For every working driver
Hours of Service (HOS)
For most property-carrying drivers, the core federal limits are: up to 11 hours of driving after 10 consecutive hours off duty, all driving inside a 14-hour on-duty window, a 30-minute break after 8 cumulative hours of driving time, and a 60-hour/7-day or 70-hour/8-day on-duty limit depending on your carrier's schedule.
Exceptions, sleeper-berth splits, and the adverse-conditions rule add real nuance — and intrastate rules can differ. Learn the details from FMCSA, not forum threads, and know which rule set your operation runs under.
DOT medical card
Interstate CDL drivers must pass a DOT physical from a certified medical examiner listed in FMCSA's National Registry. The medical certificate is typically valid for up to 24 months, though examiners can issue shorter cards for conditions that need monitoring.
Keep your medical certification current with your state licensing agency — an expired card can downgrade your CDL. Put the renewal date somewhere you'll actually see it.
Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse
The Clearinghouse is FMCSA's database of CDL driver drug and alcohol program violations. Employers must query it before hiring you and annually afterward; violations recorded there follow you between employers until you complete return-to-duty steps.
Register for your own account so you can see your record, respond to queries quickly, and catch errors early.
Pre-trip inspections and DVIRs
Federal rules require drivers to be satisfied the vehicle is in safe operating condition before driving, and carriers must systematically inspect, repair, and maintain their vehicles. Many operations document daily condition through driver vehicle inspection reports (DVIRs).
A disciplined pre-trip habit is also your best protection at roadside inspections — the defects inspectors find most are the ones a careful walk-around catches first: lights, tires, brakes, and leaks.
Running your own authority
Owner-operator basics
Going independent adds a layer of registrations and filings on top of your CDL. These four come up first for most new owner-operators. None of this is tax or legal advice — a transportation-savvy accountant earns their fee many times over in the first year.
IFTA: fuel tax reporting
The International Fuel Tax Agreement lets you register with one base jurisdiction and file a single quarterly return covering fuel taxes across member states and provinces, instead of filing in each one. You track miles driven and fuel bought per jurisdiction; the return settles the differences.
Accurate mileage records are the whole game. Most ELD or telematics systems can export jurisdiction mileage — set that up before your first quarter, not after.
IRP: apportioned registration
The International Registration Plan apportions your registration fees across the jurisdictions where you actually run, based on mileage. You register once with your base jurisdiction and get apportioned plates valid across members.
IRP and IFTA are separate programs with separate accounts, even though both use your mileage records and base state.
Form 2290: heavy vehicle use tax
Form 2290 is the IRS heavy highway vehicle use tax return, generally required for highway vehicles with a taxable gross weight of 55,000 pounds or more. The stamped Schedule 1 you get back is proof of payment — states require it to register the vehicle.
The tax period runs July through June, and returns are generally due by the end of the month after the vehicle is first used in the period.
New entrant safety audit
New interstate carriers enter FMCSA's New Entrant Program: an 18-month monitoring period that includes a safety audit reviewing your driver qualification files, drug and alcohol program, hours-of-service records, vehicle maintenance, and insurance.
The audit is much easier if you build compliant record-keeping from day one instead of reconstructing it when the audit notice arrives.
Studying for the CDL itself? Head to Practice Tests or the Start a CDL Career guide.
