← All lessons
Level 1: Getting started · Lesson 6 of 17

Drivers, trucks and the DOT

Before a driver can run, the driver and the truck both have to be legal. You won't run the safety department, but you'll be the first to notice when something is about to lapse, and you can't dispatch a driver who isn't qualified.

The driver needs a commercial driver's license (a Class A for a tractor-trailer) and a medical examiner's certificate, the 'med card', good for up to 24 months and often less for drivers with conditions like high blood pressure. Carriers keep a driver qualification file with the application, driving record (checked every year), med card and road test.

Drug and alcohol rules: drivers are tested before they're hired, at random through the year, after certain crashes and when there's reasonable suspicion. Carriers must check the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse before hiring a driver and at least once a year after. A driver with a violation can't drive until they finish the return-to-duty process.

The truck has to pass an annual inspection, and the driver inspects it before and after each trip. If the driver finds a defect, it goes on a driver vehicle inspection report (DVIR) and gets fixed or signed off before the truck runs again. Never pressure a driver to run with a safety defect.

On the road, trucks get roadside inspections at scales and by state officers. Problems can put the driver or truck out of service on the spot, which stops the load. Results feed the carrier's CSA scores, the FMCSA's safety ratings across seven areas (BASICs) such as unsafe driving, HOS compliance, vehicle maintenance and crash history. Bad scores bring audits, and shippers and insurers look at them too.

On the desk

One of your drivers mentions his med card expires on Friday and he hasn't booked a physical. It's Tuesday. What do you do?

More info

Terms in this lesson

CDLCommercial driver's license. Class A covers tractor-trailers.
Med cardThe medical examiner's certificate, valid for up to 24 months.
DQ fileDriver qualification file: application, driving record, med card, road test.
ClearinghouseThe FMCSA's database of drug and alcohol violations, checked before hire and every year.
DVIRDriver vehicle inspection report: defects found on the truck.
Out of service (OOS)Ordered off the road until a problem is fixed.
CSA / BASICsThe FMCSA's carrier safety scores, in seven areas.
Level 1 inspectionThe full roadside check of driver and vehicle.

The scenario answers

  1. One of your drivers mentions his med card expires on Friday and he hasn't booked a physical. It's Tuesday. What do you do? Help him book one now and plan his loads around it, and tell safety. Once the med card lapses he can't legally drive. Booking a physical near his route now costs an hour; a lapsed card costs days.
  2. A driver reports a cracked brake drum on his pre-trip inspection and asks what to do. The load is due in 6 hours. Get it repaired or swap the truck, and replan the load. A cracked drum is a safety defect and likely out-of-service at a roadside inspection. Fix it or swap the equipment. Asking a driver to hide or ignore it is illegal and dangerous.
  3. Your company wants to hire a driver who has a positive drug test in the Clearinghouse and hasn't done the return-to-duty process. Can he drive for you? No, not until he completes return-to-duty. A driver with an unresolved Clearinghouse violation is prohibited from safety-sensitive work, including driving, until they finish the return-to-duty process with a substance abuse professional.
  4. What are CSA BASICs? The seven safety areas the FMCSA scores carriers on. CSA (Compliance, Safety, Accountability) scores carriers in seven BASICs, including unsafe driving, HOS compliance, vehicle maintenance, driver fitness and crash indicator. Every roadside inspection and crash feeds them.

General training, not legal or compliance advice. Rules are the US federal ones (FMCSA) as of 2026; check the current text and your company’s policies.