Pre-Employment Screening Program 2014 Report

1. INSIDE
Pre-Employment Screening Program ANNUAL REPORT 2014
Maturing Audit Process
Touts Impressive Results............... 2
PSP Customer Service
Team Earns Another Award........... 3
PSP Education for
Drivers and Carriers....................... 3
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PSP Enhancements
Launched
n August, FMCSA’s adjudicated citation policy
went into effect. As a result, the PSP record
was enhanced to reflect the new policy. The FMCSA,
NIC, and Volpe teams worked together closely to
verify that changes to the MCMIS data feed and PSP
record were planned, tested, and implemented
successfully and on schedule.
Many PSP account holders choose to auto-
matically receive their PSP records through
Web service requests. Therefore, NIC worked
with each Web service user to ready them for
the receipt of new adjudicated citation data.
To prepare account holders, NIC launched an
education campaign that included webinars,
emails and letters, and individual testing efforts
with each account holder.
NIC and FMCSA also worked together closely
on a communications plan to help all PSP users
understand the new policy. New frequently
I
t was another busy and productive year for the Pre-Employment Screening
Program (PSP). In 2014 the NIC and FMCSA teams celebrated various accomplish-
ments including enhancing the PSP website, completing year one of the FMCSA
Continuous Monitoring Program, and being honored with several awards!
In October, FMCSA was named “Collaborator” of the year at the GovDelivery
Outreach & Impact Awards, which recognize the best in public sector communications
efforts. Shashunga Clayton and Jeff Secrist accepted the award for FMCSA. The win
was based on extensive education and outreach campaigns that have resulted in PSP’s
impressive growth: since 2010, account holders have increased 1,800 percent, and PSP
now has more than 40,000 individual users!
Collaboration between the PSP and FMCSA teams was also the key to success in the
full redesign of the PSP site in accordance with the new and improved FMCSA Web
standards. Martin Erb was particularly helpful during the relaunch process, verifying
that the FMCSA and NIC redesign efforts were closely coordinated. The teams’ hard
work paid off, and both the PSP and FMCSA sites debuted their brand-new look on
April 1. Jeremy Decker of Mennel Milling shared feedback on the new site: “I used the
PSP website this week and liked the changes that have been made! The site is easier to
FMCSA Wins Collaborator of
the Year for Pre-Employment
Screening ProgramI
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2. 2 | PSP ANNUAL REPORT 2014
Maturing Audit
Process Touts
Impressive Results
n accordance with federal law, PSP account
holders must receive a driver’s written
consent prior to requesting their PSP record. Each
month, the NIC PSP team conducts audits on
behalf of FMCSA to verify that account holders can
demonstrate the consent was obtained.
During an audit, account holders are randomly
selected to submit specific driver consent forms.
Each submission is carefully reviewed to confirm
that it meets agency standards.
The majority of account holders — 97
percent — successfully produce a driver
consent form. The PSP customer service team
has a phone consultation with those who do not
pass the audit, educating them on the agency-
approved
method for gath-
ering consent.
In the majority
of cases, the
account holders
who didn’t
“pass” the audit
did capture the
driver consent, but used an outdated version
of the FMCSA consent form. The PSP customer
service team works with these companies to
make sure they update their form.
Each audit failure results in a penalty. Compa-
nies failing audits are automatically included in
an upcoming audit. This ensures that they have
corrected their processes and comply with the
driver consent standards. After receiving the
one-on-one outreach from the customer service
team, 87 percent of customers pass their follow-
up audit. Companies that repeatedly fail audits
eventually become suspended and terminated
from using PSP.
navigate and more user-friendly. Our company relies on PSP for hiring safe drivers. It’s
great to see the constant improvements to the program!”
During the relaunch, the NIC team ensured the website continued to be fully respon-
sive. Users can visit the PSP site from any device – such as a tablet, mobile device,
or laptop – and the site automatically adjusts according to the user’s screen size and
browser. PSP’s responsive design makes it easy for carriers and drivers to access PSP
records on the go.
Top priority is placed on PSP security and privacy. In 2014, a significant project
evaluated PSP against the security and privacy controls detailed in the DOT Continuous
Monitoring Program (CMP). Findings of the assessment were presented to the FMCSA
Privacy and Security teams in August, and PSP earned its Authority to Operate (ATO)
through mid-2015. A special thanks goes to Jeff Secrist, Vivian Oliver, Bunmi Ogunlade,
Elizabeth Varghese, Pam Gosier-Cox, and Shannon DiMartino for help navigating the
complex and dynamic CMP process. n
Collaborator of the Year! Back Row, L-R: Ilya Krifman, James Hill, Jeff Secrist. Front Row,
L-R: Laura Fredrickson, Elizabeth Pemmerl, Shashunga Clayton.
I
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FMCSA Wins Collaborator of the Year
for Pre-Employment Screening Program
asked questions (FAQs) were added to the PSP website and NIC generated emails
for all current account holders. Overall, the rollout was seamless, and the proactive,
detailed communication helped decrease calls and emails to both the FMCSA and PSP
customer service teams!
