Motor Vehicle Records (MVRs)

This article will help you:

• Identify what a Motor Vehicle Report (MVR) includes
• Be informed of areas excluded for Checkr MVR reports
• Determine if custom MVR filters can help reduce manual review for your business

What is a Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) and how does it help?

A Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) is a report of driving history, as reported from the state Department of Motor Vehicles or similar government entity which issues driver licenses. While this may vary from one state to the next depending on local reporting practices, information reported in MVRs includes driver’s license status and class, violations, convictions, restrictions, and other information related to driving records and credentials.

MVR reports can help identify candidates with unsafe driving records, to help you assess the risk of potential and current employees. Some convictions are only available on MVR reports and may not always show up on criminal searches, such as driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

MVR screenings identify the following: 

• 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
• Suspensions
• Violations
• Clerical Updates

*Not always included with electronic records which Checkr accesses at the state level. Verification of these dates may need to be executed outside of the MVR.

What is the average turnaround time for MVR reports?

Results are typically available within 24 hours; most complete within a few minutes.

An MVR may be delayed when Checkr is unable to find a matching record. In Checkr, this is known as an Exception, and it is typically caused when the candidate makes a typo while submitting their driver’s license number, name, or date of birth. When an exception occurs, Checkr automatically emails the candidate asking them to upload a photo of their driver's license so the discrepancy can be corrected, and the relevant records can be obtained. For more information, see our article on MVR exceptions and suspensions.

Here is how a MVR appears in a candidate’s background check report:

Creating Custom Filters

MVR filters help you assess the results of a given MVR against the specific rules you have created.

By default, we use the following categories and rules when a MVR report is initiated. These rules are based on standard insurance requirements:

• 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 1 accident in the past 3 years
• No more than 2 moving violations in the past 3 years (e.g. failure to stop at a stop sign, following too closely, improper passing)
• No cell phone or distracted driving violation in the past 3 years
• No major violation in the past 5 years (e.g. DUIs, speeding 40+ mph over the limit)
• Driver must be over 18

Note: Categories cannot be changed but their associated rules can be updated.

For example, if your default rule is No major violation in the last 5 years, but your insurance requires No more than 2 major violations in the last 3 years, contact clients@checkr.com to change this rule for you.

Please reach out to clients@checkr.com for more details about MVRs and Custom Filters.

Running MVRs in Different Regions 

If a candidate holds a Pennsylvania license, they won't be able to apply successfully until you have an approved affidavit from the state of Pennsylvania.

Additionally, the following areas are not covered by Checkr’s MVR service:

     'AS', # American Samoas

     'GU', # Guam

     'MP', # Northern Mariana Islands

     'PR', # Puerto Rico

     'VI', # U.S. Virgin Islands

     'AA', # U.S. Armed Forces - Americas

     'AE', # U.S. Armed Forces - Europe

     'AP'  # U.S. Armed Forces - Pacific