Question: Does any state not check the NDR (National Driver Register)?
Answer: No, there is not any state that is not part of the National Driver Register (NDR). All states within the United States will check the NDR if you apply for or apply to renew a driver’s license.
In all states, when a person applies for a driver’s license, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) or state licensing agency must check the National Driver Register database to determine if the applicant has been identified as a problem driver in another state. If a match is found in NDR, state officials are directed to another state DMV system for details on the traffic conviction or status of the license.
The NDR database keeps information on drivers whose licenses have been revoked, suspended, canceled or denied, or convicted of serious traffic-related offenses. All 51 U.S. jurisdictions provide this information. If you have a hold on your license in one state, it will show up on the NDR when any other state checks it.
It is a federal requirement that the DMV check applicants against NDR. This federal government mandate intends to prevent problem drivers from shopping around for a license. National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) is the administrator of the NDR, and NHTSA doesn’t want a person to be able to go to a different state to get a new driver’s license when their current license has sanctions against it. Keeping problem drivers off the road is critical to the NHTSA’s goal of reducing highway fatalities and injuries.
The NDR contains a listing of names and related identification, provided by state licensing officials, of problem drivers whose driver’s licenses have been canceled, denied, revoked or suspended or contain convictions for serious traffic violations like a DUI.
How to check the NDR’s Problem Driver Pointer System
Since all 50 states within the United States (and the District of Columbia) look at the Problem Driver Pointer System and National Driver Register when a person applies for a driver’s license or is trying to renew a license, you will need to work out your problems, suspension in your case, with your current state to get a valid driver’s license again in your current state or any other state.
With a license suspension in one state, you should be listed on this national database. If you are curious about your status, input the following information into the PDPS site:
- Name
- Date of birth
- Gender
- Driver’s license number
- Reporting state
Typically, if your license is suspended in one state, you must correct the problem in that state and get that license reinstated before you apply and obtain a new driver’s license in another state. States will allow you to exchange an out-of-state license for a new one when you move to a state within the U.S., but the driver’s license you are turning in must be valid.
If your driver’s license was wrongfully suspended in your current state, work to get the suspension overturned or lifted. Once your driver’s license is no longer suspended, any hold on your license listed on the NDR should be taken off so that you can get a license in another state if you have moved.
Resources & Methodology
Sources:
U.S. Department of Transportation’s NHTSA. “National Driver Registry FAQ.” Accessed January 2023.
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