What do you need when the DOT makes a stop?

By Tom Pomeroy
© 2009 All The Dirt! Racing News, Inc.

Going to and from the track with your race car, besides a USDOT Number you, as the driver, will need the following:

(All regulation numbers are taken from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, which the majority of states have adopted.)

n A current valid driver’s license for the vehicle being driven. A class C license is valid for vehicles with a gross vehicle weight (GVWR) rating of 26,000 lbs or less or a combination (truck and trailer) with gross vehicle weight rating of 26,000 lbs or less. Class B is valid for a single unit vehicle gross vehicle weight rating over 26,000 lbs. The holder of a Class B license may only tow trailers with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 lbs or fewer. Class A Vehicle combinations in excess of 26,000 lbs that have towed units with a GVWR over 10,000 lbs.

n Your medical card. 391.42 and 391.43 A person is not allowed to drive a commercial motor vehicle unless physically qualified to do so, and must have in his/her possession a valid copy of the medical card while driving a commercial motor vehicle. The medical exam and certification must follow the criteria specified in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations in section 391.43.

n A copy of the previous Day’s Vehicle Inspection Report (DVIR) 396.11, however this does not apply to any motor carrier operating only one commercial motor vehicle; see 396.11 (d) Exceptions.

n Proof of Vehicle Insurance. You will need $1,000,000 of insurance coverage due to hauling motor vehicles. See Question 8 Interpretations under 387.5.

n Driver’s Daily Log Book. If you operate outside 100-air-mile radius (115 nautical miles) from your home (terminal), you will need a log book and also the previous 7 days logs with you. If you work at another job (not commercial driving), you will still need the previous 7 days logs, and if you do not drive at your other job, you will have to mark your working time on your log as “on duty not driving.”

Note: If you operate within a 100 mile air radius you will still need to fill out a time card, which can be as simple as logging your working time on a piece of paper for the previous 7 days.

Do I need to have the time cards with me? Good idea to, but remember if stopped and you are within a 100 air mile radius, 395.1 interpretations Question 13 says you do not have to have any documentation with you.

You will need to keep your logs or time cards for a period of 6 months, along with supporting documents, which will be addressed at a later time.

As stated earlier, the aforementioned addressed the driver. We will address the vehicle later. However, if you use a time card and not a log, there are some other regulations which you also have to meet.

They are as follows:

n 100 air-mile radius - Under 395.1(e)(1), the 100-air-mile-radius exception says you do NOT need to complete a daily log on days when all the following criteria are met:

You stay within a 100-air-mile radius of the normal work reporting location (that is, you stay within a circle whose boundary is about 115 miles in any one direction away from your home terminal); you return to the work reporting location (unless you’re a driver-salesperson) and are released from work within 12 consecutive hours; you have at least 10 consecutive hours off duty separating each 12-hour on-duty period; you drive no more than 11 hours and; you maintain time records for 6 months showing your daily start time, your daily end time, and the total number of hours you were on duty each day (and, for intermittent drivers, your total time for the preceding 7 days).

Note that the above exceptions still require you to keep certain time records for six months. In addition, if a driver fails to satisfy the terms of the exception, then a log is required for that entire day.

There is also the 150-air-mile radius exception, which will be addressed later, but the 150-air-mile radius exception only applies to vehicles that do not require a CDL to drive.

The above are interstate rules, and may or may not apply to intrastate operations, as some states may have slightly different regulations.

The above article is for informational and entertainment purposes only and must not be considered as legal advice on federal and/or state motor carrier regulations. For legal advice on federal and/ or state motor carrier regulations a competent motor carrier transportation attorney should be consulted.

Pomeroy is the owner of DOT Compliance Consultants LLC, and can be contacted via the Internet at www.dotcomplianceconsultants.com.