Compliance Document Management Software for DOT and FAA Records
Last updated October 28, 2026. By The FileFlo compliance team, founder
Direct answer
Compliance document management software stores the records a regulator audits, files each one under the rule that requires it, tracks its expiry and produces the set an auditor asks for. For a trucking company that is the driver qualification file (49 CFR 391.51); for a Part 135 operator, the crew training and qualification records (14 CFR 135.63). FileFlo does both.
Trucking: the Audit-Ready Setup, $499 through December 31, or the FileFlo Compliance Department at $1,500 a month for up to 15 trucks. Part 135: the Pilot Records and Currency Assessment, $1,500, or the aviation department at $2,500 a month, first month free if you start by December 31.
Free. Your USDOT number, nothing else. Built from FMCSA's public record of your inspections, violations and out-of-service orders.
What it means for your business
- Your audit
- An auditor asks for the driver files (391.51), the testing records and the maintenance file. A shared drive holds the files; it does not tell you which one is missing.
- Your dates
- Medical cards, CDLs, annual reviews, Clearinghouse queries and inspections all expire on different clocks. The software has to watch the date, not just store the PDF.
- Your office
- A tool that only reminds still leaves the chasing on your desk. Ask who does the work behind the date.
What FileFlo does about it, today
- Every driver gets a qualification file in the order 391.51 lists it. Medical cards and CDLs are read, dated to their expiry and filed against the rule.
- Your gap report names each missing record, the rule that requires it and who owes it. Automatic-failure items come first.
- FileFlo asks the driver and the office for each renewal at 45, 14 and 3 days before it is due, with an upload link, and requests missing records the day they are found.
- The audit packet stays ready: every requirement with its citation, and a sealed inspector link with an expiry and a log of every access.
What a regulator asks for
Generic document storage keeps files. A compliance system keeps them in the order the rule lists them, knows which are missing and knows when each one lapses. The records differ by regulator:
- Trucking (FMCSA): a qualification file for each driver (49 CFR 391.51), drug and alcohol testing and Clearinghouse records (Part 382), records of duty status (395.8), annual inspection and maintenance records (396.17, 396.21) and the accident register (390.15).
- Part 135 (FAA): the crew training and qualification records (14 CFR 135.63).
What to look for
- It files each record under the rule that requires it, so a gap names the rule.
- It tracks every expiry, with the alert reaching a person who will act.
- It produces the set an auditor asks for, without an afternoon of scanning.
- Someone does the chasing: you, your office, or the vendor. Price that work, not only the software.
Who this is for, and who it is not
FileFlo is built for interstate trucking carriers and FAA Part 135 operators. If you need OSHA, healthcare or another regulator's records, this is not the tool.
Compare the trucking options with published prices in DOT compliance software for trucking, FMCSA compliance software and fleet compliance software. New carrier? Start with the new entrant safety audit checklist.
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Driver qualification files for the length of employment plus three years (49 CFR 391.51(d)); records of duty status six months (395.8(k)); annual inspection reports 14 months (396.21(b)); the accident register three years (390.15(b)); drug and alcohol records up to five years (382.401).
No. FileFlo covers FMCSA records for trucking carriers and FAA Part 135 crew records. For OSHA, healthcare or other regulators, use a tool built for that regulator.