The six evidence categories
- Driver qualification file (49 CFR 391.51): application, MVR at hire, road test or CDL copy, medical certificate. A missing required document here is the most common failure.
- Drug and alcohol program (49 CFR Part 382): proof of consortium enrollment, the pre-employment test result for every CDL driver, and your random testing records. No program or no pre-employment test is an automatic failure.
- Hours of service and ELD applicability (49 CFR Part 395): your records of duty status, or your documented short-haul exemption.
- Vehicle maintenance (49 CFR Part 396): maintenance records and the periodic (annual) inspection report for each vehicle.
- Accident register (49 CFR 390.15): a register of accidents meeting the federal definition, even if it is empty. Not having one at all is a violation.
- Insurance and authority (49 CFR Part 387): your liability coverage on file with FMCSA at the required minimum. Operating without it is an automatic failure.
How to be ready
The audit is a document request. Carriers who pass on the first try are the ones whose paperwork is already organized by these categories with nothing missing, before the notice arrives. Build the files the week you get your authority, not the week FMCSA calls.
The TruckCompliant paid plan keeps an evidence room organized by exactly these categories, with a slot for each document and a readiness score based on what you have uploaded. It never claims you are compliant; it shows you what is missing before an auditor does.