PSP shows five years of crashes and three years of inspections. We run it on every hire, and it is a separate file from the Clearinghouse
PSP gives a nationwide look at a driver's last five years of crashes and three years of inspections from MCMIS. We use it on every hire, and it is a different file from the Clearinghouse.
What FMCSA announced
Do not confuse a PSP report with the Clearinghouse. FMCSA created the Pre-Employment Screening Program so that a carrier considering a driver can request that person's crash and inspection record from MCMIS: five years of crashes and three years of inspections, covering every state.
The reason PSP matters is simple: a CDL record does not list every roadside inspection. MCMIS is the national database where they all end up, and DataQs is the route a driver takes to challenge an inspection that was entered wrongly. The data is refreshed every month.
A driver is allowed to look at the report and contest it, and the carrier pays a fee at psp.fmcsa.dot.gov. Consent and privacy rules are built into the process. For us the fee is simply part of what hiring costs, and we would never take it out of a new driver's first settlement as a surprise.
A clean PSP does not erase a failed Clearinghouse check. There are three separate tools here: PSP, the Clearinghouse and 391.23. We rely on more than one of them.
Safety Performance History is the request sent to previous employers. The Clearinghouse tracks drug and alcohol violations. Dropping PSP because the other two are already in the file is exactly how a pattern of roadside problems goes unnoticed when it never produced a failed test.
What changes for us from Monday on
Our safety team runs PSP, then the Clearinghouse, then the 391.23 requests. We never drop PSP to speed up a hire. If a driver will not go through the PSP process, the application is incomplete, and we stop there.
If an inspection looks wrong, start with DataQs. For the Clearinghouse obligation, read the 2020 go-live piece, and for earlier employers see 391.23.
Drivers, you can pull your own PSP report, so tell us your history as it is. Apply or call the hiring desk at +1 (224) 877-0350.
A road test still comes after the paperwork. A clean report only gets you to the starting line; it does not excuse you from the yard.
What we do and what we do not
PSP is part of every hire at Royser. We treat it as its own check, not as a stand-in for the Clearinghouse, and we do not skip it to get someone rolling by Friday.
We will not slip an unexpected PSP charge into a first settlement. That cost belongs to the company doing the hiring. If a driver refuses consent, the answer stays no.
Apply honestly and call +1 (224) 877-0350. A real person answers at the hiring desk.
Short glossary
The jargon, in the order it showed up — no extra theory.
- PSP
- Pre-Employment Screening Program, which gives carriers a driver's crash and inspection history to review before hiring.
- MCMIS
- Motor Carrier Management Information System, the FMCSA database that stores carrier and driver safety records.
Official sources
Read the government original first. This page is our translation for people who quote lanes and hire drivers — not a substitute for the rulebook.
- FMCSA PSP launch — Primary newsroom original.
This page is an industry briefing for shippers, brokers, and drivers. It is not legal advice. Confirm current rules in the Federal Register and on FMCSA.gov before you change a process.
FAQ
Is PSP the same as the Clearinghouse?
No. PSP reports crashes and inspections from MCMIS, while the Clearinghouse reports drug and alcohol violations. We check both.
Does Royser run PSP?
Yes, on every hire, alongside the Clearinghouse and 391.23 requests. A clean PSP never lets us skip the other two.
What if a driver says no to PSP?
The file stays incomplete, and we cannot hire on it. We do not invent a way around the privacy rules.
What does it cost?
FMCSA sets the fee. We count it as a normal cost of hiring and never pass it to the driver as a surprise deduction.
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