By Adam Danielson, Sales and Business Development Director, SuperVision
April 1, 2022
Motor Vehicle Records, or MVRs, are the most effective way to determine driver risk at hire and throughout the driver’s employment. MVRs provide a full view of a driver’s history for the last 3-7 years, depending on the state, and have several risk indicating components including:
- Driver and Licensure Information signals that the driver is properly licensed for the type of vehicle he or she drives.
- License Status indicates whether the driver has a valid license. An unlicensed driver continuing to operate a vehicle increases a company’s potential liability risk dramatically.
- In North America, at any given time, 7% of all drivers have a suspended license. Of those drivers, 75% continue to drive on a suspended license1. When an employee with a suspended license continues to operate a vehicle, the risk exposure posed to the company grows exponentially. Drivers with a suspended license have a 14 times higher crash rate than non-suspended drivers2 and 1 in 5 fatal accidents involve a driver with a suspended license3.
- Traffic Violation History reveals a pattern of risky driving behavior. Monitoring and tracking traffic violations is an effective way to trigger take corrective actions before a serious incident occurs.
- Accident Report History provides the driver manager with insight into the past actions of a driver. Drivers that have a history of accidents are typically the riskiest group of drivers.
- Vehicular Crimes History shows prior negligence on behalf of the driver that resulted in a gross misdemeanor or felony charge and possibly jail time. Employers who miss this at the time of hire put themselves at significant risk for future liability lawsuits.
It is a common practice for fleet managers to check an MVR prior to hire and once per year throughout employment. This method, while somewhat effective, can create liability risk exposure for the company.
If a company only pulls driver records (MVRs) at hire and then once per year, and a driver receives a violation or license suspension the day after, he or she has a 364- day grace period before the infraction is discovered. If this driver were to have a traffic stop or be involved in an accident, the company could face large fines, direct and indirect accident costs and be held liable for negligent entrustment.
Continuous license monitoring allows the fleet manager to receive notifications of violations and license suspensions as they occur — eliminating the pitfall of the yearly “grace period”. When a new violation or license suspension occurs for a driver, an MVR is automatically delivered to the driver manager. By getting this information sooner, the manager can take immediate corrective action with the driver, closing the accident and liability risk exposure gap.
Learn more about minimizing the risks posed by employing drivers in SuperVision’s latest white paper
THE RISK OF OVERLOOKING DRIVER SAFETY
Resources
- American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. (2018, November). Reducing Suspended Drivers and Alternative Reinstatement Best Practices. Retrieved from https://www.aamva.org/Suspended-Driver-Alternative-Reinstatement-Working-Group/
- Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. (2015, September 15). National Driver Record Notification System Report to Congress. Retrieved from https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/mission/policy/national-driver-record-notification-system-report-congress.
- NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts. (2014) Retrieved from https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812261.
