The compliance library
Compliance, in plain English
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Calendar
Every DOT deadline, by month
The four fixed federal dates, plus the anniversary items (medical cards, annual inspections, MVR reviews, Clearinghouse queries), that no month reminds you about.
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Printable
New entrant safety audit checklist
Every document a DOT auditor asks for, with the regulation behind each line and the automatic failures marked. Print it or download the PDF.
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Free tools
Calculators, no signup
Your MCS-150 due date from your USDOT number, and a thirteen-question readiness score built from the automatic-failure list in 49 CFR 385.321(b).
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Urgent
Something is already wrong
Deactivated USDOT number, expired medical card, missed UCR or IFTA, a prohibited Clearinghouse status. What it means, and what to do first.
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Guides
Deadlines
The paper medical card exemption's last day is October 11, 2026
The paper medical certificate exemption's last day is October 11, 2026. What applies from October 12, and what CDL and non-CDL drivers must do.
Last reviewed October 11, 2026
Compliance Checklists
New authority checklist: every filing, in order, before your first load
New authority checklist: every filing in order, from USDOT and MC application to BOC-3, insurance, UCR, consortium, Clearinghouse and your first load.
Last reviewed September 26, 2026
Compliance Checklists
The owner-operator DOT compliance checklist, in plain English
The owner-operator DOT compliance checklist: the records, programs and deadlines to keep straight under your own authority, with a free printable PDF.
Last reviewed October 2, 2026
Hotshot Trucking
Hotshot trucking DOT requirements, by weight and trip type
DOT requirements for hotshot trucking: when you need a USDOT number, MC authority, CDL, medical card, drug testing, IFTA and UCR, by weight and trip type.
Last reviewed September 26, 2026
Box Trucks
Box truck DOT requirements, with and without a CDL
DOT requirements for box trucks under and over 26,001 pounds: USDOT number, authority, medical card, DQ file, drug testing and what non-CDL trucks skip.
Last reviewed September 26, 2026
Driver Qualification Files
Driver qualification file checklist: what has to be in the file
Driver qualification file checklist: every document 49 CFR 391.51 requires, when each is due, how long to keep it, and a free printable DQ file checklist.
Last reviewed September 26, 2026
Clearinghouse
How FMCSA Clearinghouse queries work: limited, full and the results
How FMCSA Clearinghouse queries work: limited vs full, what each query result means, the 24-hour rule, why owner-operators name a C/TPA, and the $1.25 fee.
Last reviewed September 26, 2026
Clearinghouse
How to register for the Clearinghouse as an owner-operator
How an owner-operator registers for the FMCSA Clearinghouse, designates a C/TPA, runs the required queries and avoids the mistakes that stop a truck.
Last reviewed September 26, 2026
Drug and Alcohol Testing
Drug and alcohol consortiums for owner-operators: how they work and what they cost
Why an owner-operator must join a drug and alcohol consortium, how random selection works, what a consortium costs and how to pick one.
Last reviewed September 26, 2026
Audits
The new entrant safety audit: what to expect and how to pass
The new entrant safety audit explained: what the auditor checks, the 16 violations that fail it outright and how a one-truck carrier prepares.
Last reviewed September 26, 2026
IFTA
How to file IFTA for one truck: the quarterly return, step by step
How to file IFTA for one truck: who needs a license, the four due dates, what the return is built from, what late costs and how to make it a one-hour job.
Last reviewed September 26, 2026
Inspections
Annual DOT inspection requirements and maintenance records (Part 396)
What 49 CFR part 396 requires: the annual periodic inspection, who may perform it, driver inspection reports, maintenance files, and retention periods.
Last reviewed September 26, 2026
FMCSA
CSA safety scores for small carriers: what actually moves the number
How the Safety Measurement System works, the seven BASICs, the 24-month window, why one inspection moves a small carrier's numbers, and when to file DataQs.
Last reviewed September 26, 2026
Compliance Checklists
The twelve compliance mistakes small carriers make most
The twelve DOT compliance failures we see most often in small carriers, the rule behind each one, and the specific fix, with primary sources for all of it.
Last reviewed October 2, 2026
Working on a problem that has already happened rather than one you are preventing? The urgent-fix hub covers deactivated numbers, expired medical cards, missed filings and prohibited Clearinghouse statuses.
Research and reference
TenFour Research
Half of America’s trucking companies are one truck
Our analysis of FMCSA’s Company Census File: 79.5% of active interstate carriers run six trucks or fewer, and 46.8% run exactly one. Full method, limitations, and figures you can reproduce.
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Cost reference
What DOT compliance actually costs
Every government fee with its source, what other compliance services charge, and the figures we refuse to quote because we could not verify them.
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Filing reference
UCR went up for 2027
Every bracket, old fee and new, the dates the window opens and closes, and how to file it yourself at ucr.gov for the government fee alone.
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How this library is kept honest
- Every claim cites its rule. Regulations link to eCFR or FMCSA so you can read the original text rather than our summary of it.
- Every page carries a review date. When a rule changes, the page changes and the date moves. Nothing here is left standing because it once ranked.
- We say when something is free. The MCS-150 costs nothing to file and UCR can be filed yourself at ucr.gov. The pages that explain those say so plainly.
- We say when we are wrong. Found an error? Tell us and it gets corrected, with the date updated. Send it over.
TenFour is a private compliance-support service, not a government agency and not a law firm. These guides explain federal requirements in plain English; they are administrative compliance support, not legal advice.
Rather have all of this watched for you?
The library is free and stays free. The membership is for when you would rather not be the one tracking it: the filings, the files, the consortium paperwork and the calendar handled together, billed once. $99/month for the first truck on the annual plan, $59/month for each additional truck, every driver included.
$99/month is the annual plan for one truck, billed $1,188 up front, about two months free against $119 month to month. Each additional truck is $59/month ($69 month to month), every driver included, up to six trucks. Cancel any month; remaining full months refunded.