Fleets that track their drivers' federally required qualification files in spreadsheets have a new automated option. EHS Insight, a Houston safety-software company, added a Driver Management module on October 21, 2026, that it says marks which drivers are not cleared to drive, though it named no customers or prices.
Key points
- Federal rules require every motor carrier to keep a qualification file for each driver it employs, and to keep it for three years after the driver leaves (49 CFR 391.51).
- EHS Insight says its new module assigns each driver's DOT requirements automatically from their license, the vehicles they drive and their groups.
- According to the company, each driver's status then updates by itself as Qualified, Not Qualified or Disqualified, and drivers get reminders before documents lapse.
- The announcement names no price, no customers and no integrations, and does not say whether the module retrieves driving records from the states.
What do fleets have to keep on every driver?
A qualification file, and it is not a single document. Under 49 CFR 391.51, a carrier's file on each driver holds the employment application, motor vehicle records from the licensing state, the road test certificate or its accepted equivalent, and the medical examiner's certificate. Some of it, such as the annual driving-record inquiry and the carrier's annual review of that record, has to be renewed every year, which is why the files fall out of date when they are kept by hand.
| Part of the file | When it is due |
|---|---|
| Employment application | Once, at hiring (§391.51) |
| Motor vehicle record from each licensing state | At hiring, then an inquiry at least every 12 months (§391.25) |
| Note of the carrier's review of the driving record, naming the reviewer | At least every 12 months (§391.25) |
| Road test certificate or accepted equivalent | Once (§391.51) |
| Medical examiner's certificate | At least every 24 months for most drivers (§391.45) |
| The whole file | Kept while the driver is employed and for 3 years after (§391.51) |
What does EHS Insight's module change?
EHS Insight says the module puts those files, with each driver's documents and vehicles, into one record instead of spreadsheets and shared drives. The company says it works out which requirements apply to each driver, flags expired and missing documents and disqualified drivers, and adds a fleet-wide document status report and a one-click download of any driver's file.
"Customers said keeping qualification files current took too much time and still left them exposed. Now they see who’s road-ready, what’s coming due, and what needs attention in one place."
— Gary McDonald, Founder and CEO, EHS Insight
What should fleet managers ask before switching?
Our analysis: the release describes tracking, not retrieval. It does not say whether the module pulls motor vehicle records from the states or only stores what managers upload, and that difference decides how much of the annual work is left to do by hand. It also names no customers, prices or connections to telematics or HR systems. The module sits inside EHS Insight's wider safety platform, so fleets already using that platform have the least to change.
Frequently asked questions
Which driver records does federal law require fleets to keep?
Under 49 CFR 391.51, each driver's qualification file holds the employment application, motor vehicle records, the road test certificate or equivalent, and the medical examiner's certificate, kept for three years after the driver leaves.
What does EHS Insight's Driver Management module do?
EHS Insight says it keeps each commercial driver's qualification file, documents and vehicles in one record, assigns the DOT requirements that apply, and shows which drivers are cleared to drive.
How does it decide whether a driver is qualified?
The company says it assigns requirements from the driver's license, vehicles and groups, then marks each driver Qualified, Not Qualified or Disqualified as documents change.
Does the module pull driving records from the states?
EHS Insight's announcement does not say. It describes tracking documents and statuses, not retrieving motor vehicle records.
Sources
- EHS Insight Introduces Driver Management Module to Keep Fleets Qualified and Road-Ready: press release from EHS Insight via EIN Presswire, 21 October 2026.
- 49 CFR 391.51, General requirements for driver qualification files: the federal rule, in the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations.
- 49 CFR 391.25, Annual inquiry and review of driving record and 49 CFR 391.45, Persons who must be medically examined and certified: the renewal rules, in the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations.
- EHS Insight: the company's website.