DAC and PSP Reports: What Trucking Employers See When You Apply
Three records follow a CDL driver from job to job: the DAC employment file, FMCSA's PSP record and the safety performance history every carrier must request. Drivers can see and challenge all three.
A carrier hiring a CDL driver typically sees three records: a HireRight DAC report of past trucking employers, the driver’s FMCSA Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP) record with 5 years of crashes and 3 years of inspections, and the safety performance history 49 CFR 391.23 requires from recent employers. Drivers can get copies and dispute errors.
What is a DAC report?
A DAC report is an employment history file kept by HireRight, a background screening company, that many trucking companies report to and check when hiring. It usually lists past carriers, dates of employment, reason for leaving and remarks the carrier chose to submit. It is a private consumer report, not a government record, and no federal rule requires a carrier to use it.
Because it is a consumer report, the DAC file falls under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). HireRight says CDL drivers can request their DAC report and any active database files at any time, and that it will list the companies that received the report in the last two years. HireRight’s help line for requests is 866-521-6995. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau lists HireRight among the specialty consumer reporting companies people can request files from.
What is on an FMCSA PSP record?
A PSP record is a report drawn from FMCSA’s Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS). It shows the most recent 5 years of crash data and the most recent 3 years of roadside inspection data for the driver, including violations. It does not include state driving records or convictions; those come from the motor vehicle record (MVR).
| Record | Who keeps it | What it covers | Required for hiring? |
|---|---|---|---|
| DAC report | HireRight (private) | Employment history and remarks reported by carriers | No, carrier’s choice |
| PSP record | FMCSA | 5 years of crashes, 3 years of inspections and violations | No, voluntary for carriers |
| Safety performance history | Each previous DOT-regulated employer | 3 years of crashes, drug and alcohol history | Yes, 49 CFR 391.23 |
| MVR | State licensing agencies | 3 years of driving record from every state that licensed you | Yes, 49 CFR 391.23 |
| Clearinghouse query | FMCSA | Drug and alcohol violations and return-to-duty status | Yes, 49 CFR 382.701 |
Carriers need the driver’s written consent to pull a PSP record. A blank PSP report means no reportable crash in 5 years and no inspection in 3 years, which is common for new drivers. Crashes appear whether or not the driver was at fault, though FMCSA’s Crash Preventability Determination Program can mark eligible crashes as not preventable in its records.
What must a new employer ask your old employers?
Under 49 CFR 391.23, a carrier must investigate a new driver’s safety performance history with every DOT-regulated employer from the preceding 3 years, and must request the driver’s motor vehicle record from each state where the driver held a license in that period. Both must be in the file within 30 days after employment begins.
Previous employers must answer within 30 days and report:
- identification and dates of employment;
- accidents as defined in 49 CFR 390.5 from the 3 years before the application;
- for drivers in testing positions, drug and alcohol violations, refusals and return-to-duty information from the same period, now largely handled through the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse.
A previous employer with nothing to report must still respond. On the application itself, a driver must list employers from the past 3 years and, for CDL jobs, the 7 years before that in which the driver operated a commercial vehicle, so 10 years of CMV work in all (49 CFR 391.21).
How do you get a copy of each report?
- DAC: request your DAC report from HireRight through its online request form or by phone. HireRight says CDL drivers can request it at any time. The FCRA also entitles you to a free copy when a carrier turns you down based on the report.
- PSP: buy your own record through FMCSA’s PSP website (psp.fmcsa.dot.gov). Check the current driver fee on that site before ordering.
- Safety performance history: ask the hiring carrier in writing. You can ask at any time from application until 30 days after being hired or turned down, and the carrier must provide it within 5 business days of receiving it (391.23(i)).
- MVR: order it from your state licensing agency.
How do you dispute errors?
Each record has its own correction route, and fixing one does not fix the others.
- DAC: file a dispute with HireRight. HireRight says disputes are free and reinvestigations take about 30 days, up to 45 in limited cases. Under the FCRA, the company must reinvestigate and correct or delete information it cannot verify.
- PSP: challenge inspection or crash data through FMCSA’s DataQs system. If the state agency that reported the data agrees it was wrong, the correction carries into PSP. See our guide to CSA scores and DataQs.
- Safety performance history: send a correction request or rebuttal to the previous employer. It must correct and forward the data or tell you within 15 days that it will not, and must forward a rebuttal to the new employer within 5 business days. Refusals can be reported to FMCSA.
Bottom line
Pull your DAC and PSP before you start applying, not after a rejection, because a dispute can take a month. A wrong “terminated” remark on a DAC or an inspection that belongs to another driver can cost you offers without anyone telling you why. If a carrier denies you because of a report, the FCRA requires it to tell you which company supplied it.
FAQ
How far back does a DAC report go?
Carriers usually ask for the 10 years of commercial driving history that the federal application requires, and the DAC file reflects what carriers reported. HireRight lists which customers received your report in the past two years.
Can a carrier run my PSP without permission?
No. A carrier needs your written authorization to obtain your PSP record. You can buy your own record directly from FMCSA.
Do warnings and clean inspections show on PSP?
Yes. The PSP record includes roadside inspections from the past 3 years, including those with no violations, which can help a new driver show a clean record.
What if my old company went out of business?
The new carrier must document its good-faith effort to reach the former employer. Carrier records for employers that no longer exist may also show on your DAC if they reported before closing.
