{"id":2129,"date":"2019-07-29T05:34:23","date_gmt":"2019-07-29T05:34:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/?p=2129"},"modified":"2019-07-29T05:34:26","modified_gmt":"2019-07-29T05:34:26","slug":"your-comprehensive-truck-driver-qualification-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/your-comprehensive-truck-driver-qualification-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Comprehensive Truck Driver Qualification Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Are you familiar with Regulation Part 391? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fmcsa.dot.gov\/regulations\/title49\/part\/391\">Regulation Part 391<\/a> exists to help ensure motor carriers are hiring truck drivers qualified to operate on North American roads and highways. Trucking companies must ensure they are paying close attention to who they hire to operate their motor vehicles. Regulation Part 391 applies to physical health, experience, and historical record and it applies to every motor carrier operating, no matter how many truck drivers they have on the payrolls. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>                                    [wp_ad_camp_2]    <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The rules state that even owner operators must perform the\nsame duties as would a large motor carrier. So, whether these rules apply to\nyou or someone else, it is critical that they are followed to the letter. This\nregulation applies to anyone operating a commercial motor vehicle weighing at\nleast 10,001 pounds, carrying more than 9 passengers or transporting hazardous\nmaterials. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether it be for a fleet of truck drivers or a single\nowner-operator, there must be file on each person operating a commercial motor\nvehicle, a driver qualification file (DQF) is comprised of the following\nsegments:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>DOT-Compliant Application<\/li><li>Skill Performance Evaluation Certificate<\/li><li>Medical Examiner\u2019s Certificate<\/li><li>Medical Examiner Registration Verification<\/li><li>State-Specific Motor Vehicle Reports up to three\nyears back<\/li><li>Photocopy of driver\u2019s CDL<\/li><li>Road Test Certificate<\/li><li>Written authorization for previous employer\ncontact<\/li><li>Response copies from previous DOT-regulated\nemployers<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Complete DQF files are not the end-all. There are ongoing\nsteps that must be taken to ensure they stay within regulatory compliance over\ntime. One must be constantly watching the flow of reports and the expiration\ndates on licenses and certificates. Yet, the most important aspect of\nmaintaining a DQF file is ensuring your DQF files are secure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is a lot of sensitive information contained in DQF\nfiles. There is an even greater responsibility to keep them secure if you are a\nfleet manager operating files for many truck drivers. DQF files must be kept in\na secure location where no one other than those who have specific access\nauthority can gain access to them. If there are any breaches in security, the\nFMCSA can levy heavy fines. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some companies offer online solutions that allow fleets to\naccess secure truck driver portals. Secured cloud accounts often fully\ncompliant solutions that take the heat off fleet managers and back-offices\nattempting to sort out the DQF files. Let\u2019s dig a little deeper into each\naspect of the DQF and different solutions that exist to help trucking companies\nbetter manage it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Medical Certificates<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Truck drivers must have a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quicktransportsolutions.com\/certified-medical-examiners\/national-registry.php\">DOT-certified\nmedical evaluation<\/a> every two years. This could also be determined by how\noften a medical examiner deems it necessary. The purpose is to ensure the truck\ndriver is psychically able to operate a commercial motor vehicle. Each time the\nphysical is completed, it updated medical certificate must be operated within\nthe file. In some cases, truck drivers who have certain medical conditions,\nsuch as heart disease and apnea, might require more frequent medical\nexaminations. In those cases, each examination must be updated within the file.\nThere are also variance renewals to consider. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If a truck driver has a physical impairment, they are\nrequired to have a state-issued variance. Whenever they are operating a\ncommercial motor vehicle, they must ensure they always have their variance with\nthem in the vehicle. For truck drivers that have a special handicap, such as an\nimpaired or missing limb, they must have a specific variance type, called a\nSkill Performance Evaluation, or an SPE. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Regardless of the variance type, they must be renewed periodically,\nand expiration dates must be tracked. It is the same rule that applies to the\noverall medical certificate. Paying attention to date validity is one of the\nmost important aspects of keeping a proper DQF. Consider this, tens of\nthousands of truck drivers are cited every year for carrying invalid medical\ncertificates. In 2017, it was one of the most common violations cited during roadside\ninspections. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A missing, altered, falsified, or incorrect medical\ncertificate can result in a hefty fine. The problem is, too few motor carriers\npay close attention to medical certificate and variance expiration dates. Truck\ndrivers must be given enough time to have a medical evaluation or submit a new\nvariance application before the expiration date arrives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Licensing and Records<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is also important that operators pay close attention to\nlicense expiration dates. Truck drivers must have a valid CDL and all\nappropriate endorsements to operate a large commercial motor vehicle. It\ndepends on the state and mode of operation regarding how long a CDL is valid\nfor. Usually the spread is a CDL renewal somewhere between 4 and 8 years. With\nsuch a long time between renewal dates, it is virtually inexcusable for someone\nwith an expired license to be operating behind the wheel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Expired CDL license fines are not low. You can expect a fine in the thousands for operating without a CDL. Also consider that 98% of those caught driving without a CDL are taken off the road. The last thing you want is to be taken out of service over something so simple as ensuing your CDL is still valid. