Who needs a DQ file
Every motor carrier must keep a driver qualification file for each driver it employs. If you are an owner-operator with your own authority, that includes you. The DQ file is one of the first things reviewed in a New Entrant safety audit, and a driver without a valid CDL or medical certificate is an automatic failure.
What renews and when
- Initial MVRs and safety performance history: within 30 days of hire.
- Annual MVR and the annual review note: every 12 months.
- Medical certificate: before it expires — at most every 24 months, sooner if the examiner says so.
- Clearinghouse: a full query before hire, then at least one query a year.
How long to keep it
Keep the file while the driver works for you and for three years after. Annual MVRs, review notes and medical certificates may be removed three years after they were made (49 CFR 391.51(c)–(d)). Never keep drug and alcohol test results in the DQ file — they belong in separate, confidential records.