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DOT Compliance Checkup
Know which records need attention before you go looking for them during an audit.
Enter your fleet size, then tell us what is current, missing or still needs checking. Your answers stay in this page and are not saved or uploaded.
How the checkup works
For example, if your selected categories contain 40 record items and you report 30 as current, the record-readiness result is 75%. The remaining 10 need attention or verification. This describes your answers, not a government audit score.
Start with the documents you can actually find. Count an unknown item as unknown instead of assuming it is current. Then use the result to decide which driver or vehicle file to open first.
Need a working list? Download the driver-file checklist or maintenance log.
Record readiness is the number of checks you mark current divided by all selected checks, rounded to a whole percentage. Unknown records stay in the denominator. Categories are counted equally per driver or unit; the score does not weight legal or safety severity.
This is a starting point for reviewing common driver and vehicle records, not a complete DOT compliance assessment. Exclude a category only when it does not apply to your operation. Hours of service, drug and alcohol programs, Clearinghouse queries, operating authority, insurance and other requirements are outside this score.
Use your records or spreadsheet to answer. This first version does not accept spreadsheet uploads or inspect documents.
Read our DOT compliance checklist and driver qualification file guide. For official guidance, see the FMCSA Motor Carrier Safety Planner.
What each category covers
Driver qualification files. The file you keep for every driver under 49 CFR 391.51: the application, the driving records obtained at hiring, the road test certificate and the rest. Count a file as current only when every record that applies to that driver is in it.
Medical qualification evidence. A current medical examiner's certificate, or for CDL holders the state record showing medical certification status. Count it current only if it hasn't expired.
Annual driving-record reviews. Each year you request every driver's driving record and review it. The inquiry and the review are separate records, so a driving record on file without a review note isn't current yet.
Periodic vehicle inspection records. Each truck, trailer and dolly needs an inspection at least once every twelve months under §396.17. Count a unit current if its latest inspection report is less than a year old and you can find it.
Maintenance records. For each vehicle you've controlled for 30 consecutive days or more, a record of its identity, the work due and the inspections, repairs and maintenance done (§396.3). Count it current if you could hand over that history today.
Reading your result
The percentage is only as good as the counting behind it. A high score with lots of unknowns means you haven't looked yet, not that the files are fine. Two things to check first:
- Unknowns. Every unknown is a file to open. Turn each one into current or needs attention before you trust the score.
- Which records are behind. Ten missing maintenance entries and one expired medical certificate aren't the same problem. Start with anything that could stop a driver or a truck working.
A first-week plan
- Day 1: list every driver and unit, and note which categories apply to each.
- Day 2: check medical certificates and put every expiration date on a calendar.
- Day 3: find each driver's latest annual review and note any that are overdue.
- Day 4: gather the latest annual inspection report for every unit.
- Day 5: run the checkup again with the unknowns resolved and compare.
Doing this every quarter keeps the numbers honest. Ledger Road keeps the same records organized by driver and unit and warns you before each date comes up.