The simple fact: Accidents can be very costly. To prevent them—and other high-ticket fines and violations—you want to ensure that you have the very best drivers operating for your company.
This is why Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) Monitoring is so essential. Read on to learn more about how MVR Monitoring can help protect your business and your drivers.
The High Cost of Accidents
Statistics show that the fleet accident rate is about 20 percent annually—which means that one-fifth of drivers on the road are likely to get into a crash or serious accident this year alone (or may have already).
As we mentioned, accidents can be extremely costly for motor carriers on a number of fronts. And as the severity goes up, so, naturally, does the cost. According to the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS):
- The average cost of a car crash with just property damage (or what’s known as a “bent metal” crash) is $5,800.
- The average cost of a crash with non-fatal injuries jumps to $64,000.
- The average cost of a car crash with fatalities is upwards of $671,000.
NETS also reports that the total cost of crashes to employers was $25.17 billion for on-the-job crashes, and that 155,000 missed days of work resulted from on-the-job crashes.
Added to that is the lost money and invaluable time should you have to pull one of your drivers from the road and seek out a temporary or permanent replacement until they complete the return-to-duty process.
Also, your insurance premiums can go up, your hard-earned partners and customers may be hesitant to work with you, and in the case of DOT-regulated businesses, your company’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) score could be seriously impacted. Depending on the severity (and number) of offense(s), you could even be hit with a Conditional or Unsatisfactory rating. Not only is this incredibly costly, but it can involve a long road to recovery as you take corrective action.
Background on MVRs and How MVR Monitoring Works
An MVR background check is a report of a person’s driving history that includes such information as license status and class, endorsements, restrictions, traffic violations, accidents, vehicular crimes, suspensions, and even unpaid parking tickets.
If you’re a DOT-regulated business, you already pull a driver’s MVR during the pre-employment phase to help measure the suitability and safety of candidates. Much like a DOT background check or criminal background check falling under the purview of the Fair Reporting Act, this simply makes sense to help you make the most informed hiring decisions possible.
Looking for DOT Compliant MVRs? Foley Can Help
But how does MVR Monitoring work? At Good Egg, we run an initial MVR background check to establish a baseline. Then we continuously monitor the driver’s MVR on a regular basis. So, whenever new information goes on a driver’s MVR, we get what we call a “ping” or a “hit.” When receiving a ping, we pull the driver’s MVR, check it for errors, and immediately alert you so that you can take preventative action.
These hits could include a wide range of situations both good and bad. Examples can include:
- Accidents
- DUIs
- Speeding tickets or other motor vehicle violations or convictions
- CDL suspensions or revocations
- Safety violations
- Medical certificate downgrades
- Driver renewal or update to his or her medical certificate or CDL
In monitoring MVRs, Good Egg provides you with a secure, dedicated online portal that can be accessed anywhere via phone, tablet, or computer. All drivers are enrolled and continuously monitored, and you receive real-time e-notifications whenever new information is detected.
How MVR Monitoring Lowers Accident Risk
Many businesses that hire drivers still only follow the minimum federal regulation by performing pre-employment MVR pulls and annual pulls on a driver’s employment anniversary.
But ultimately, that’s not enough. The challenge is that potential issues could come up between an initial check and an annual report pull, then again between your regular annual checks. The simple fact is you can’t always rely on drivers to self-report, whether because they’re withholding information or because they simply forgot about the instance or the need to report it.
There are many violations that an unsafe driver can rack up. The Department of Transportation reports these as the top violations for commercial motor vehicles:
- Moving violations: Speeding; following too closely; improper lane changing; reckless driving; improper turning; failure to yield to right of way; railroad grade crossing violations; and failure to obey traffic control devices.
- Driving with a suspended or revoked license.
- Not having a current medical certificate.
- Driving under the influence of drugs or while in possession of an intoxicating substance.
- Failing to use a seat belt.
- Using a hand-held device.
- Having an unauthorized passenger on board.
- Failing to conduct pre-trip inspections.
- Failing to use/improper placement of warning devices.
The cost of such violations can be steep—thousands of dollars per infraction.
But by continuously monitoring MVRs, you have a powerful tool to help identify risky behaviors, (ideally) correct them—or immediately remove dangerous drivers from the road—and avoid such costly liabilities. The process can help you identify problems more quickly, address concerns, and (if necessary), establish corrective action plans before out-of-service issues arise and you are hit with serious violations or fines.
Simply put: Your bottom line and fleet safety are improved, as is the safety of other motorists.
Interested in learning more about Good Egg’s full suite of background check and compliance services? Contact us today!
