Quarterly Newsletter

Driving down risk: How insurers can champion safer roads with the Pre-employment Screening Program (PSP) for motor carriers

Encourage commercial policyholders to use PSP to hire the safest drivers and reduce risk

Published: April 16, 2024

Reducing risk is a top priority for insurers, and in the world of commercial insurance, hiring the safest drivers contributes to achievement of this goal.

Safe drivers also lead to safer roads, which supports the mission of the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). The agency's Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP) is instrumental in enhancing safety within the transportation industry.

The PSP facilitates informed hiring decisions by granting employers instant and secure access to a driver's 5-year crash history and 3-year inspection records from the FMCSA Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS). These records are accessible electronically and are updated monthly, providing motor carrier companies with up-to-date information crucial for screening potential drivers.

Insurance companies can encourage their commercial customers to use the PSP as a best practice in their hiring process. By advocating for the adoption of pre-employment screening, insurers can play a pivotal role in enhancing road safety. The PSP offers a proactive solution for identifying drivers who meet the highest standards of safety and reliability. Encouraging motor carriers to integrate this report into their hiring processes not only aligns with the insurers' goal of minimizing claims and promoting safer driving behaviors, but also sets a new benchmark for responsibility and diligence in the transportation sector.

According to a past FMCSA safety study: motor carriers using PSP have decreased, on average, both their crash rates and the instances of drivers placed out-of-service (OOS) due to safety violations. The PSP users experienced an average decrease of 8% in crash rates and a remarkable 17% reduction in OOS incidents compared to motor carrier companies that did not use the PSP during the study period. The study revealed that motor carriers using the PSP prevented an estimated 3,600 out-of-service events and 863 commercial motor vehicle crash occurrences.

The study's informal query found that the motor carriers indicated using the PSP will help them hire the best drivers available and will improve their overall safety ratings. This positive perception underscores the effectiveness and value for motor carriers to utilize the PSP during their pre-hire processes.

Encouraging motor carriers to use the PSP safety record to make more informed hiring decisions can support an insurance company's strategy aimed at reducing the number of and cost of insurance claims and losses.

Want to learn more? Check out the Pre-Employment Screening Program website (dot.gov) or contact PSPHelp@egov.com.