DOT & FMCSA compliance software for motor carriers
The records and evidence a carrier needs to satisfy the FMCSA’s safety rules — USDOT and authority details, DVIRs, maintenance and annual-inspection records, and driver files — scoped correctly to federal vs state and to what a commercial motor vehicle actually is.
Complys is launching for US carriers. It is a system of record, not an ELD.
What “DOT compliance” actually covers
“DOT compliance” is shorthand for meeting the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations that the FMCSA issues under the US Department of Transportation. For most carriers it comes down to a handful of duties with evidence behind each: register and carry the right authority, keep your vehicles inspected and maintained, qualify and monitor your drivers, and manage hours of service. Complys keeps the records and evidence for all of it — the piece an audit actually asks you to produce.
Federal vs state — and who a rule applies to
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs, 49 CFR Parts 350–399), issued by the FMCSA, apply directly to interstate commerce. Purely intrastate operations follow each state’s own adopted version of those rules, which is often modified. Complys is built to be jurisdiction-aware so the requirements shown match where a vehicle actually operates.
What counts as a commercial motor vehicle turns on weight and use: broadly 10,001 lb+ GVWR/GCWR in interstate commerce, or 9+ passengers for hire (16+ not for hire), or placardable hazmat (49 CFR 390.5). Keep that separate from the 26,001 lb weight class that triggers a Commercial Driver’s License (49 CFR 383) — they are two different thresholds.
Registration differs by carrier, too. Interstate carriers get a USDOT number; for-hire carriers of regulated goods or passengers also need an MC number (operating authority). Private and exempt carriers need only the USDOT number — not every carrier needs an MC number.
General information, not legal advice; verify federal (eCFR) and your state’s requirements.
Inspection, maintenance and records — kept the way the rule requires
Carriers must systematically inspect, repair and maintain their vehicles and keep the records (49 CFR 396.3). Those maintenance records are kept while you operate the vehicle and for six months after it leaves your fleet — not an arbitrary fixed period. Each CMV also passes an annual inspection to the federal standard, and a qualifying state inspection satisfies it; that report is kept for 14 months (49 CFR 396.17/.21). Complys retains each record to its own required period, so nothing is thrown away early or kept as a guess.
Drivers, hours of service and ELDs
Every regulated driver needs a Driver Qualification File — application, driving-record checks, road test and a current medical certificate (49 CFR 391). Hours of service are logged by an ELD device, and this is where we’re deliberately clear about scope: Complys is not an ELD. The live logging and the device belong to your telematics or ELD provider. What we add is the evidence layer around it — driver files, MVR consent, inspection and maintenance records, and one audit trail — so the compliance picture is complete without duplicating the hardware.
How to read these requirements
Complys keeps the distinction clear between what federal law requires, what a state adopts, what regulators guide, what insurers require, and what’s your own policy — so nothing is over-stated as a legal duty.
49 CFR 390.3. The federal safety rules bind interstate commerce directly; purely intrastate operations follow an equivalent set of state rules, which can differ.
49 CFR 390.5. This is not the 26,001 lb weight class that triggers a Commercial Driver's License under 49 CFR 383 — two different thresholds.
Private and exempt carriers need only the USDOT number. It is not true that every carrier needs an MC number (operating authority).
49 CFR 396.3. Records are kept while you operate the vehicle and for six months after it leaves your fleet.
49 CFR 396.17/.21. Keep the inspection report for 14 months.
49 CFR 391 — application, driving-record checks, road test and a current medical certificate, kept through employment plus three years.
49 CFR 395. HOS is logged by an ELD device from a telematics provider; Complys is not an ELD. We hold the records and evidence alongside it, not the device.
Insurers often require MVR checks, telematics or documented safety programs. These are contractual, not federal law.
What’s ready, honestly
Complys is launching for US fleets and carriers. Here is exactly where the capabilities on this page stand — labeled at the feature level, never marketed as available before they ship.
