Driver Risk Management 101: Top Benefits and Strategies
Learn how adapting driver risk management strategies can transform reactive fleet safety practices into proactive, data-driven programs, including benefits and key components.
Driver risk management is the exercise of monitoring and then mitigating an assortment of risks associated with professional drivers and fleets. The goal of driver risk management is to identify risk trends, ensure compliance, potentially reduce costs, and promote road safety for everyone. It’s important to understand the components of a solid program, plus how it can benefit your business as a whole.
5 Benefits of a Strong Driver Risk Management Program
Managing driver risk within your organization isn’t about checking a box; it’s about reducing risk and building a safer, more reliable fleet. A robust DRM program can have far-reaching effects on safety, finance, compliance, and even business reputation. A thoughtful approach to driver risk management can help support:
Reduced Liability
Safeguarded Brand Reputation and Customer Trust
Financial Benefits
Compliance Pursuit
Increased Driver Retention and Engagement
With the commitment to workforce growth, enhancing background screening programs beyond regulatory requirements and streamlining processes with continuous monitoring is necessary. Continuous monitoring for a fleet of drivers moves beyond just annual reviews and into more regular checks that produce digestible insights that decision makers can confidently rely on.
Core Components of a Driver Risk Management Solution
HireRight has partnered with SambaSafety to offer a comprehensive suite of driver risk management solutions.
Driver License Monitoring
Driver license monitoring is the ongoing review of new driving violations, DUI/DWI convictions, invalid licenses, and approaching license or medical certification expirations, where available. Relying on just self-reports from employees or just MVR reviews to identify a citation or offense can be risky.
Telematics Data
Telematics data is a combination of telecommunications and informatics sourced from devices installed into fleet vehicles. The devices can track data like location, speed, harsh braking, and distracted driving to help organizations monitor their fleet and driver safety. Telematics data aggregation means bringing multiple telematics sources into one centralized view for organizations to easily identify unsafe behaviors, risk trends, and then make strategic decisions with complete visibility.
CSA Score Monitoring
Compliance, Safety, and Accountability (CSA) scores are public safety metrics assigned to organizations by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Based on a 0-100 percentile scale, the score summarizes a driver's actions and data based on roadside inspections and crashes, collected over a 24-month window.
Driver Training and Education
Driver training and education allow for ongoing support for drivers through online courses. With a suite of courses available, organizations can use driver insights and other risk factors to direct individuals to specific and applicable training courses. Employers can assign, monitor, and track driver training from one dashboard.
Advanced Analytics
Advanced analytics in a driver license monitoring program are meant to help organizations gain a better understanding of overall risk by adding more metrics of information to the monitoring solution. The addition of advanced analytics can include activity monitoring of camera violations, coaching sessions, crash and claim data, employee self-reports, third-party reports, and more.
HireRight + Samba Safety
With HireRight and SambaSafety’s partnership, customers have access to a suite of background screening tools, driver risk management tools, and a library of resources for employers and drivers. Customers can choose from flexible subscription packages to customize their driver risk management solution, helping build confidence in managing risk behind the wheel.
Driver safety and risk management aren’t to be taken lightly, and failing to establish a complete picture of your program can leave expensive blind spots. Choosing to only review motor vehicle records, implement continuous MVR monitoring, or just tracking telematics data is a traditional but outdated approach. Instead, this new era of risk management calls for a more holistic approach that involves layers of these different strategies at once.
Want to learn more about how to minimize these blind spots? Download our eBook covering all things Driver Risk Management.
Release Date: February 23, 2026
HireRight
HireRight is a leading provider of on-demand employment background checks, drug and health screening, and electronic Form I-9 and E-Verify solutions that help employers automate, manage and control background screening and related programs.
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Motor Vehicle Records Check
Comprehensive State Department of Motor Vehicle Driving Records.
Driver Record Monitoring
Proactive monitoring of driver motor vehicle records provides notifications on new suspensions/violations.
DOT Employment Verification
Previous employment verifications can be used to help fulfill the FMCSA requirement for prospective drivers.
DOT Drug & Alcohol Verification
Helps facilitate compliance with DOT requirements for pre-employment and annual drug and alcohol history verifications.
Pre-employment Screening Program (PSP)
Pre-employment report contains five-year crash data and three-year roadside inspection histories.
CDLIS+
Checks CDLIS database to verify a driver’s current CDL and up to three prior licenses held.
Driver Qualification File (DQF) Management
Automates the DOT driver qualification file management requirement and provides simplified analysis and reporting.
Aviation Solutions
Aviation screening services to help facilitate compliance with PRIA, FAA, TSA, and DOT regulations.
Drug & Alcohol Testing
Comprehensive instant and lab-based testing options for pre-employment and ongoing screening needs.
Occupational Health Services
Pre-employment and ongoing occupational health services for companies in regulated and non-regulated industries.