MVR is an acronym that is short for Motor Vehicle Report. The logic in conducting an MVR background check is to determine whether a potential hire or volunteer addition to your team is trustworthy and meritorious. If you own, manage, or hire for an organization of any type, you should run an MVR report on prospective additions to your team.

MVR Facts Hiring Managers Should Know

If you play even a minor role in choosing new hires, volunteers, or other additions to your organization, it is in your interest to push for an MVR for each candidate. MVR reports are obtained directly from the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles, or DMV. Each state has its own MVR nuances in terms of the length of driving records made available.

The MVR includes the following information and more:

• Driving infractions
• Restrictions
• Expiration date
• Date of issuance
• Driver/license status

Every business owner, hiring manager, and volunteer coordinator will take comfort in the fact that MVR reports are available for prospective hires and volunteers in each of the country’s states, including Washington, D.C.

MVRs Make Sense for Organizations of All Types and Sizes

There is a common misconception that a business should only obtain an MVR report when a candidate up for hire is under consideration for a role involving driving or motor vehicles. However, MVRs are also helpful in that they provide a look at a candidate’s driving record, giving a better sense of their character, respect for the law, and potential to make meaningful contributions in the context of transportation.

Keep in mind, even if the candidate you are considering for your business, school, YMCA, nonprofit group, park/rec department, or staffing firm will not immediately contribute behind the wheel, they have the potential to do so in the future. Run the MVR report along with a background check before extending an offer of employment or a volunteer position, and you’ll be able to select candidates without hesitation.

Recognize the Risk of Not Running the MVR Check

Failing to conduct an MVR check when reviewing applicants could subject your business to significant and completely unnecessary risk. Examples of such risks include:

• Potential litigation that results in a significant financial loss
• Damage to the company's reputation
• Physical damage to the property itself

The sad truth is employers, and other organizations have the potential to face legal liability for adding drivers who collide with pedestrians when driving vehicles owned by the business. This is just one example of potential legal liability that can arise when a business fails to perform its due diligence in the context of hiring, adding volunteers, or otherwise filling out its ranks.

Run a Background Check Before Extending an Offer

Your school, YMCA, staffing firm, volunteer group, or other organization needs and deserves the best and most trustworthy candidates. If you have any say over the hiring process, don’t allow your organization to add new contributors without vetting them with an MVR check, a criminal history search, a work background check, and more.

Our team is here to do the vetting for you. Reach out to us today at 704-439-3900 to find out more about our public records background checks.