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Free tool49 CFR §391.5117-item checklistPrintableUpdated July 2026

DQ File Completeness Checker

Run one driver through every line of 49 CFR §391.51 plus the Clearinghouse rules. Mark each document Present, Missing, or Not Applicable. Get a gap report you can hand to whoever owns the file (or print straight to PDF).

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License type

Present

0

Missing

17

Not applicable

0

Completion

0%

1 of 17

Driver's application for employment

49 CFR §391.21

Complete signed application listing employers for prior 3 years plus accident/violation history. The DQ file starts here.

2 of 17

Initial Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) inquiry to every state where driver held a license

49 CFR §391.23(a)(1)

Pulled within 30 days of hire from each state the driver has held a CDL in during the prior 3 years.

3 of 17

Previous-employer safety-performance inquiry

49 CFR §391.23(a)(2), (d)

Written request to every previous DOT-regulated employer in the past 3 years for drug/alcohol violations, accidents, and safety record.

4 of 17

Road test certificate (or accepted equivalent)

49 CFR §391.31

Either a Dockex-administered road test certificate or, for most CDL drivers, the CDL itself substitutes (§391.33). Document which.

5 of 17

Annual MVR review (most recent 12 months)

49 CFR §391.25

MVR pulled from every state the driver was licensed in during the past 12 months. Must be in file every year.

6 of 17

Annual driving-record review certification

49 CFR §391.25(c)(2)

Signed certification from the carrier (the safety official) that the annual MVR was reviewed and the driver was reassessed as qualified.

7 of 17

Driver's annual list of violations (or certification of no violations)

49 CFR §391.27

Driver-signed list of all moving violations in the past 12 months, even off-duty in a personal vehicle. Or a signed certification that none occurred.

8 of 17

Current medical examiner's certificate (or DOT exemption documentation)

49 CFR §391.43, §391.45

Must be current, typically issued for 24 months. CDL drivers' medical cert is also reported to the state; non-CDL still kept in file.

9 of 17

NRCME (National Registry) verification at time of medical exam

49 CFR §391.23(m)

Verification that the medical examiner who issued the cert is on the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners. Mandatory since 2014.

10 of 17

Note of medical card verification with the driver licensing state

49 CFR §391.51(b)(7)

For CDL drivers: documentation that the carrier verified the driver's medical card is on file with the state CDL agency.

11 of 17

Pre-employment FMCSA Clearinghouse query

49 CFR §382.701(a)

Full query run within 30 days of hire (or before driver performs safety-sensitive function). Driver must sign written consent.

12 of 17

Annual FMCSA Clearinghouse query (limited or full)

49 CFR §382.701(b)

Limited query is fine annually; full query needed when limited returns hits. Must be in file every year for every CDL driver.

13 of 17

Pre-employment drug test result (negative)

49 CFR §382.301

DOT drug test with negative result before driver performs safety-sensitive function. Kept in a separate testing file but referenced from DQ.

14 of 17

Alcohol testing records (random, reasonable-suspicion, post-accident, return-to-duty)

49 CFR §382.105 through §382.605

Maintained per program type. Records of testing performed on this driver, even if all negative.

Required for any CDL driver subject to D&A program

15 of 17

Skill Performance Evaluation (SPE) certificate

49 CFR §391.49

Federal certificate authorizing operation despite a fixed deficiency in a hand, arm, or leg. File only if driver has an SPE.

Only if driver has a physical-impairment SPE

16 of 17

Vision or diabetes federal exemption / waiver documentation

49 CFR §391.64

Federal vision or diabetes exemption letter, plus quarterly follow-up records. File only if driver operates under such an exemption.

Only if driver holds vision/diabetes exemption

17 of 17

Disqualification or out-of-service records

49 CFR §391.15

Documentation of any FMCSA or state disqualification of the driver, plus completion of any required disqualification period.

Only if driver has been disqualified at any point

DOCKEX

The reason this checker exists.

I built it so a small fleet could run one driver in 60 seconds. DOCKEX runs the same 17-item check across every driver in the fleet, tracks every expiration (medical card, annual MVR, annual Clearinghouse), alerts when a document is about to lapse, and surfaces gaps before the auditor does. Driver Qualification Files ship on every tier. 14-day trial, no credit card.

Auditors pull DQ files first during a Compliance Review. A missing annual MVR, expired medical certificate, or skipped Clearinghouse query is the kind of finding that walks a clean carrier into a conditional safety rating before anyone touches the trucks.

This checker covers all 17 items required by 49 CFR §391.51 plus §382.701 Clearinghouse and §382.301 pre-employment drug testing. Each item carries the exact regulatory citation, a one-line reason it matters, and a Present / Missing / Not Applicable toggle. Conditional items (SPE, vision/diabetes waiver, disqualification records) are clearly labeled so the gap math only counts what actually applies.

How the audit math actually works

FMCSA Compliance Reviews start with a sample of driver files. Auditors flag missing or expired documents as "acute" or "critical" violations depending on which item. An expired medical certificate (§391.45) is acute. A missing pre-employment Clearinghouse query (§382.701(a)) is critical. Each finding rolls up into a safety rating decision: Satisfactory, Conditional, or Unsatisfactory.

The audit-ready bar is: every applicable item present, every annual item current within 12 months, every medical item current within the certificate window (typically 24 months), every previous-employer inquiry on file within 30 days of hire.

For the deeper Clearinghouse walkthrough (queries, consent, what happens after a positive), see the FMCSA Clearinghouse compliance guide.

For the Oklahoma-specific checklist (state insurance minimums, MCS-150 biennial, IRP / IFTA filings), see the Oklahoma fleet compliance checklist.

Frequently asked questions

A driver qualification file is a federally required record that every motor carrier must maintain for each driver of a commercial motor vehicle. The contents are spelled out in 49 CFR §391.51 (and related sections for medical, drug & alcohol, and Clearinghouse). Auditors pull DQ files first during a Compliance Review.

Optional

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