DOT compliance software for fleets, without the telematics price tag.

It tracks the deadlines the US Department of Transportation and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) set for commercial fleets. The big ones are the Driver Qualification File (DQF), the Commercial Driver License (CDL) and the medical examiner certificate. Add motor vehicle record (MVR) pulls, drug and alcohol testing and vehicle inspections, then IFTA/IRP renewals and UCR registration. Good software reminds people before each date, keeps the documents in each driver and vehicle file, and gives you an audit-ready report whenever you ask.

A DQF is the folder of paperwork 49 CFR 391 requires for each driver to prove they meet FMCSA qualification standards. It holds the employment application (391.21) and motor vehicle records from every state where the driver held a license in the past 3 years (391.23). It also needs an annual MVR review (391.25), the road test certificate or CDL waiver, the medical examiner certificate and any required disclosures. The annual MVR review repeats for as long as the driver works for you. Gaps in DQFs are among the things auditors most often write up.

A standard medical examiner certificate lasts up to 24 months. Drivers with some conditions, such as high blood pressure, insulin-managed diabetes or sleep apnea, often get shorter ones of 3, 6 or 12 months. The exam has to be done by someone on the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners. The driver must also self-certify their medical status with the state DMV. Let the certificate lapse and most states will downgrade the CDL automatically.

It comes in two kinds. Enterprise telematics suites (Samsara, Lytx, Verizon Connect) bundle DOT compliance with ELD, GPS and dashcams, and they usually charge per truck per month. So the bill climbs with every truck you add. Standalone compliance software (Foley, Compliance Safety Manager, ExpiryEdge) charges a flat monthly fee whatever your fleet size, usually in the low thousands a year. Which one fits depends on whether you already have ELD and GPS, or just need documents and deadlines tracked.

Under the current FMCSA civil penalty table (49 CFR Part 386, Appendix B, as amended 21 July 2026), record-keeping violations build up at $1,584 a day to a $15,846 maximum; non-record-keeping violations can reach $19,246 and financial responsibility violations $21,114. Falsified records or willful violations can be referred for criminal prosecution. Repeat violations also push up your CSA BASIC scores. That raises insurance premiums and weakens you in customer audits.

IFTA (International Fuel Tax Agreement) licenses expire on December 31 every year, so you have to renew before then. Most jurisdictions open renewals in October or November. Every qualified vehicle must carry the new decals by March 1; until that date, last year's decals still count. Renew late and you face fuel-tax interest and decal replacement fees. Member jurisdictions can also suspend your authority.

CSA (Compliance, Safety, Accountability) is how the FMCSA scores carrier safety. Inspections, violations and crashes all feed into seven categories called BASICs: Unsafe Driving, Hours of Service, Driver Fitness, Controlled Substances, Vehicle Maintenance, Hazmat, and Crash Indicator. You are scored against carriers your size. High scores bring audits and interventions, and they can cost you contracts. Violations stay on the record for 24 months. Shippers often check these scores before they hire a carrier.

Probably. Most TMS and ELD platforms cover dispatch, hours of service and vehicle telemetry. What they don't do well is the paperwork for each driver (DQF, medical card, drug and alcohol pool, training records) or each truck's annual inspection, at least not in a form that stands up in an audit. That's the gap compliance software fills. ExpiryEdge takes data from the major TMS platforms by CSV import or API, so driver and vehicle records flow in and every document deadline sits in one place.

Before a driver can operate a commercial vehicle, the carrier must: (1) verify the CDL and check its current status, (2) order a 3-year MVR from every state where the driver was licensed, (3) query the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, (4) run a pre-employment drug test, (5) complete a previous-employer safety check under 49 CFR 391.23, and (6) complete a road test (or accept the CDL in place of one). ExpiryEdge sets each of these up as a required slot on the new driver's record. You can't mark the driver active until every slot is filled.

It replaces the part that tracks documents and deadlines. It doesn't provide ELDs, GPS, dashcams or driver behaviour scoring. If you already run Samsara or Lytx, ExpiryEdge sits next to it and keeps track of every compliance date. If you have no telematics yet and want your compliance in order first, ExpiryEdge is the lighter place to start. You can add an ELD vendor later and pay for that piece on its own.