What records to keep, and for how long

Records are the part of running a truck that nobody got into the business for. They are also the part that decides how an audit goes, and the part that is impossible to fix afterwards. You cannot go back and keep something you threw away.

The good news is that the periods are short, specific and written down. Here are the four that matter most to a small carrier, each with the section it comes from.

Inspection reports: three months

Every motor carrier has to keep the driver vehicle inspection report, the certification of repairs, and the certification of the driver’s review for three months from the date the written report was prepared (49 CFR 396.11(a)(4)).

Three things, not one. The report on its own is half a record — what makes it worth anything is the evidence that somebody fixed what it listed, and that a driver saw the fix before the truck moved again.

Why it mattersA file of reports with no repair certifications behind them reads as a carrier that writes defects down and does nothing about them.

Records of duty status: six months

A carrier has to retain records of duty status and the supporting documents for each driver for not less than six months from the date of receipt (49 CFR 395.8(k)(1)).

The driver’s obligation is different and much shorter: keep a copy of the previous seven consecutive days in your possession, available for inspection while on duty (395.8(k)(2)). Seven days in the truck, six months at the office. Both, not either.

Why it mattersSupporting documents are part of the requirement, not an extra. A log with nothing behind it is the thing an auditor pulls on.

Maintenance records: a year, and then six months more

This is the one people get wrong, because it has two clocks. Maintenance records have to be retained where the vehicle is either housed or maintained for one year — and for six months after the vehicle leaves the carrier’s control (49 CFR 396.3(c)).

Read that second half again. Selling the truck does not end the obligation. Neither does handing a leased unit back. The file follows the vehicle out of the door for another six months, which is exactly when most people have already cleared it out.

What has to be in it is set out in the same section: identification of the vehicle including company number if it is marked, make, serial number, year and tire size; a means of showing the nature and due date of the inspections and maintenance to be performed; and a record of inspections, repairs and maintenance with their date and nature (396.3(b)).

Why it mattersWhere the records are kept is part of the rule — at the place the vehicle is housed or maintained, not wherever is convenient.

What this looks like on a small fleet

If you run one or two trucks, none of this needs software. It needs a habit and somewhere the habit lands.

• One folder per vehicle, kept where the vehicle lives. That is not a filing preference — it is what 396.3(c) asks for.
• The inspection report, the repair certification and the driver’s review travel together. Filing one without the others is the most common gap.
• Set the disposal date, not the keep date. "Three months from when it was written" is easy to apply once and impossible to reconstruct later.
• When a truck goes, the file does not. Diary six months out from the day it leaves your control.

And keep in mind these are floors, not targets. Nothing stops you keeping a record longer, and there are good reasons to — an insurance question or a dispute with a customer rarely arrives inside three months.

This guide is general information to help you check your work. It is not legal advice or an official inspection, and it does not replace the requirements that apply to you, the manufacturer’s instructions, or a determination by an inspector or the authority having jurisdiction. Requirements vary by location and change over time; check the current rules where you work.