What paperwork can I reuse when a driver is rehired?

When a driver leaves a company and then returns, whether after one week or one year, there may be some items in his/her original Driver Qualification (DQ) or Driver Investigation History (DIH) file that can be reused, even though the DOT considers him/her to be a new hire.

The following items can be recycled from the old file:

1. Road test/certificate — If completed less than three years ago (see 391.33(a)(2)).
2. Medical certificate (for non-CDL drivers) — If still valid.
3. Safety performance histories from previous employers — If the information pertains to the three years that precede the rehire date. In other words, carriers don’t have to redo Safety Performance History record requests they’ve already completed, as long as those checks are compliant with current rules.)

Items that need to be re-created:

1. A new application needs to be completed using the rehire date as the point of reference. All employment while the driver was away must be listed, as well as dates previously employed by the motor carrier and anyone else who may fall within the three years from the rehire date. Violations, accidents, residences, etc., must be based on the rehire date.
2. A motor vehicle report (MVR) needs to be requested to coincide with the rehire date, to comply with 391.23. For CDL drivers, this new MVR will alert the carrier to any driver physicals performed during the absence, providing the driver turned in the medical examiner’s certificate.
3. Safety performance histories must be requested on any employment during the absence, and existing previous-employer investigations that were not done in compliance with the rules in 391.23 must be re-done for all DOT-regulated employers for the past 3 years from the rehire date.

If you require a new medical exam for the rehire or accept an exam performed during the absence, you would need a note indicating you verified the medical examiner appears on the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners for this most recent exam.

Documents from the driver’s original DQ or DIH file that are not reused must be retained in the same manner as if he/she never returned, the same as when anyone leaves employment (i.e., 3 years from date of termination). See 391.51(c) and 391.53.