NIC also helped to spread the word about the new policy at various events, such as
the National Private Truck Council (NPTC) annual safety meeting. “We want to thank
NIC for your participation as a speaker at the 2014 National Safety Conference,” said
Garry Petty, NPTC President and CEO. “Thanks [for] your contribution and insightful
presentation. We look forward to working with you again at future NPTC events.” n
PSP Enhancements Launched
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3. PSP ANNUAL REPORT 2014 | 3
PSP Customer Service Team Earns Another Award
he PSP customer service team
continued its great work assisting
drivers, carriers, and industry service
provider users during the year. The number
of PSP accounts grew to more than 11,000;
driver record requests increased 18 percent
compared to 2013; and users visited the
website an unprecedented 67,000 times
per month, on average! This means the PSP
customer service team receives thousands
of phone calls and emails during the year.
In 2014, the average call wait time remained
less than 30 seconds, and the customer
service team responded to almost all emails
on the same business day. In recognition
of these strong metrics, the PSP customer
service team was awarded the Bronze
Stevie Award for the Contact Center Team
of the Year in 2014.
To support the growing user base of
more than 40,000 individual users, the
five-member customer service team
collaborates with PSP software developers
to continuously improve the self-service
options available on the PSP site. For
example, a “live chat” platform was inte-
grated into high-traffic areas of the PSP
website. This service allows users to quickly
and easily get in touch with a customer
service representative via an instant
message chat box. Since chat implemen-
tation, call volumes have decreased 40
percent compared to the same period in
2013. PSP users rave about the chat option.
Charukeshi Chogal from M&M Carriers
summed up the experience: “[Live chat
is an] excellent service. Helpful and to
the point. It’s a nice addition to the PSP
program … online chat is the way to go.”
T
PSP customer service team displaying its Stevie Award for Contact Center Team of the Year. Back Row, L-R:
Allison Krones, Joan Kalvaitis, Madeleine Estevez. Front Row, L-R: Shanda Goulbourne, Robin Grant.
NIC
participates in numerous events each year to
spread the message about PSP and to encourage
truck and bus companies to enroll in the
program. In 2014, outreach focused on explaining how the adjudi-
cated citations policy impacts PSP, sharing the great results of the
PSP Safety Impact Analysis study, and participating in FMCSA’s “Get
Road Smart” campaign.
NIC was invited by FMCSA to assist in manning the Get Road Smart
booth at the Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS) and the Great Amer-
ican Trucking Show (GATS). While FMCSA representatives fielded
questions about CSA and the National Registry of Certified Medical
Examiners, the NIC team helped with specific inquiries about PSP.
This joint approach made it easy for drivers to get all of their ques-
tions answered from seasoned experts in each program area.
The NIC team also attended meetings of the National Association of
Professional Background Screeners, American Trucking Associations’ Safety
Management Council, American Bus Association’s Bus Industry Safety
Council, National Private Truck Council, National Association of Chemical
Distributors, Association of Equipment Manufacturers, and many state
trucking and bus associations. At each event, NIC’s team was able to share
information and promote the program’s exciting positive impact on safety
while gathering feedback to make the program even better! n
PSP Education for Drivers and Carriers

4. Insights is published by NIC Technologies.
Your questions and comments are welcome. Please contact us at:
4601 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 1160 | Arlington, VA 22203
(877) 642-9499
www.psp.fmcsa.dot.gov© 2014 Trozzolo.com
NIC
believes that the success of PSP is built upon our
employees’ well-being and dedication to their work,
their colleagues, and their community. As a result,
our team participated in many activities during the year, from the Crystal
City 5K Friday race to our annual ArtJamz summer painting party.
Throughout the year, NIC gives back to the greater Washington,
D.C. community. NIC provided financial support, food donations, and
warehouse help to the Arlington Food Assistance Center each quarter,
helping to put food on the tables of our community’s most needy families.
Proximity to our nation’s capital has allowed us to focus on several unique
veterans’ events. Our team was delighted to greet visiting WWII and
Korean War veterans as they arrived at Reagan National Airport through
the Honor Flight Network. In November, the NIC team participated in the
VIVA VETS! 5K run/walk for veterans, which NIC also sponsored. And,
in December, we remembered our nation’s heroes by laying wreaths at
Arlington National Cemetery as part of Wreaths Across America. n
NIC Honors Veterans,
the Community, and Each Other
NIC team members bagging tomatoes at the Arlington Food Assistance
Center, which currently serves 3,481 families. L-R: Megan Uhrich, Laura Groat
and Laura Fredrickson.
NIC team members and families celebrate a great race after the VIVA VETS!
5K for veterans.
Lisa Funkhouser greets an Honor Flight Veteran from Iowa.
As part of Wreaths Across America, NIC team members placed remembrance
wreaths on some of the 230,000 headstones at Arlington National Cemetery.