Frequently asked questions.

Dotra tracks every compliance document and deadline a trucking carrier needs in one place. That includes driver qualification files (DQ files), motor vehicle records (MVRs), DOT medical examiner's certificates, commercial driver's licenses (CDLs), vehicle inspection and maintenance records, federal filings (MCS-150, UCR, MCS-90, IRP, BOC-3, Form 2290), drug and alcohol program records and FMCSA Clearinghouse query deadlines, IFTA filing deadlines, insurance certificates, and the carrier's FMCSA safety profile. ELD hours-of-service sync and IFTA mileage tracking are built and coming soon.

When a file is uploaded, Dotra's AI reads the document and pre-fills the key details: document type, expiration date, and identifying fields. You review and confirm the values before they're saved, so the record is right and you stay in control. Each record shows up on the dashboard with its status, and every expiration date generates deadline alerts automatically.

Dotra sends renewal alerts at 60, 30, and 7 days before each due date, then daily through the final five days. Alerts go out by email and SMS. Overdue items are flagged every day until they're resolved, and Dotra confirms when you're back in compliance.

The AI Compliance Assistant answers compliance questions using the carrier's own data: driver files, deadlines, testing records, Clearinghouse results, incidents, and filing statuses. It gives specific answers about your fleet rather than generic regulatory text. Ask it whether a driver is current, what's expiring soon, or where you stand before an audit. It only ever sees your own carrier's data.

The Regulatory Intelligence engine monitors FMCSA and DOT sources daily for rule changes that affect carriers. AI identifies potential changes, a human on the Dotra team reviews and approves each one, and only then do affected carriers get a plain-English summary with action items and deadlines. Nothing reaches you unverified.

No. Dotra Intelligence is included in the base Dotra subscription at no extra cost. Both the Regulatory Intelligence engine and the AI Compliance Assistant come standard with every Dotra plan, with no premium tier or separate purchase required.

Soon. Both integrations are built and in final certification with each provider. Once live, you authorize your own account and the connection pulls driver hours-of-service data on a daily cadence. Dotra pulls hours-of-service clocks only; it never ingests GPS or vehicle location data.

It will soon. Once the Motive and Samsara connections go live, Dotra syncs hours-of-service data daily, applies the FMCSA limits (11-hour daily driving, 70-hour cycle), and alerts you on violations. HOS data sits alongside your driver files for audits.

Dotra pulls your published FMCSA safety profile every day: safety rating, out-of-service rates, crash history, ISS score, and your roadside inspection and violation records. CSA BASIC percentiles are no longer public under the FAST Act, so no third-party tool can legitimately display them; your safety profile is the record brokers and insurers actually see, and that's what Dotra monitors.

Pulling an MVR requires driver consent and a permissible purpose under the DPPA, so Dotra doesn't pull MVRs on its own. Upload the MVR you ran through your screening provider and Dotra files it under the right driver, tracks the renewal date, and alerts you before the next one is due.

Yes. Dotra's Regulatory Intelligence engine flagged the Motus change, and Dotra walks each carrier through the transition in plain language inside the software: what changed, the steps to take, and a due date on each one. Dotra doesn't file in Motus on your behalf, but it tracks the deadlines that now live there, like the MCS-150 biennial update, and alerts you before each one. Changes like Motus are exactly what Dotra is built to catch before they become a problem.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is the U.S. Department of Transportation agency that regulates interstate commercial motor vehicles. FMCSA sets the rules around driver qualification, hours of service, drug and alcohol testing, vehicle maintenance, and other safety areas.

FMCSA regulations are the federal rules carriers must follow to operate commercial vehicles. They cover driver hiring and qualification, hours-of-service limits, drug and alcohol testing, vehicle inspection and maintenance, hazardous materials, and crash reporting. Most appear in 49 CFR Parts 350 through 399.

