Every carrier that looks at your application pulls the same handful of records. You have the right to see every one of them and to fix what's wrong. Here's where each one lives and how to do it, with the official links.
Links and rules checked October 17, 2026
Which record is the problem?
Pick what a recruiter told you, or what you're worried about.
PSP: your federal safety record
Kept by FMCSA · Pre-Employment Screening Program
Your PSP shows the crashes and roadside inspections tied to your CDL. Carriers pull it before they hire you. It does not show your state tickets or convictions. That's your MVR.
What's on it
Crashes from the last 5 years
Roadside inspections from the last 3 years
How to see yours
Go to the PSP site and sign in as a driver. You'll need your CDL number and state. There is a small fee for an instant copy.
If you'd rather not pay, FMCSA will send it free if you file a Privacy Act request. It takes longer.
Read every line. Check that each inspection is really yours, with the right date, state and truck.
Some sites tell drivers the PSP is free once a year. FMCSA's own FAQ says the free route is the Privacy Act request. Go by the official site.
Run by FMCSA · Reviewed by the state that wrote the report
If something on your PSP is wrong, DataQs is how you fix it. You file a Request for Data Review, called an RDR. It's free. The state whose officer wrote the inspection or crash report decides.
New rules as of September 18, 2026
Every state now has to follow the same three-step review with deadlines. If they deny you, they have to say why, and you can ask for a second and a third look.
7days for the state to open your request
21days for the first decision
21days for a reconsideration
45days for the final review
How to file
Make a free DataQs account.
Pull up the exact report number, date and state from your PSP or inspection report.
Pick the request type that fits. A ticket that was dismissed in court has its own type.
Attach proof. The burden is on you, so send the court paper, the logs, the photos, whatever shows the record is wrong.
Check back on the status page. If it's denied, ask for reconsideration.
Ticket dismissed or reduced? FMCSA lets you have that court result show on your safety record. You still have to file it through DataQs. It doesn't happen on its own.
DataQs fixes federal records only. It can't touch your DAC report. That's a separate fight, below.
Kept by FMCSA · Every CDL driver has a record here
Every carrier has to check the Clearinghouse before you drive for them. To do that, they send you a consent request, and you approve it in your own account. If you don't approve it, they can't put you in a truck.
Get set up before you apply
Register as a CDL driver. It's free, and it's the only way to see your own record and answer consent requests.
When a recruiter says they sent a consent request, log in and approve it. Most hiring delays here are a request nobody answered.
If you show "prohibited"
A failed or refused DOT test puts you in prohibited status, and your state is notified. Since November 2024, that can downgrade your CDL. You get back to "not prohibited" one way:
See a DOT-qualified Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) and name them in your Clearinghouse account.
Finish the education or treatment the SAP sets.
The SAP re-evaluates you and reports it in the Clearinghouse.
Pass a return-to-duty test, and the employer reports the negative result.
Then follow the follow-up testing plan the SAP set. Check with your state about getting your CDL privileges back.
Think something in your Clearinghouse record was reported wrong? You can petition for a review through DataQs. The petition covers reporting errors. It's not the place to argue the drug test result itself.
Kept by private companies · Covered by the Fair Credit Reporting Act
Your DAC is a work-history report run by HireRight, not the government. Old employers report your dates, why you left, accidents and whether they'd rehire you. Because it's a consumer report, federal law gives you a free copy every year and the right to dispute anything wrong.
How to check and fix it
Request your free DAC from HireRight. Ask for the list of companies that pulled it. They'll give you everyone from the last 2 years.
Read it line by line: dates, reason for leaving, accidents, eligible for rehire.
Dispute anything untrue with HireRight in writing. Be specific: "Report says I left March 1. My last pay stub runs through March 14. Copy attached."
If a carrier turns you down because of the report, they have to tell you. You then get another free copy.
Some carriers use other screening companies. Driver Technologies gives one free report a year with the same right to dispute.
Federal rule 49 CFR 391.23 · Most drivers don't know they have these rights
When you apply, the new carrier must ask every DOT employer you drove for in the last 3 years about your safety history and drug and alcohol testing. You have three rights over what comes back:
See it. Ask the new carrier in writing. They have 5 business days from when they have it.
Get it corrected. Ask the old employer to fix it. They have 15 days to either correct it and send it on, or tell you they won't.
Rebut it. If you can't agree, send the old employer a written statement and tell them to include it. They have to attach it from then on.
If an old employer won't correct it or won't include your rebuttal, you can report them to FMCSA.
Your MVR lists tickets, convictions, points and suspensions. Every state runs its own system, so you order it from the DMV in the state that issued your CDL.
Search "your state DMV driving record" and order from the official .gov site.
Moved in the last 3 years? Carriers need the old state's record too. Order both.
Something wrong? Each state has its own correction process, usually linked from the same page where you ordered.
A ticket that was dismissed can still sit on your PSP even after it's gone from your MVR. Fixing one doesn't fix the other. Check both.
When a company did you wrong
Federal complaint routes
It's against federal rules for a carrier, shipper or broker to pressure you to drive over hours, run unsafe equipment or break other safety rules. Fired or punished for refusing, or for reporting a safety problem? That's a separate case under federal whistleblower law, and the clock is short: you generally have 180 days to file.