This video series, “What to Expect as a New Entrant: A Guide to Running Your Trucking Company during the First Year” has been developed by Apex Capital to help you understand the policies and procedures that you must have in place in order to pass your safety audit and receive your permanent operating authority. Today we're talking to Meghan Organ about the Driver Qualification File or the DQ File. Meghan is Associate General Counsel at Apex Capital, and she also leads the Apex Startup Program, a program designed to help those interested in starting a trucking company, get their operating authority. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration requires every motor carrier company to have a DQ File in place for every driver they hire. And the purpose of that is to help the FMCSA make sure that all motor carriers are hiring qualified candidates to operate commercial motor vehicles. Now, you need to have a driver qualification file even if you're an owner-operator under your own authority driving your own truck. The FMCSA requires you to keep a lot of records in the Driver Qualification File. So for the full list, go to.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations but as an example, you need to have completed applications, annual review of driver's driving record, as well as a medical examiner certificate for every one of your drivers. Now, the record-keeping requirement for the DQ file is three years minimum. If you don't have a DQ file for one of your drivers, you are violating and FMCSA regulation. And any time an FMCSA regulation is violated, the motor carrier could be liable for civil penalties, and even sometimes criminal penalties. But this particular violation, not having the DQ file, qualifies as a record-keeping violation and for this type of violation, the motor carrier could be liable for $1,000 a day that maxes out at $10,000, but that's per violation.
Award-winning PDF software
How to prepare Driver Proficiency Form
About Driver Proficiency Form
A Driver Proficiency Form is a document that assesses and records the skill level and competency of a driver. It is typically used by companies, organizations, or institutions that employ drivers or have a fleet of vehicles. This form is used to evaluate and ensure that drivers meet the required standards and possess the necessary expertise to safely operate vehicles. The form contains various sections that evaluate different aspects of driver proficiency, such as knowledge of traffic rules and regulations, vehicle handling skills, understanding of road signs and signals, reaction time, defensive driving techniques, and ability to handle emergencies or hazardous situations. The evaluation may involve written exams, oral interviews, driving tests, and in some cases, even psychological assessments. Driver Proficiency Forms serve multiple purposes. Firstly, they provide an objective assessment of driver skills and allow companies to make informed decisions regarding driver training, promotion, and job suitability. They help identify any areas where drivers might require additional training or support. Secondly, these forms serve as a legal document proving that the company has assessed and confirmed the driver's abilities, which can be important for insurance purposes or in the event of accidents or incidents. Ultimately, a Driver Proficiency Form is necessary for any organization that employs drivers to ensure they have competent and safe individuals operating their vehicles, reducing the risk of accidents, and promoting a higher level of road safety.
Get Driver Proficiency Form and make simpler your daily document management
- Locate Driver Proficiency Form and begin modifying it by simply clicking Get Form.
- Start completing your form and include the details it needs.
- Benefit from our extended modifying toolset that lets you post notes and make comments, if needed.
- Take a look at form and double-check if the details you filled in is correct.
- Quickly fix any mistake you made when altering your form or come back to the earlier version of the file.
- eSign your form effortlessly by drawing, typing, or capturing a photo of the signature.
- Preserve alterations by clicking Done and download or send out your form.
- Send your form by email, link-to-fill, fax, or print it.
- Select Notarize to do this task on your form on the internet with the eNotary, if necessary.
- Safely store your complete papers on your computer.
Modifying Driver Proficiency Form is an simple and intuitive procedure that calls for no previous education. Get everything you need in a single editor without the need of constantly changing in between various solutions. Locate much more forms, fill out and save them in the file format that you need, and improve your document management within a click. Prior to submitting or sending your form, double-check details you provided and swiftly correct errors if necessary. If you have any queries, get in touch with our Customer Support Team to assist you.
Video instructions and help with filling out and completing Driver Proficiency Form
