Section 391.51 of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations details what a driver qualification file must contain. The file must include:
- Application for employment (391.21);
- Initial 3-year motor vehicle record (MVR) from state(s) where driver was licensed (391.23(a)(1));
- Road test form and certificate (391.31(g)),
or a commercial driver’s license (CDL) or current road test certificate accepted in lieu of road test (391.33);
- Medical exam certificate (original or a copy) (391.43(g)), an MVR showing CDL driver’s medical certification status and self-certification information (391.23(m)), or the original of the written statement providing that the motor carrier determined the driver is not required by 391.44(d) to complete a road test pursuant to 391.44(d)(3)(ii)(A) and the original, or a copy, of the driver’s certification required by 391.44(d)(3)(i);
- Documentation that the medical examiner is listed on the National Registry (391.23(m)(1));
- Any documentation of a medical variance;
- Annual driving record (MVR) (391.25(a));
- Note relating to annual review of a driver’s safety record and violations (391.25(c)(2)); and
- Driver’s annual list or certificate* relating to violations of motor vehicle laws and ordinances (391.27).
*Effective May 9, 2022, carriers are no longer required to request the Record of Violations (annual list of violations) from drivers. However, motor carriers must retain list of violation documents collected before the effective date for three years from the document date, unless otherwise clarified by FMCSA. May 9, 2025, and later, there are no list of violations required to be in the DQ file that were received from drivers May, 8, 2022, and prior.