What are the recordkeeping requirements?

- Carriers are always responsible for documentation, even if a third party makes an error.
Motor carriers must keep numerous records to document compliance with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs). Though the regulations specify which records must be kept, such as drivers’ logs, insurance documents, and medical certificates, they do not specify where or how they must be kept. Unless a regulation specifies a different location, required records can be kept:
- At a company’s principal place of business,
- At a regional office,
- At a driver work-reporting location, or
- At the offices of a third party.
Records must be made available to an authorized Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator (FMCSA) inspector within 48 hours after a request is made. This timeframe does not include weekends or federal holidays.
If a third party is hired to maintain a carrier’s documents, liability for the condition of those records always falls to the carrier. If the third party loses a record or fails to deliver a record to an FMCSA auditor, the carrier will pay the penalty.