How long do driver records have to be kept?

Electronic records are the law's equal of paper

Federal rules accept electronic inspection reports and electronic signatures for everything a paper logbook does. 49 CFR 390.32 authorizes electronic documents and signatures across the motor carrier safety regulations, and since March 2026 the inspection rules say it directly: 49 CFR 396.11(a)(6) and 396.13(d) state that driver vehicle inspection reports may be created and kept in electronic format. An electronic signature can be made with any available technology — a tap counts. There is no legal reason left to keep a paper binder.

Pre-trip and post-trip: what the law actually asks

Before driving (49 CFR 396.13), a driver must be satisfied the vehicle is in safe operating condition, review the last inspection report if one was required, and sign to acknowledge that listed defects were repaired or certified as not needing repair. No new form is required just to start driving.

At the end of the day's work (49 CFR 396.11), a driver vehicle inspection report (DVIR) is required when a defect or deficiency affecting safe operation was found or reported. A clear vehicle needs no report — but the carrier must fix any listed defect, or certify repair is unnecessary, before the vehicle runs again.

The retention windows

• 3 months — every DVIR, with its certification of repairs and the driver's review (49 CFR 396.11(a)(4)).
• 14 months — the annual (periodic) inspection report (49 CFR 396.21(b)(1)).
• 1 year, plus 6 months after the vehicle leaves your control — maintenance and repair records (49 CFR 396.3(c)).
• 48 hours — how fast records must be made available when an authorized official requests them, weekends and Federal holidays excluded (49 CFR 390.29(b)).

The one-truck exemption most drivers never hear about

Under 49 CFR 396.11(a)(5), the DVIR filing rules do not apply to a carrier operating only one commercial motor vehicle. A solo owner-operator is not federally required to file inspection reports at all.

So why keep them? Because the exemption only removes the paperwork duty — it does not answer an insurance adjuster, a platform account review, a customer dispute, or a state audit. A dated, signed inspection record showing the vehicle was checked and clear is the difference between a story and a defense. Exempt drivers who keep records anyway are the ones who never answer empty-handed.

State law follows the federal rules

States adopt these federal regulations for intrastate driving. Michigan, for example, adopts them under the Motor Carrier Safety Act, MCL 480.11a, covering the same inspection and retention rules for in-state work. The windows above are the ones to plan around wherever you drive. These rules apply to commercial motor vehicles by weight — generally 10,001 lbs and up — not just CDL holders.