What does 49 CFR 395.11 (Supporting documents) require?

Short answer

49 CFR 395.11 requires drivers to submit supporting documents to their employer within 13 days, and motor carriers to retain these documents for each driver for every 24-hour period to verify on-duty not driving time. The regulation specifies the types of supporting documents that must be retained, including bills of lading, dispatch records, and expense receipts. Motor carriers need not retain more than eight supporting documents for an individual driver's 24-hour period.

The rule says

"A motor carrier must retain each supporting document generated or received in the normal course of business in the following categories for each of its drivers for every 24-hour period to verify on-duty not driving time in accordance with 395.8(k)" (49 CFR 395.11(c)(1))

Subject to paragraph (d) of this section, a motor carrier need not retain more than eight supporting documents for an individual driver's 24-hour period under paragraph (c) of this section — 49 CFR 395.11(d)(1).

In plain English

This regulation is about keeping records to back up a driver's hours of service. Drivers need to give their employers documents that show what they were doing when they weren't driving, like loading or unloading cargo. Employers have to keep these documents for each driver for every 24-hour period. The goal is to make sure drivers are following the rules about how many hours they can work. The regulation also limits the number of documents an employer has to keep to eight per driver per day.

What to do

• Ensure drivers submit supporting documents within 13 days
• Retain supporting documents for each driver for every 24-hour period
• Limit the number of supporting documents retained to eight per driver per day
• Verify that supporting documents include required data elements, such as driver's name, date, location, and time