Guides
What the rules ask you to keep
Driver files, inspection reports, retention periods, audits. Each guide answers one question and points at the paragraph it comes from.
Records and files
Annual MVR Review Requirements
Understand the annual driving-record inquiry and review, what to record, and how to track follow-up without confusing an MVR with its review.
Roadside inspection report corrections and DataQs requests
Organize roadside inspection findings, correction evidence and the report response, plus when to challenge a record through FMCSA DataQs.
DOT drug and alcohol testing requirements for CDL drivers
Who must be tested, the six DOT test types, random testing rates, the owner-operator consortium rule and how long to keep drug and alcohol records.
What goes in a driver qualification file
The documents a DQ file must hold under 49 CFR 391.51, what is optional, when each item can be removed, and the mistakes that show up in reviews.
DOT compliance and audit checklist for trucking companies
A printable DOT compliance and audit checklist for trucking companies: driver files, inspections, maintenance, testing, Clearinghouse and yearly tasks.
DOT record keeping requirements and retention schedule
DOT record keeping requirements in one table: how long carriers keep DQ files, DVIRs, inspections, maintenance, HOS and drug-testing records.
DVIR requirements: when a report is required and what it must contain
When 49 CFR 396.11 requires a driver vehicle inspection report, the eleven items it must cover, who signs, what happens to defects, and how long to keep it.
Medical certificate expiry: the rules and the common mistakes
How long a DOT medical certificate lasts, what changed for CDL drivers in June 2025, the exemption running to October 2026, and what carriers must keep.
Audits and queries
New Entrant Safety Audit Checklist
Prepare for a new entrant safety audit with a practical document checklist, record checks and steps for responding to an FMCSA request.
CSA scores explained: the BASICs, percentiles and DataQs
How FMCSA's Safety Measurement System turns inspections and crashes into CSA percentiles, what the seven BASICs cover and how to challenge an inspection record.
Annual Clearinghouse query requirements
Learn who needs an annual FMCSA Clearinghouse query, how the 12 months are counted, when a full query is required and what records to keep.
DOT audit requirements, triggers and what to expect
Understand DOT audit requirements, what triggers an FMCSA review, the records investigators request and how a carrier safety rating is decided.
Choosing a system
Spreadsheet vs software for DOT compliance
When a spreadsheet is genuinely enough for DOT records, when it stops being enough, and what to check before paying for compliance software.
What to look for in DOT compliance software
Eleven questions to ask before paying for DOT compliance software: retention clocks, export without a login, one clock per unit, and what it should not do.
Ready to stop guessing?
Pick a plan and put your first driver in. Setup takes an afternoon.