Guides / The PSP report
Your PSP report: what employers see before they hire you
Before a motor carrier hires you, there is a good chance it will look at your Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP) report. The PSP report is a snapshot of your safety history from FMCSA's records, and many carriers treat it as part of every application. Knowing what is on yours, and fixing anything that is wrong, is one of the most useful things a professional driver can do for their career.
What is on a PSP report
- Five years of crash data for crashes reported to FMCSA in which you were the driver.
- Three years of roadside inspection data, including inspections with no violations and every violation recorded.
The report comes from FMCSA's Motor Carrier Management Information System. It is not a motor vehicle record, so it does not show traffic convictions. It also lists crashes without saying who was at fault.
Who can see it
A carrier can only get your PSP report with your written consent, given for the purpose of hiring. Carriers are not required to use PSP, but many do. You can also order your own report, and you should do that before you apply anywhere.
Why it matters
A hiring manager reading a PSP report sees violations, not context. An out-of-service order from a defective brake on a carrier's truck, or a violation that was really another driver's, looks the same as one you caused. A clean inspection counts for you, but only if the record is right.
Fixing an error
The PSP report itself cannot be edited, but the records behind it can be corrected. Errors are challenged through FMCSA's DataQs system, with documents that show what is wrong. Once the agency that created the record corrects it, the change flows through to the PSP data.
Common errors include an inspection assigned to the wrong driver, a violation from a citation later dismissed in court, and a crash listed more than once.