WASHINGTON The contractor administering the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Pre-Employment Screening Program, commonly called PSP, is beginning to enforce the programs required audit process.

The Pre-Employment Screening Program allows operators to obtain a prospective drivers crash and inspection history from the FMCSA Motor Carrier Management Information System.

Before accessing the system, operators must obtain a signed release form from the prospective driver they are checking, and companies must retain the form for three years.

PSP allows an operator to view five years of crash data and three years of inspection reports for a prospective driver. The program and its data are designed to help operators make better informed hiring decisions.

The FMCSA contractor, NIC Technologies, will begin checking with operators to make sure they have signed release forms for drivers they have run through the PSP system.

If a carrier is selected, NIC Technologies will ask the carrier to produce up to three specific release forms for drivers whose PSP records have been requested.

Failing an audit can result in losing access to the PSP system and other penalties.

Additional information can be found at http://www.psp.fmcsa.dot.gov/Pages/FAQ.aspx.

The United Motorcoach Association reminds operators that PSP searches are only allowed for prospective employees -- not current ones.

Under the PSP system, operators pay $10 for each requested driver history. An annual subscription fee of $100 also applies.

Carriers with fewer than 100 motorcoaches qualify for a discounted annual fee of $25 per year.

Individuals can request a personal driving history for a fee of $10. No subscription is necessary for individual drivers.