DAC Report, PSP and MVR: What Carriers Check When You Apply

Before you apply

Updated September 27, 2026

None of these should surprise you. This guide explains what each record shows and what the rules make a carrier check. It also shows how to see and fix your own records before you apply.

What Carriers Must Check Before You Drive

Federal rules set a floor for every carrier. Most of it starts with your application.

Your application

The application asks for your addresses and your employers over the past 3 years, plus any crashes and traffic convictions in that time. For a job that needs a CDL, it also asks about your truck driving jobs in the 7 years before that. That is 10 years of driving work in all.

Your records at a glance

After you apply, the carrier checks these records. Here is who keeps each one and how you can see it.

Before you send the application, the carrier must tell you it will contact your past employers. It must also tell you about your rights to review and fix what they send.

What Is a DAC Report for Truck Drivers?

“DAC report” is the name drivers use for an employment history report kept by a private background screening company. It is not a government record. Federal rules let a carrier check your work history by phone, letter, or any other method it chooses, so not every carrier uses one.

Screening companies like this are consumer reporting companies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) says they can report on your work history, your driving record, and drug and alcohol testing. Most only have a file on you if you gave an employer permission to run a check.

Not the same DACDo not mix it up with FMCSA’s own use of “DAC.” FMCSA uses those letters for its Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, which is a different record covered below.

How to Get and Dispute Your DAC Report

The Fair Credit Reporting Act gives you rights when an employer uses a background report. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sums them up:

• The employer must tell you in a separate written notice that it may use a report, and get your written permission first.
• Before an employer turns you down because of the report, it must give you a copy of the report. It must also give you a summary of your rights.
• If you are turned down, the employer must give you the name and contact details of the company that made the report.
• You can ask that company for a free copy within 60 days of the decision.
• You can dispute anything wrong or missing, following the company’s dispute steps.

To check your file before you apply, ask the carrier which screening company it uses. The CFPB keeps a list of consumer reporting companies, with links to request your report from each one.

Fixing what a past employer reported

Federal rules give you a second path for the safety history a past carrier sends:

1. Ask to see it.Send the new carrier a written request. It must give you the record within 5 business days of getting it.
2. Ask for a correction.Send it to the carrier that reported the mistake. That carrier has 15 days to fix it or tell you it will not.
3. Add your side.If you still disagree, send a written rebuttal. It must be attached to your record.

The FMCSA PSP Report

PSP stands for FMCSA’s Pre-Employment Screening Program. A PSP report comes from FMCSA’s own safety data. It shows:

• Your crashes from the past 5 years
• Your roadside inspections from the past 3 years

A PSP report does not contain a score. FMCSA says carriers may use it only to screen new hires, not to check current drivers, and only with your consent.

How to get your own PSP report

If something on your PSP report is wrong, you can ask FMCSA to review it through DataQs. If FMCSA finds a crash was not preventable, that finding is noted on your PSP record too.

Your MVR

MVR stands for motor vehicle record. It is your driving record, kept by your state licensing agency.

A carrier pulls your MVR from every state that licensed you in the past 3 years when you are hired. After that, FMCSA says it must pull your MVR again every 12 months and keep each one for 3 years.

At Accelerated, we run your MVR for you. You do not need it in hand to apply. If you want to see it first, your state licensing agency can tell you how to order a copy.

The Clearinghouse Query

The Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse holds drug and alcohol program violations for CDL and learner’s permit holders. Before a carrier can see your record, you must give consent inside the Clearinghouse itself. That means you need your own Clearinghouse account.

• Before you drive: the carrier must run a full query. It needs your specific consent.
• Every year after: the carrier must query again. A limited query only shows whether a record exists, and your consent for it can cover more than one year.
• If you say no: a carrier may not let you drive until you consent.

Register for your own Clearinghouse account before you apply, so you can answer a carrier’s consent request right away. A driver with a “prohibited” status loses CDL driving privileges until the return-to-duty process is complete.

What Accelerated Checks

Here is what our application looks for:

• A valid Class A CDL, an acceptable MVR, and a clean safety history
• A current DOT medical certificate, and the ability to pass a DOT physical, a drug screen, and a background check
• 3 years of CDL-A driving and 1 year of verifiable 9-car experience

Verifiable means we can confirm it with the carriers on your work history. So list every carrier you drove for, with dates. Drove for Motor Car Auto Carriers? It is now part of Accelerated, so list it like any other carrier.

Have your CDL, your DOT medical certificate, and proof you can work in the US ready. See the full list on our car hauler jobs page.

DAC Report, PSP and MVR FAQs

What is a DAC report?

It is the name drivers use for an employment history report from a private background screening company. It is not a government record. You have the right to see it and dispute mistakes under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

How do I get a copy of my DAC report?

Ask the carrier which screening company it uses, then request your report from that company. The CFPB lists consumer reporting companies with links to request a report. If a carrier turns you down because of a report, you can get a free copy within 60 days.

What is on an FMCSA PSP report?

Your crashes from the past 5 years and your roadside inspections from the past 3 years, from FMCSA’s own data. It does not contain a score.

How much does a PSP report cost?

A single record costs $10 online as of September 27, 2026. You can also get it free by filing a Privacy Act or Freedom of Information Act request with the U.S. Department of Transportation.

What is an MVR?

MVR stands for motor vehicle record, your driving record from your state licensing agency. Carriers pull it from every state that licensed you in the past 3 years, then again every 12 months.

Do I need to register for the Clearinghouse?

To give the consent a carrier needs before you drive, yes. Consent for a full query is given electronically inside the Clearinghouse, so you need an account. A carrier may not let you drive until you consent.

Sources

Last checked September 27, 2026. Rules, fees, and agency pages change. Confirm the current rules with FMCSA, the eCFR, or the FTC before you rely on them. This guide is a plain-language summary, not legal advice.

1. 49 CFR 391.21, application for employment
2. 49 CFR 391.23, investigation and inquiries
3. 49 CFR 382.701, Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse queries
4. 49 CFR 382.703, driver consent
5. FMCSA Pre-Employment Screening Program, for drivers
6. FMCSA, Just the Facts for Drivers (PDF)
7. FMCSA, Driver’s Motor Vehicle Record
8. FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse
9. FTC, Employer Background Checks and Your Rights
10. CFPB, list of consumer reporting companies