Checkr uses information returned from the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) in U.S. jurisdictions to complete Motor Vehicle Records (MVR) searches. This information is displayed in the Motor Vehicle Record section of completed reports.

The Current License section of the report lists information returned about the driver's current driver license, which includes the license's status and type. 

License status

A candidate’s current license status is determined by the DMV in each jurisdiction and is displayed on the Motor Vehicle Records (MVR) section of the background check. These statuses fall into four categories internally within the Checkr system: VALID, LIMITED, NOT VALID, and INCOMPLETE.

* A License Status of “Not Provided” (License does not exist), “Not Found”, or “Not Available Electronically” originates from Checkr. All other statuses are reported directly from the source, with >100 different descriptions provided from DMVs. These labels are not meant to be exhaustive, and their interpretation varies from state to state.

** A LIMITED license will influence a valid privilege to drive, but will not satisfy Checkr’s default driving privilege rules.

License type

DMVs in U.S. jurisdictions recognize the following license types:

• Personal: license to operate a personal vehicle.
• Commercial: license to drive commercial vehicles, including large trucks and heavy equipment vehicles.
• Permit: restricted license to operate specific vehicles under specific circumstances (Permits are not usually accepted by customers to establish licensing history.)
• Identification: used for identification purposes only, these licenses do not permit the candidate to drive any vehicle type.

Restrictions, Suspensions, and Violations

Checkr's MVR reports also list other information reported in MVRs, including violations, convictions, restrictions, and other information related to driving records and credentials.

These records are listed with start and end dates, when these dates are included in the information returned from the DMV.

• Restrictions: lists driving restrictions, such as the requirement for corrective lenses.
• Violations: lists incidents with a conviction date on a candidate's driver record, such as a speeding over the limit or a DUI.
• Suspensions: lists events such as cancellation or revocation of driving privilege.

Restrictions

Restrictions refer to reduced driving privileges. An example is "corrective lenses required".

Reports may show restrictions for other active licenses the driver holds. The report will not show restrictions from inactive licenses.

Note: Checkr lists restrictions exactly as they are returned from the DMV. In some cases, DMVs will report “YES” as a restriction.

Violations

Violations are incidents that include a conviction date, and are sent from the court to the DMVs. In nearly all cases, a violation includes fault. Examples include DUIs, speeding, and/or reckless driving. 

Suspensions

“Suspensions'' may include different types of driver license events, such as suspensions, withdrawals, cancellations, and revocation of driving privilege (for specific license types, such as motorcycle or commercial). Suspensions may also be due to driving or administrative incidents, such as reckless driving, or failure to renew medical certification. A suspension appearing on an MVR does not necessarily indicate that the driver is currently unable to drive due to a suspended license status. In some cases, however, a suspension will indicate a driver license which is currently suspended, resulting in a temporary lack of driving privileges. Suspensions will be shown with a start, and if appropriate, end date. 

License review process

When evaluating current licenses to determine whether to indicate Clear or Consider on the returned report based on customer criteria, Checkr uses the following rules: 

• If the driving privilege is one that indicates it is a not valid or limited license, then Checkr marks the MVR Consider.
• If the license status is not available electronically, Checkr suspends the MVR report.
• If the license status is not found, Checkr flags an exception and requests a copy of the candidate’s current driver’s license. The customer is also notified of the document request through a webhook.
• If the license is valid, available electronically, and found, Checkr evaluates the MVR according to the customer’s rules, and sets the status based on the results.

Previous license review process

Checkr uses previous license data only to establish licensing history for the candidate. Checkr does not require that previous licenses have a valid status to qualify as evidence for driving history.

Checkr does not accept license type “identification” as previous licenses, and does not consider previous identification documents when establishing licensing history for a candidate.