The most expensive motor vehicle record (MVR) state fee in the U.S., as of August 2025, is $27.50 in Oklahoma. With trucking companies continuing to grow, commercial auto insurers face a confluence of obstacles, including record MVR costs, growing risk pools and profitability concerns.
As policyholders increase their driver roster, insurers’ MVR costs also increase. While annual MVR pulls have historically been used to assess risk, they can also unintentionally create dangerous visibility gaps that can last up to 364 days, leaving insurers exposed to risks they can’t anticipate.
The risk environment is evolving, and insurers can no longer rely on annual MVR reviews, which are often insufficient, to price or assess critical driver risk events. Our argument in this article isn’t whether MVRs have value; it’s whether these snapshots in time are sufficient to provide the necessary visibility to underwriters to price risk accurately in a world where driving patterns and fleet operations change constantly.
Traditional MVR pulls create a timing problem that undermines the commercial auto underwriting process. They’re essentially making 12-month risk assessments based on historical data that may be months old by the time violations are reported to state DMVs.
For example, suppose a fleet driver receives a moving violation for speeding in January. In that case, that violation may not appear on their driving record until May or June, depending on the state’s court processing times and reporting delays. If their insurer didn’t pull the MVR for that driver roster until February at an annual review, the violation wouldn’t show up until the following year’s review, creating an 11-month gap between the risk event and insurance recognition.
The scenario we’ve just laid out highlights the gap in visibility that has real financial consequences for the commercial auto insurer and the fleet itself. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports 32.3% of drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2023 had previous convictions on their driving records. Yet, 59.2% had no prior convictions recorded at all.
The contrast is noteworthy, highlighting how traditional record-keeping systems can fail to capture the full scope of driver risk. Annual MVR pulls compound this problem by creating additional gaps in visibility.
Fleet managers understand this gap intimately. In our 2024 Telematics Report, we share that 51% of fleets plan to expand their telematics devices or providers over the next 12 months, emphasizing how fleets recognize that continuous driver monitoring can provide ongoing insights necessary for risk management.
The disconnect emerges when their commercial auto insurer relies on annual data snapshots that dictate underwriters’ pricing and coverage decisions. Today, insurers and their policyholders have a distinct advantage in the market due to the amount of accessible data and solutions that transform how they assess and respond to commercial auto risk.
For commercial auto insurers, dynamic insurance risk scoring is key to moving from lagging to leading risk indicators. Unlike traditional MVRs, which typically report on what has already happened, continuous monitoring systems capture changes in driver behavior. This empowers underwriters to price accurately and equips loss control with the insights needed to offer policyholders safety programs and targeted training.
The modern technologies that power continuous monitoring and telematics offer several advantages for commercial auto insurers over annual or sporadic MVR pulls used for underwriting or loss control practices. These advantages include:
While the advantages of this technology are clear, implementing it requires a deep understanding of how it transforms day-to-day operations for loss control teams.
For underwriters and loss control professionals, the shift from annual MVR pulls to continuous monitoring represents a fundamental change in how loss control teams approach risk management. Instead of waiting for annual reviews to identify problem drivers across an insurer’s book, continuous systems and telematics data enable immediate identification and intervention.
The operational benefits directly impact loss control’s daily workflow. Traditional loss control often relies heavily on post-incident analysis and reactive training programs. Continuous monitoring flips this model to provide early warning systems that identify risky drivers before they impact loss ratios.
Modern risk scoring and monitoring platforms are designed to integrate with standard commercial lines workflows, providing automated risk scoring that supplements existing rating processes. By aligning your underwriting and loss control practices with existing fleet management requirements, insurers create operational alignment instead of adding administrative burden for their insured.
Beyond operational improvements, continuous MVR, CSA and telematics monitoring creates significant competitive advantages that early adopters can leverage to capture market share and improve client relationships.
For underwriters and loss control teams, the shift from annual MVR pulls to continuous monitoring creates competitive advantages that directly impact policyholder performance and client relationships.
Account retention becomes a natural outcome of proactive risk management. When an insurer can identify and address driver issues before they become claims, fleet operators see direct value in the underwriting relationship beyond simple coverage. This consultative approach builds stronger client relationships and reduces price-based competition at renewal.
When policies are priced more accurately, commercial auto insurers can expect profitability and lower loss ratios. Dynamic insurance risk scoring enables more accurate risk segmentation and allows insurers to offer competitive rates to low-risk accounts while appropriately pricing higher-risk exposures. This precision is valuable in competitive markets where traditional rating factors fail to differentiate low-risk operations.
Annual MVR snapshots won’t be enough to cover the vast risk landscape that is unfolding. The market is moving toward continuous risk monitoring, and with the right technology infrastructure, underwriters and loss control teams work to boost profitability across the entire policyholder lifecycle.
Ready to explore how continuous monitoring can transform your commercial auto risk assessment?