A driver qualification file (DQ file) is the FMCSA-required record carriers keep for every CDL driver. It documents the driver's employment application, motor vehicle records, road tests, medical certificates, and the other items 49 CFR 391 requires.

A complete DQ file includes the driver's application for employment, three years of motor vehicle records, the medical examiner's certificate, a road test certificate or equivalent, the annual review of driving record, and any certifications required for the driver's role.

An MVR check pulls a driver's motor vehicle record from their licensing state. FMCSA requires carriers to pull MVRs at hire and at least once every 12 months. Pulling MVRs requires driver consent and a permissible purpose under the DPPA.

Your CSA score is the FMCSA's Compliance, Safety, Accountability measure of how your carrier compares to peers across seven BASIC categories: Unsafe Driving, Hours of Service, Driver Fitness, Controlled Substances, Vehicle Maintenance, Hazmat, and Crash Indicator. Lower percentiles are better.

There's no single passing CSA score, but percentiles below the FMCSA intervention thresholds are the goal. Hours-of-Service and Unsafe Driving have intervention thresholds at 65 percent for general carriers, with Vehicle Maintenance and most other BASICs at 80 percent.

Improve your CSA score by reducing roadside inspection violations and crashes in the seven BASIC categories. Audit your driver files, run pre-trip inspections, train drivers on hours of service and vehicle maintenance, and challenge incorrect violations through FMCSA DataQs.

Carriers can view their own CSA data for free through the FMCSA's Safety Measurement System (SMS) portal at ai.fmcsa.dot.gov.

A new entrant safety audit is the FMCSA review every newly registered interstate motor carrier must pass within their first 12 months of operation. The audit confirms the carrier has the required safety processes, records, and policies in place.

A DOT compliance review is a deeper FMCSA investigation of a carrier's safety records, often triggered by CSA scores, crashes, or complaints. It results in a safety rating: Satisfactory, Conditional, or Unsatisfactory.

A DOT audit typically requires driver qualification files, drug and alcohol testing records, hours-of-service logs, vehicle maintenance records, IFTA filings, an accident register, and proof of required insurance.

A DOT drug test is the federally regulated screen that every CDL driver must pass at pre-employment, plus random selections, post-accident, reasonable suspicion, return-to-duty, and follow-up testing. Results flow through certified Medical Review Officers.

The DOT 5-panel screens for marijuana, cocaine, opiates (including codeine, morphine, heroin, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, oxycodone, oxymorphone), amphetamines (including methamphetamine and MDMA), and phencyclidine (PCP).

A driver who fails or refuses a DOT drug test must be immediately removed from safety-sensitive duties, reported to the FMCSA Clearinghouse, and complete the return-to-duty process with a Substance Abuse Professional before becoming eligible to drive again.

Drivers operating commercial motor vehicles that don't require a CDL or CLP under 49 CFR Part 382 are generally outside Clearinghouse scope, and certain intrastate operators participate through state-equivalent programs. Most interstate CDL drivers and their employers are required to participate.

Motus is FMCSA's registration system, launched May 14, 2026. It replaced the Unified Registration System (URS) and the registration functions of the legacy FMCSA Portal, putting USDOT number and operating authority registration for carriers, brokers, and freight forwarders in one system with identity verification through Login.gov.

Yes. Carriers registered before May 14, 2026 claim their record by signing in with the Login.gov account tied to the email their company official had on file in the old FMCSA Portal, then completing identity verification with a government-issued ID. Until the record is claimed, the carrier can't update it or file through the system.

No. Existing USDOT and docket numbers stay exactly as they are. Motus randomizes newly issued numbers and adds suffixes to new registrations as a fraud-prevention measure, but numbers already in use are not reassigned and don't get suffixes. MC, FF, and MX prefixes also remain.

For registration tasks, yes. Motus took over the Portal's registration functions on May 14, 2026, so biennial updates, record changes, and authority actions now happen in Motus. FMCSA has not announced that the Portal itself is shutting down entirely, and some tools may keep running alongside Motus during the transition.