What is an MVR, and how do brokers use driving records?
A motor vehicle record (MVR) check is a request to the state that issued a driver's license for that driver's official record: whether the license is valid, its class, moving violations, crashes, and suspensions. NEMT brokers cap what the record may show and want a fresh copy at hire and every year. Employers normally get written consent first, and ordering through a screening company adds federal consumer report rules.
On this page
What the record contains
An MVR comes from the state agency that issued the license, and each state packages it differently. Most sell several versions at different prices, and they differ in how much history they show. The Texas Department of Public Safety’s versions make the point:
- Type 2, $6: moving violations and crashes that drew a ticket, covering three years from the offense date. Type 2A is the certified copy for $10.
- Type AR, $20: a certified abstract of the whole record, with every suspension on it.
- Type 3, $7, and Type 3A, $10: all crashes, ticketed or not, plus moving and nonmoving violations. Only the license holder can order these.
- Type 1, $4: license status, date of birth, address, and first application date, with no driving history at all.
Match the version to the look-back in your contract. A three-year history can miss an older suspension that a broker’s five-year rule would catch.
The limits brokers set
Driving history matters to federal Medicaid, not only to brokers. Section 1902(a)(87) makes each state confirm that its NEMT providers can report every driver’s record, traffic violations included, to the Medicaid program. Brokers and states then draw their own lines:
| Broker or program | Record required | What takes a driver off the schedule |
|---|---|---|
| MTM Health, Virginia (2026) | Motor vehicle record | 3 or more chargeable crashes or moving violations over three years, a Virginia DMV point total lower than minus 2, or a moving-violation suspension or revocation within five years |
| Louisiana Medicaid | Official driving record | Three or more moving violations, or any conviction for driving while intoxicated, within three years |
| WellTrans, Indiana | Five-year record from the state, updated every year | Any mix of two moving violations and at-fault crashes within the past 12 months, a DUI or DWI conviction in three years, or a suspended or revoked license in five years |
| Arkansas Region G (2026 bid) | Three-year record from the Arkansas State Police or the Information Network of Arkansas, updated every year | Anything short of a clean record at hire, then any two moving violations or at-fault crashes within a year, on or off the job |
| MTM, Pennsylvania HealthChoices | Three-year driving record report, every year | Any license that is suspended, revoked, or expired. Within 36 months: 3 at-fault moving violation convictions, or 2 at-fault crashes that hurt someone or damaged property. Crashes are presumed to be the driver’s fault unless the driver proves otherwise |
Brokers also want to hear about new problems as they happen. WellTrans requires a phone call about any moving violation issued while the vehicle was in use. MTM’s Rhode Island handbook requires an immediate report of any accident or moving violation that injures or kills a driver or member, and a police report within five business days. The broader list of driver rules sits in NEMT driver requirements.
How often to pull it
Pull the record before a driver’s first trip, then at least once a year, which is what the Indiana, Arkansas, and Pennsylvania rules above require. Keep each copy in the driver’s file with the date it was reviewed; the driver file checklist includes a line for it.
Companies that fall under federal motor carrier driver qualification rules have a fixed schedule. Within 30 days of hiring, they must request the driving record from each state that issued the driver a license in the last three years. After that, a new record is pulled and reviewed at least every 12 months, with the reviewer’s name and the date noted in the file (49 CFR 391.25). See USDOT numbers and federal rules for NEMT for when they reach passenger vans.
Consent and consumer report rules
The federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act restricts release of the personal information in state driver records, and states layer their own rules on top. The simplest lawful path for an employer is the driver’s signed written consent, collected with the application.
When a background screening company supplies the record, the Fair Credit Reporting Act applies as well:
- Tell the driver in writing that you will obtain a report, as a standalone document separate from the job application.
- Get the driver’s written permission. If it should cover yearly re-checks during employment, say so clearly.
- Before rejecting or removing a driver because of the report, give the driver the report you relied on and the FTC’s summary of FCRA rights, so they can point out errors.
- After deciding, send the adverse action notice. It names the screening company, makes clear the decision was yours and not the company’s, and explains the right to dispute and to a free report within 60 days.
Our driver background check guide covers the criminal side.
Keeping renewals on schedule
A yearly MVR is easy to forget across a growing team. In HealthRide, you can add it to a driver as a credential with its own expiration date in the credentials registry. Reminders go out before it lapses, and dispatchers see a warning if they try to assign a driver whose record is out of date.
Frequently asked questions
- Do tickets from a driver's personal car count against them?
- Often, yes. The June 2026 bid terms for Arkansas's Region G broker count violations a driver picks up in a personal vehicle the same as those in a NEMT van. Any two moving violations or at-fault crashes within 12 months take the driver off the schedule. Unless your own contract says otherwise, treat every entry on the record as counting.
- Can I pull a driver's record without asking them?
- Usually not. The federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act limits who can get the personal details in a state driver record to a fixed list of uses. A requester holding the person's written consent is one, and employers checking commercial license holders are another. Some records go only to the driver: Texas sells its Type 3 record, every crash and violation on file, to the license holder alone, so the driver orders that copy and hands it over.
- What if a new driver was licensed in another state?
- Pull the record from every state that licensed them during your look-back period. A record from the current state can miss violations issued elsewhere. Carriers under federal driver qualification rules get 30 days from the hire date to gather records from all states that licensed the driver over the prior three years.
- Is an MVR the same as a criminal background check?
- No. The MVR covers driving history from the licensing agency. Brokers and states require criminal checks separately: Louisiana, for example, requires both a driving record limit and a criminal history check every year through the Louisiana State Police, an LSP-approved agency, or the FBI.
