How Long to Keep DOT Records: A One-Page Retention Schedule for Small Fleets
Updated September 2026
Every record has its own clock, and they are scattered across six parts of the regulations. Here they are in one place. Each is a minimum — nothing stops you keeping a record longer, and your insurer or accountant may want you to.
The trucks
- Driver vehicle inspection reports listing a defect, with the repair certification and the next driver's acknowledgement — 3 months from the date of the report (49 CFR 396.11(a)(4)).
- Roadside inspection reports — 12 months from the date of the inspection (396.9(d)(3)).
- Maintenance, inspection and repair records for each vehicle — 1 year, and 6 months after the vehicle leaves your control (396.3(c)).
- Annual (periodic) inspection report — 14 months from the date of the report (396.21(b)).
The drivers
- Driver qualification file — for as long as the driver is employed and 3 years after (391.51(c)). The renewing items inside it — annual driving records, review notes, medical certificates — can each go 3 years after they were made (391.51(d)).
- Records of duty status (logs) and supporting documents — 6 months (395.8(k)).
- Short-haul time records — report time, release time, total hours — 6 months (395.1(e)).
The company
- Accident register, and copies of accident reports — 3 years after each accident (390.15(b)).
- Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse queries and what they returned — 3 years (382.701(e)). Other drug and alcohol testing records have their own schedule in 49 CFR 382.401, from one to five years depending on the record.
Where they have to be
Vehicle records are kept where the vehicle is housed or maintained (396.3, 396.21); roadside inspection reports at the principal place of business or where the vehicle is housed (396.9). Several of these sections allow electronic records. Whatever you use, the test is the same: can you produce this truck, or this driver, for these dates, when asked.
A practical rule
If you don't want to track nine different clocks: keep truck records for the life of the truck plus a year, driver files for employment plus three years, and everything else for three years. That clears every period on this page.
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This is general information, not legal advice, and RelayPoint is not a law firm or a compliance consultant. Sources: 49 CFR 382.701, 390.15, 391.51, 395.1(e), 395.8, 396.3, 396.9, 396.11 and 396.21, as published in September 2026. It lists federal minimums for the records a small property carrier most often keeps; it is not complete (hazardous materials, passenger and household-goods carriers have more), and tax, employment and state rules set their own periods. Confirm with the FMCSA, your state's motor carrier authority and your accountant.