Driver qualification file: what goes in it and how long to keep it
A driver qualification file, or DQ file, is the record a motor carrier keeps for each driver to show they're qualified to drive. The rule is 49 CFR 391.51, and the file can be part of the driver's personnel file.
| Item | Rule |
|---|---|
| Application for employment | 391.21 |
| Motor vehicle record from each licensing authority, pulled at hiring | 391.23(a)(1) |
| Road test certificate, or the license or certificate accepted in its place | 391.31(e), 391.33 |
| Motor vehicle record from the yearly inquiry | 391.25(a) |
| Note of the yearly driving record review, with reviewer and date | 391.25(c)(2) |
| Medical examiner's certificate; for CDL holders, the CDLIS motor vehicle record when it shows medical status | 391.43(g), 391.51(b)(6) |
| Medical variance documents, when the certificate depends on one | 391.51(b)(6)(iii) |
| Skill Performance Evaluation certificate or Medical Exemption, when used | 391.49, part 381 |
| Note that the medical examiner is on the National Registry (drivers without a CDL) | 391.23(m)(1) |
How long to keep it
For as long as the driver works for you, and three years after. Some items can come out three years after they were made: the yearly motor vehicle records and review notes, medical certificates and CDLIS records, variances, SPE certificates and exemption letters, and the National Registry note.
The medical exam: 24 months, sometimes 12
A driver needs a medical exam and certificate if they haven't been examined and certified in the preceding 24 months (391.45(b)). Some drivers go on a 12-month cycle: drivers with insulin-treated diabetes certified under 391.46, drivers certified under the vision rule in 391.44, and drivers limited to an exempt intracity zone. A driver whose ability to do the job has been hurt by an injury or illness has to be examined again.
The yearly driving record check
At least once every 12 months, request each driver's motor vehicle record from every state where they held a commercial license in that time, covering at least the last 12 months. Then review it. The review weighs the driver's accidents and violations, with extra weight on things like speeding, reckless driving and driving under the influence. Keep the record, plus a note with the reviewer's name and the date, in the file (391.25).
Where the dates slip
The file itself is paperwork. The dates are what slip: a medical certificate, a CDL, the yearly record review. Put each date where someone looks every week, and give yourself a month's warning.
Driver files in Magnus Fleet
CDL and medical card dates turn orange 30 days out and red once they pass. Each driver's file keeps the CDL number, state and class, endorsements, last drug and alcohol tests, last record review, road test date, documents, incidents and signed warnings.
Book a DemoRule text: 49 CFR 391.25, 391.45 and 391.51, read November 14, 2026. Check the current eCFR before you rely on it for compliance.