Owner Operator DOT Compliance Checklist

Running as an owner-operator means you are both the driver and the employer — which means every DOT compliance obligation falls on you. This checklist covers the essentials you need to have in place to stay legal, keep your authority, and avoid fines.

1. Licensing & Medical

Must be current before every trip

Valid Commercial Driver's License (CDL) — Correct class for the vehicle you operate (Class A, B, or C)

DOT Medical Certificate (Med Card) — Issued by a FMCSA-registered Medical Examiner; valid for up to 24 months

CDL and Med Card in sync — Your state DMV must have your current medical certificate on file

Hazmat endorsement (if applicable) — Required if transporting placardable quantities of hazardous materials

2. FMCSA Registration & Authority

Required before operating in commerce

USDOT Number — Registered and active at safer.fmcsa.dot.gov; update MCS-150 every 2 years

Motor Carrier (MC) Number / Operating Authority — Required if you transport regulated commodities or passengers for hire

Biennial MCS-150 Update — File every 24 months (based on your USDOT number's last two digits)

UCR Registration (Unified Carrier Registration) — Required annually for interstate commerce; fees based on fleet size

3. Drug & Alcohol Testing Program

Owner-operators CANNOT self-administer

Enrolled in a DOT-compliant C/TPA consortium — Required by law — you cannot run your own random testing program

Pre-employment drug test on file — Negative result required before operating; keep record for 1 year

Active in random testing pool — 50% drug / 10% alcohol draw rate applies to you just like a large fleet

Registered in FMCSA Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse — Both as a driver and as an employer; free registration at clearinghouse.fmcsa.dot.gov

Annual Clearinghouse query completed — Query yourself (as employer) once per year; pre-employment full query before new work

4. Vehicle Compliance

Inspected and documented

Annual Vehicle Inspection (FMCSA-compliant) — Required every 12 months; sticker or report must be in cab

Pre-trip and post-trip Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports (DVIRs) — Required every day you operate; retain for 3 months

Vehicle registered and plated — Apportioned plates (IRP) required for interstate travel in most cases

IFTA fuel tax license (if interstate) — Required in most states for vehicles over 26,000 lbs crossing state lines

5. Hours of Service & ELD

Federal mandate — no paper log exemptions for most

ELD (Electronic Logging Device) installed and registered — Must be on the FMCSA-certified ELD list; self-certification not accepted

HOS rules followed daily — 11-hour driving / 14-hour on-duty window; 30-min break after 8 hours driving

HOS records retained for 6 months — ELD data must be exportable and available to inspectors on request

6. Insurance

Minimum federal limits required

Primary liability insurance on file with FMCSA — Minimums: $750K (general freight), $1M (hazmat/oil), $5M (hazmat/explosive)

BOC-3 filing (Process Agent) — Required for for-hire carriers with MC authority; filed by your process agent

Cargo insurance (if required by shipper or broker) — Not federally required for dry van, but most brokers require $100K minimum

7. Recordkeeping

Keep these in a file and ready for audits

Record	Keep For
Drug & alcohol test results (positive)	5 years
Drug test results (negative)	1 year
Driver vehicle inspection reports (DVIRs)	3 months
Annual vehicle inspection report	14 months
Accident register	3 years

Owner-operator? Your consortium handles most of this.

Enrolling with Quality Consortium Services covers your random testing pool, Clearinghouse queries, and RTD coordination — starting at $49/year. Call 507-838-3080 or visit qualitytpa.com.