Before the driver's first dispatch
- Employment application covering 3 years of address and 10 years of employment history (391.21).
- Copy of the current CDL, correct class and endorsements.
- Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) from every state licensed in the last 3 years, pulled within 30 days of hire (391.23).
- Road test and certificate, or an acceptable equivalency certificate (391.31).
- Medical Examiner's Certificate from a certified examiner on the National Registry (391.43).
- Safety Performance History requests sent to all DOT-regulated employers from the last 3 years (391.23(d)) — keep proof you sent them even if nobody answers.
- Pre-employment drug test with a verified negative result before performing safety-sensitive functions.
- FMCSA Clearinghouse full query with written driver consent.
Recurring items
| Document | Frequency |
|---|---|
| MVR review | Every 12 months |
| Annual Certificate of Violations / review of driving record | Every 12 months |
| Clearinghouse limited query | Every 12 months per driver |
| Medical certificate renewal | Per examiner (max 24 months, often 12 or less) |
| Random drug testing pool participation | Continuous |
Retention rules
Keep the DQ file for the entire period of employment plus three years after the driver leaves. Drug and alcohol records live in a separate, confidential file — never inside the DQ file — because different people are allowed to see them.
Owner-operators leased to your authority still need a full DQ file. So do you, if you drive your own truck.
Questions people ask
- Do I need a DQ file for myself as the owner?
- Yes, if you operate a commercial motor vehicle. Auditors check the owner's file first because it is the one most often missing.
- What if a previous employer never responds to my safety history request?
- Document the attempt: keep the dated request, the method used, and a note of the follow-up. Good-faith documented effort satisfies 391.23.