history
- Restrictions
- Suspensions
- Violations
Violation rule customization
If you set violation-based rules, you can apply different treatments to violation categories that you specify. Checkr allows you to customize violations with classification codes based on the AAMVA Code Dictionary (ACD) codes. For example, a rule that requires drivers to have no more than 5 moving violations applies to violations that you've categorized as “moving violation.” Uncategorized violations or violations in different categories don't count toward this particular rule.
Driving history customization
Driving history rules enable you to require candidates to have a certain number of years of driving history. In order to validate a candidate’s driving history, opt in to Checkr’s Previous License History Collection feature. Checkr will ask the candidate to submit previous license information for additional reports to meet your minimum driving-experience rule. The feature itself doesn't cost anything. However, service and passthrough DMV fees for running additional licenses will apply. To opt in, contact Checkr Customer Support.
Candidate experience
MVRs are available as standalone screenings.
Candidates will be asked to submit their name, birth date, phone number, email address, and driver license number and state of issuance.
Candidates then read and acknowledge receipt of applicable forms and notifications, including Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and an Acknowledgement and Authorization for Background Check.
Candidates might also be asked to provide a copy of their driver license. For some organizations, candidates might also be asked to submit a copy of an old license to provide evidence that they’ve been licensed in previous years.
After the candidate consents, Checkr begins the screening.
Tip
If you've applied for a job and are looking for more information about your background check’s status or progress, log in to the Checkr Candidate Portal.