What Foley says it offers
From Foley's own pages, read on October 14, 2026:
- Packages. Its Essential package is for small fleets and owner-operators who want the basics covered, and lists driver qualification files, a DOT drug and alcohol program, pre-employment and annual Clearinghouse queries, alerts for drivers out of compliance and its Navigator AI guidance. The Professional and Power packages add MVR monitoring, hiring workflows, audit support and a document review service.
- Driver files. Foley says it creates, converts and manages driver files in a digital format: it sets up files from scratch, converts paper files and checks that they hold the required documents, gathers files scattered across devices into one platform, and its software alerts the carrier when a file is due for an update.
- The Clearinghouse and testing. Foley acts as the carrier's third-party administrator for the Clearinghouse: it registers the company, manages driver consent, runs the required queries and files records. It schedules pre-employment, random, post-accident, return-to-duty and reasonable suspicion tests.
- Monitoring and hiring. Its MVR Monitor alerts the carrier to a driver's new violation or suspension, its Audit Risk Monitor flags changes in the safety data that could raise the chance of an FMCSA review, and its hiring tools run from a license photo through background checks to the employee file.
A carrier looking for an alternative may want to replace one of these jobs, or all of them.
The five jobs, and who else does each
Read as a carrier's list of work, Foley's pages describe five jobs. Each one can sit with a different provider.
| The job, and its rule | What Foley says it does | Who else does it |
|---|---|---|
| The testing program and the Clearinghouse (382.305, 382.701) | Acts as third-party administrator, runs the queries, schedules the tests | Another consortium or third-party administrator |
| Driver qualification files (391.51) | Digital files, paper conversion, alerts when a file is due | A managed file service; a spreadsheet and a binder; records software that files each document against its rule and names what is missing, which is what FileFlo is |
| Driving records (391.25) | Annual MVR checks and the MVR Monitor | An MVR provider or monitoring service |
| Hiring (391.21, 391.23) | Applications, background checks, onboarding | A hiring platform or a background screener |
| Safety data | The CSA Monitor and the Audit Risk Monitor | The public FMCSA record itself; FileFlo reads it from your USDOT number every day |
Moving one job does not mean moving all five. A carrier can keep Foley running the testing pool and the Clearinghouse queries and move only the driver files; FileFlo and Foley side by side shows that setup.
How to compare on your own records
Compare the options on three of your own files, not on a feature list.
- Pull three driver files: your longest-serving driver, your newest hire and a driver who left in the last three years, since 391.51(c) keeps a file for three years after the driver leaves. Check each against the documents 391.51(b) lists; the driver qualification file checklist names each one with its rule.
- Ask each option four questions: who collects each document, who sees what is missing, who signs the annual review of each driving record under 391.25, and where the files of drivers who left are kept.
- For the testing program, ask where the records sit and how they come back to you if you change provider. Section 382.401 sets how long each kind is kept: five years for positive results and refusals, one year for negative results.
Or start from the public record: the free finding sheet reads what FMCSA's record shows about your carrier from your USDOT number. For the wider field of driver file tools, see driver qualification file software, seven compared, and the four kinds of alternative to J. J. Keller.
Switching from Foley: what to take with you
The files are yours whoever keeps them: 391.51(a) puts the duty to keep a qualification file for each driver on the motor carrier. Before you change provider, get a copy of every driver's file, the files of drivers who left in the last three years, and the testing program records for as long as 382.401 has you keep them. If the testing pool works for you, keep it where it is; only the files need to move.
Worked example: a seven-truck carrier splitting the jobs
Illustration, not a customer
The owner lists what Foley does for the company today and decides one job at a time:
- The testing pool and the Clearinghouse. Random testing under 382.305 and the annual query under 382.701 run through the consortium. The pool stays.
- The driver files. Seven files under 391.51, each with a medical certificate and an annual review on its own clock. This is the job being moved.
- The driving records. The annual record for each driver under 391.25 is ordered where it is ordered today, and the copy goes in the driver's file.
- Hiring. Two hires a year. The application under 391.21 and the inquiries under 391.23, due within 30 days of the start date, go in the new driver's file.
- The safety data. The public record reads the same whoever reads it.
Before anything moves, the owner asks for a copy of all seven files and of the two files for drivers who left last year, and sends them on as they are.
Where FileFlo does the work
Most compliance tools track a date someone typed in and send a notice. FileFlo does the work behind the date: it reads each document, finds the date, checks it against the rule, files it where the rule wants it and works out what is due next, for every driver and every recurring item. Records arrive by upload, a bulk ZIP or each driver's own phone link, and each one is read, dated and filed on the right driver's file against the rule it satisfies. The consortium agreement, the policy and each Clearinghouse query result you send are filed and shown as on file or missing. Nothing goes out to your drivers until you switch each routine on and choose who hears, how and when.
Sources
Checked
- Foley platform packages, Foley. Read October 14, 2026
- DOT driver qualification file management, Foley. Read October 14, 2026
- The Foley platform: Clearinghouse, testing, MVR Monitor, Audit Risk Monitor, hiring, Foley. Read October 14, 2026
- 49 CFR 391.51, driver qualification files and their retention, eCFR
- 49 CFR 391.25, annual inquiry and review of driving record, eCFR
- 49 CFR 391.21, application for employment, eCFR
- 49 CFR 391.23, investigation and inquiries at hire, eCFR
- 49 CFR 382.305, random testing, eCFR
- 49 CFR 382.401, retention of testing records, eCFR
- 49 CFR 382.701, Clearinghouse queries, eCFR
Questions
What does Foley offer a small carrier?
From its own pages, read October 14, 2026: packages whose entry level, Essential, is for small fleets and owner-operators and lists driver qualification files, a DOT drug and alcohol program, pre-employment and annual Clearinghouse queries and alerts for drivers out of compliance. Foley also acts as a third-party administrator for the Clearinghouse, schedules drug and alcohol tests, monitors driving records and runs background checks.
Can a carrier keep Foley for drug testing and move the driver files?
Yes. The testing program and the driver files are separate duties: the random pool and the Clearinghouse queries fall under Part 382, and the qualification file under 391.51. Each can sit with a different provider.
What should a carrier take when leaving Foley?
A copy of every current driver's qualification file, the files of drivers who left in the last three years (391.51(c) keeps each file for three years after the driver leaves), and the drug and alcohol program records for their retention periods under 382.401: five years for positive results and refusals, one year for negative results.
What are the kinds of alternative to Foley?
For the testing program, another consortium or third-party administrator. For the driver files, a managed file service, records software that files each document against its rule, or a spreadsheet and a binder kept by the office. For driving records and hiring, an MVR provider, a hiring platform or a background screener.