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>                                    [wp_ad_camp_2]    <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For fleets, an annual driving record and motor vehicle\nreport (MVR) must be obtained for each truck driver. It should clearly outline\nall moving violations, accidents, suspensions, or revocations. This is\nespecially important to keep these records up to date when hazardous materials\nare being transported. Furthermore, are there any public safety driving\nviolations on their record? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trucking companies who want to stay in business and ensure\nthey have a spotless record must have as spotless a record as possible and\nensuring annual driving records are kept current is a no brainer. Truck drivers\nare also required to notify their fleet of any moving violations that may have\noccurred in the last 12 months. This list should even include things like\nparking violations. A record clear of violations must be certified and\npresented by the truck driver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whenever a truck driver is going through an annual review,\nthey must first fill out a Driver\u2019s Certification form. Upon completion of the\nreview, the results should be kept on record, along with an MVR. All of this\nshould then be updated in the DQF. It all sounds quite confusing, yet there are\nsolutions that exist in the marketplace to help fleets and owner-operators keep\nthis information organized. When trucking companies utilize forward-thinking\nsolutions to address age-old industry problems, everyone benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>It\u2019s About Risk<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The law says that trucking companies must run an MVR on an\nannual basis. Yet, many trucking companies keep a closer eye on what is\nhappening in their MVR throughout the year. Imagine missing something or\nfinding wrong information on it that could threaten the business. That\u2019s the\nlast thing any fleet would want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>MVR monitoring programs exist to provide fleets with the\nability to access continuous MVR monitoring. These types of products and\nservices pull real-time information from a truck driver\u2019s record. When\nsomething new is detected, it is immediately reported in an online panel and\nthe fleet manager or other interested party is alerted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Continuous MVR monitoring can also be linked up to the\nstatus of a truck driver\u2019s medical certificate. If it has been revoked or\nupdated, the fleet will be notified. When multiple systems, from MVR monitoring\nto annual reporting and medical alerts can all be combined into one solution,\nit takes a lot of pressure off fleet management. These programs, products, and\nservices exist to streamline efforts to gather the information for \u2013 and\nproperly maintain \u2013 a DQF. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This all relates back to meeting the requirements set forth\nin regulation Part 391. Trucking operators can access pre-built, DOT compliant\nweb-based applications and software tools that allow them to gather critical\ninformation on interested candidates. Applications can be posted in recruiting\nportals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As the trucking industry adopts a more digital-forward approach to operating, companies are popping up everywhere to address bottlenecks. Imagine being able to select a candidate and using the information you got in the application in a database that gathers all the DOT information you need. Updating the DQF at this point becomes a simple matter of time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>                                    [wp_ad_camp_2]    <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the end, this is all about compliance. The trucking and\ntransportation sectors are going through an incredible realignment as the\neconomic outlook shifts and companies grapple with change. Those that focus on\nsafety, compliance, and efficiency, will be rewarded and \u2013 if nothing else \u2013\nlive to see another day and keep families fed. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Are you familiar with Regulation Part 391? Regulation Part 391 exists to help ensure motor carriers are hiring truck drivers qualified to operate on North American roads and highways. Trucking companies must ensure they are paying close attention to who they hire to operate their motor vehicles. Regulation Part 391 applies to physical health, experience, &#8230; <a title=\"Your Comprehensive Truck Driver Qualification Guide\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/your-comprehensive-truck-driver-qualification-guide\/\">Read more<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Your Comprehensive Truck Driver Qualification Guide<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2130,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v18.4.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Your Comprehensive Truck Driver Qualification Guide - Quick Transport Solutions Trucking Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/your-comprehensive-truck-driver-qualification-guide\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Your Comprehensive Truck Driver Qualification Guide - Quick Transport Solutions Trucking Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Are you familiar with Regulation Part 391? 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