LaHood: Pre-employment screening program a success

There were more than 380,000 pre-employment driver safety record searches made during the first year of a new, secure online program available for commercial carriers. That number equates to success, according to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

“Our pre-employment program screening program is helping us put safe drivers behind the wheel of large trucks and buses,” LaHood said.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration launched the Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP) in May 2010 to provide access to drivers’ inspection and crash records as part of the hiring process. PSP customer service responded to more than 19,000 phone calls. The program provides access for up to five years of driver crash data and three years of inspection results. That includes serious safety violations in the areas of unsafe driving, hours-of-service, controlled substances and alcohol, and valid medical qualifications. It also gives users access to co-driver safety records, post-crash violations and the dates that drivers’ records are updated.

Visit the PSP at www.psp.fmcsa.dot.gov.