The DOT Accident Register: What Most Carriers Get Wrong

This one catches carriers off guard more than almost anything else. An auditor asks for your accident register, and you hand them... nothing. Because you didn't know you needed one. Or you thought "we haven't had any accidents" meant you didn't need to keep one.

Wrong. You need an accident register regardless of whether you've had any accidents.

What Is the Accident Register?

Under the FMCSA regulation requiring carriers to maintain an accident register (49 CFR §390.15), every motor carrier must maintain a register of all accidents (as defined by FMCSA) involving any vehicle operated under its authority. The register must include:

• Date of accident
• City/town and state where it occurred
• Driver's name
• Number of injuries
• Number of fatalities
• Whether hazardous materials were released

What Counts as a "Recordable" Accident?

FMCSA's definition is specific. A DOT-recordable accident (an accident involving a CMV that results in a fatality, bodily injury requiring medical treatment away from the scene, or disabling damage requiring a vehicle to be towed) involves a CMV operating on a public road where:

• A fatality occurred, OR
• Someone was injured and transported for medical treatment, OR
• A vehicle was disabled and had to be towed from the scene

Fender benders in a parking lot? Not recordable. A sideswipe on the highway where nobody got hurt and both vehicles drove away? Not recordable. A rear-end collision where the other driver went to the ER? That's recordable — even if it wasn't your driver's fault.

Retention Period

Keep the accident register for 3 years after the date of the accident. Along with the register, you should also retain copies of any accident reports filed with law enforcement, insurance claims, and photos.

The Blank Register

If you haven't had any recordable accidents, you still need to maintain the register — it just has no entries. Having a blank register ready to show an auditor demonstrates you know the requirement exists. It's a small thing, but it signals to the auditor that you take compliance seriously.

GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating — the maximum allowable weight of a vehicle including cargo, passengers, and fuel as set by the manufacturer) and CMV Thresholds

Remember: the CMV threshold for accident register purposes is 10,001 lbs GVWR. This is a common point of confusion — the CDL threshold is 26,001 lbs, but the accident register (and many other FMCSA requirements) kicks in at the lower 10,001 lb mark. If your vehicle's door sticker shows a GVWR of 10,001 lbs or more, you need an accident register.