One record per vehicle: registration and plates, annual DOT inspection, insurance, and documents with expiry dates. Included in Complys Self-Drive from launch.
Digital inspections with timestamped photos held against each vehicle. Included in Complys Self-Drive from launch.
Scheduled PM, repair history and evidence, retained while you operate the vehicle and for six months after it leaves your fleet (49 CFR 396.3). Included in Complys Self-Drive from launch.
Record defects and place a vehicle out of service until it is repaired and certified. Included in Complys Self-Drive from launch.
Every action recorded with who did it and when; export the evidence on demand. Included in Complys Self-Drive from launch.
Requirements resolved to where a vehicle actually operates — federal (interstate) vs the state's adopted rules (intrastate), and CMV class by weight and use. Being built now; arriving in the release after launch.
A DQ file per driver — application, MVR, road test and current medical certificate — under 49 CFR 391. On the roadmap for a later release; not built yet.
Hours-of-service and ELD are device-based; Complys is not an ELD. Planned as an evidence/records layer alongside your telematics or ELD provider, not a replacement for it. On the roadmap for a later release; not built yet.
Sources
- • FMCSA — Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (49 CFR)
- • eCFR — 49 CFR Part 390 (general applicability, definitions)
- • eCFR — 49 CFR Part 396 (inspection, repair and maintenance)
- • eCFR — 49 CFR Part 391 (driver qualifications)
- • eCFR — 49 CFR Part 383 (Commercial Driver's License standards)
- • FMCSA — Register (USDOT number and operating authority)
- • FMCSA — Hours of Service and ELD
Last reviewed: 21 September 2026. This page describes current US federal requirements in general terms and is not legal advice; check the primary sources above and your state’s rules.
DOT compliance — FAQs
What is DOT compliance software?
Software that keeps the records and evidence a motor carrier needs to show it meets the FMCSA's safety rules — USDOT and authority details, DVIRs, preventive-maintenance and annual-inspection records, and driver qualification files — in one auditable system. Complys is a system of record; it isn't an ELD and doesn't log hours of service.
Does every truck need an MC number?
No. Interstate carriers need a USDOT number. Only for-hire carriers moving regulated goods or passengers across state lines also need an MC number (operating authority). Private carriers and exempt-commodity haulers generally need only the USDOT number. Getting this wrong is one of the most common compliance myths.
Is a 10,001 lb vehicle the same as needing a CDL?
No — these are two separate thresholds. Broadly, a vehicle of 10,001 lb+ in interstate commerce is a commercial motor vehicle under 49 CFR 390.5, which brings the FMCSRs into play. A Commercial Driver's License is required at 26,001 lb (or for hazmat placards or 16+ passengers) under 49 CFR 383. A vehicle can be a CMV without its driver needing a CDL.
How long do I keep maintenance records?
Under 49 CFR 396.3, you keep maintenance records while you operate the vehicle and for six months after it leaves your fleet. (The annual-inspection report under 49 CFR 396.17/.21 is kept for 14 months.) Complys retains them to those periods automatically.
Does it handle hours of service and ELDs?
HOS is logged by an ELD device supplied by a telematics provider — that's the hardware side, and Complys is not an ELD. We're planning an HOS/ELD records layer so the evidence sits with your other compliance records, but the device and the live logging stay with your telematics or ELD provider.
Federal or state — which rules apply to me?
If you operate across state lines, the federal FMCSRs apply. If you operate only within one state, that state's adopted version applies, and it can differ. Registration, licensing and any periodic inspection program are administered by states. Complys resolves the requirements to how and where your vehicles actually run.
Explore Complys fleet & vehicle compliance
The US hub — vehicles, drivers, inspections, maintenance and evidence in one system of record.
Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports with the defect-to-repair cycle and photo evidence.
Preventive maintenance and §396.3 records, retained the way the rule requires.
Run car and vehicle rental with US identity, consent-based MVR and condition evidence.