What Is a Driver Qualification File (DQF)?
A Driver Qualification File (DQF) is the file a motor carrier must keep on each driver proving they're legally qualified to drive. Federal rule 49 CFR 391.51 lists what goes in it — the application, driving record, road test, and medical certification — and it's one of the first things a DOT audit asks to see.
What goes in a Driver Qualification File?
Under 49 CFR 391.51, the DQF for each driver must contain:
- The driver's employment application.
- A motor vehicle record (MVR) from each state the driver was licensed in — at hire, and again every year.
- The carrier's annual review of the driver's driving record.
- A road-test certificate or an accepted equivalent (a valid CDL can substitute for the road test).
- The driver's current DOT medical examiner's certificate.
- For first-time CDL drivers, the Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) record.
Who needs a Driver Qualification File?
The carrier must keep a DQF on every driver who operates a commercial motor vehicle for it — for a chauffeured fleet, that's your CDL drivers of 16+ passenger vehicles. Building and maintaining the file is the employer's duty, and gaps in it are a classic audit finding.
How long do you keep it?
Keep the DQF for as long as the driver is employed and for three years after they leave. The annual MVR and review are kept on a rolling basis during employment.
Common questions
What is in a Driver Qualification File?
Federal rule 49 CFR 391.51 requires the file to include the driver's employment application, a motor vehicle record from each state at hire and annually, the annual review of the driving record, a road-test certificate or equivalent, and the driver's current DOT medical examiner's certificate. First-time CDL drivers also need their Entry-Level Driver Training record.
Who needs a Driver Qualification File?
Every driver who operates a commercial motor vehicle for the carrier. For chauffeured fleets that's your CDL drivers of 16-or-more-passenger vehicles, and the file is the employer's responsibility to build and keep current — not the driver's.
How long do you keep a Driver Qualification File?
For the duration of the driver's employment plus three years after they leave. Some individual records, like the annual motor-vehicle record, are kept on a rolling basis while employed.
Keep reading
Keep every driver file audit-ready
VettyFleet tracks each driver's licenses, medical card, testing status, and qualification records — federal, state, and city — warns you before anything expires, and prints the exact file an auditor asks for in one click.
General information, not legal advice — verify against current federal (FMCSA/DOT) regulations and your state and local rules, or counsel, before relying on it.