Regulations explained

Each of these pages is written against the text of the regulation itself, retrieved from the electronic Code of Federal Regulations. Every factual claim names the section it comes from in the sentence that makes it, and each page ends with the list of sections used and the currency date of the text. Federal regulations are public domain, which is why this can be done properly rather than paraphrased from somebody else's summary.

DOT Physicals

The DOT physical: every standard in 49 CFR 391.41(b)The thirteen physical qualification standards a commercial driver has to meet, who may perform the exam, which forms are used, and how long the…
How a medical examiner gets on the National RegistryThe eligibility, training, testing and renewal requirements for listing on the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners, and the grounds for…
How often you need a DOT physical: the eight cases in 49 CFR 391.45The 24-month default and the seven situations that shorten it, including insulin-treated diabetes, the vision alternative standard, exempt intracity…

HazMat Training

HazMat employee training: the five parts required by 49 CFR 172.704The five training components every hazmat employee needs, the 90-day grace period for new hires, the three-year recurrent cycle, and the five things…

Vehicle Inspection

The annual DOT inspection: what 49 CFR 396.17 actually requiresWhat the federal annual inspection covers, who may perform it, what paperwork has to be on the vehicle, and how long records must be kept. Written…
Who is qualified to perform a DOT annual inspectionThe federal qualification standard for annual inspectors and for brake inspectors: what counts as training, what counts as experience, and what…
Driver vehicle inspection reports: what 49 CFR 396.11 requiresThe daily report, what it has to cover, when a driver does not have to write one, who has to certify repairs, and the three retention periods people…

CDL & ELDT Training

ELDT: who needs entry-level driver training and who does notWho the entry-level driver training rule applies to, the February 2022 grandfather dates, the one-year window to finish theory and behind-the-wheel…
The Training Provider Registry: what a listed CDL school has committed toThe seven conditions for listing on the FMCSA Training Provider Registry, the biennial update and 30-day change reporting, the records a provider…

Get told when the register changes

Licenses lapse and get renewed constantly: in the current data nearly a quarter of the records in one state register have already expired. We re-check the registers and email a short summary of what moved.