Upon being audited one of the first things an inspector will want to see is a companies driver qualification (DQ) files. There is a good reason for this; it is typically the place where they can find the highest violation rate among carriers. Why is this, they tell you exactly what needs to go it these files so why is it so hard to get it right?
DQ files are a labor intensive administrative task that rarely is done by a person that understands the importance, or the procedures that need to go into these federally required files. Steps are often overlooked either because the person doing them doesn’t know it needs to be done, or because they have a dispatch department telling them that they have to have drivers to cover the next ride.
Here is a DQ File Checklist to help you know what needs to be in a DQ file and at what point in the hiring process it need to be done before a driver can get behind the wheel?
BEFORE HIRE
- 391.23 Applicant was notified of their rights concerning Safety Performance History
PRIOR TO BEGINNING BACKGROUND CHECK
- Applicant signed Fair Credit Reporting Act Disclosure*
BEFORE APPLICANT COMPLETES FIRST SAFETY SENSITIVE FUNCTION
- 391.21 Completed Driver Specific Application
- Receipt of Substance Abuse Policy – Prior to testing (CDL)
- Negative Pre-employment Drug Screen Results Received (CDL)
- Certification that the Applicant Did Not Fail or Refuse Any Drug or Alcohol Screening for a Company They Did Not Become Employed By Within the Last Two Years (CDL)
- 391.31 OR 391.33(a)(1) Certificate Road Test or Copy of Driver CDL
- 380.509(b) Entry Level Driver Training Certificate if the driver is a new CDL 380.509(b)
- 391.43 Copy of the Driver’s Current Medical Card
- 391.11 AND 391.13 Certify the Applicant’s Qualification
- Verify that the driver was certified by a medical examiner listed on the National Registry
- Driver Certification of Last 7 Days of Duty Status*
WITHIN 30 DAYS OF EMPLOYMENT
- 391.23 MVR from Every State Driver has been Licensed in over the Last Three Years
- Written Authorization to Obtain Drug and Alcohol History*
- 391.53 Safety Performance History or Good Faith Effort for all DOT-Regulated Employers over the Last Three Years
EVERY YEAR
- 391.25 Obtain MVR for the last 12 months
- 391.27 Driver Certification of Traffic Convictions
- 391.25 Annual Review of Driver Qualification
All DQ files must be maintained for 3 years after the driver leaves the company.
Contact us to make sure all of your DQ files are always done correctly.
