Records and rules
Updated September 28, 2026
A crash is DOT recordable when it involves a commercial vehicle on a highway and one of three things happens: someone dies, someone is hurt and treated away from the scene, or a damaged vehicle is towed away. That is the federal definition of “accident” in 49 CFR 390.5T.
Carriers must list every one in an accident register for 3 years. Fault does not matter to the definition.
This guide covers what counts, what the rules ask of you at the scene, and what happens to the record afterward. It is a plain summary of federal rules from a carrier, not legal advice.
What Is a DOT Recordable Accident?
The crash must involve a commercial motor vehicle operating on a highway, in interstate or intrastate commerce. Then any one of these makes it recordable:
A death
Anyone dies as a result of the crash.
An injury treated away from the scene
Someone is hurt and, because of it, gets medical treatment away from the scene right away.
A tow-away
Any vehicle has disabling damage and must be hauled away by a tow truck or another vehicle.
Two things are left out of the definition:
- A mishap that involves only people getting on or off a parked vehicle
- A mishap that involves only loading or unloading cargo
So a scrape in a lot where nobody is hurt and every vehicle drives away is not a recordable accident. Some carriers also keep records of minor crashes under their own policies, and a past carrier may share those with the next one.
Recordable vs Reportable
Drivers use both words for the same thing: a crash that meets the federal definition. FMCSA’s Motor Carrier Safety Planner calls it a “reportable” crash. Either way, the carrier must record it in its accident register.
A police crash report is a separate document. The carrier keeps a copy with its register when a state, another agency or an insurer requires a report.
Crashes also feed the Crash Indicator in FMCSA’s Safety Measurement System. Our guide to CSA scores for truck drivers explains how.
What to Do After a Truck Accident: the Rules
These are the federal rules that apply at and after a crash. They do not replace your carrier’s instructions, and they do not cover what to say to police or insurers.
- Stay at the scene. Leaving the scene of an accident is a major offense that costs a CDL holder at least 1 year. The federal testing rule does allow leaving for as long as needed to get help or emergency medical care.
- Turn on your hazard flashers. Do it right away when your truck is stopped on the road or shoulder. Keep them on until your warning devices are out.
- Place your warning devices within 10 minutes. Set them out as soon as possible, and within 10 minutes at the most. The layout is below.
- Do not drink alcohol. If you must take a post-accident alcohol test, you cannot drink for 8 hours after the crash, or until you are tested, whichever comes first.
- Stay reachable for testing. A driver who must be tested and is not available can be treated as refusing the test.
- Tell your carrier. Your carrier must give you its post-accident instructions before you ever drive for it. Follow them.
Post-accident testing, in short: after a crash with a death, the carrier tests every surviving driver who was on duty in a commercial vehicle. After an injury or tow-away crash, it tests the driver only if the driver gets a citation for a moving violation. Our guide to DOT drug and alcohol testing has the time limits and the rest of the rule.
Where the Warning Triangles Go
For a truck stopped on a two-way road or its shoulder, the rule sets three spots:
- 10 feet (about 4 paces) from the truck, on the traffic side, toward approaching traffic
- 100 feet (about 40 paces) toward approaching traffic, in the center of your lane or shoulder
- 100 feet (about 40 paces) the other way, in the center of your lane or shoulder
Some places change the layout:
- Divided or one-way road: all three face approaching traffic, at 10, 100 and 200 feet.
- Within 500 feet of a hill, curve or other blind spot: put one 100 to 500 feet back, on the far side of the blind spot.
- Fuel or other flammable leak: no flares or other flame devices near the leak.
- In a city business or residential district: not required, except when your lights must be on and street lights do not make your truck clear from 500 feet.
The Accident Register
Every motor carrier must keep an accident register for 3 years after the date of each accident. For each crash it lists:
- The date
- The city or town, or the nearest one, and the state
- The driver’s name
- The number of injuries and deaths
- Whether any hazardous material spilled, not counting fuel from the vehicles’ own tanks
The register also holds copies of the accident reports that states, other agencies or insurers require. Carriers must share these records with FMCSA and state investigators on request, and help with any investigation.
Your crashes follow you. When you apply to a new carrier, it must ask your past carriers for the crashes in their registers from the last 3 years. The application also asks you to list them. Our guides to truck driver resumes and the driver qualification file show where they appear.
Preventable or Not? The Crash Preventability Determination Program
A recordable crash is not the same as a crash you caused. FMCSA’s Crash Preventability Determination Program (CPDP) reviews certain crash types and marks the ones it finds not preventable.
Crashes on or after December 1, 2024 can qualify under 21 types, such as:
- Your truck was hit in the rear
- The other driver was going the wrong way
- You were hit while legally stopped or parked
- The other driver was under the influence, asleep or distracted
- You hit an animal, or debris hit you
- A video shows how the crash happened
You submit a Request for Data Review through FMCSA’s DataQs system, with the police accident report and any supporting documents, photos or video. FMCSA cannot review crashes older than 5 years.
A crash found not preventable is removed from the Crash Indicator calculation in the Safety Measurement System. It still appears on the website, and the finding is noted in FMCSA’s Pre-employment Screening Program report.
Years of safe miles behind you? Put them to work hauling cars.
DOT Recordable Accident FAQs
What makes an accident DOT recordable?
A crash involving a commercial vehicle on a highway is recordable if someone dies, someone is hurt and treated away from the scene right away, or a vehicle is towed away with disabling damage. Crashes involving only boarding, getting off, loading or unloading are left out.
Is a DOT recordable accident the same as a preventable accident?
No. Recordable means the crash meets the federal definition, whoever was at fault. FMCSA’s Crash Preventability Determination Program can find an eligible crash not preventable, which removes it from the Crash Indicator calculation.
How long does a DOT accident stay on the accident register?
A carrier must keep each accident in its register for 3 years after the date of the accident. New carriers ask past carriers for the last 3 years of crashes when you apply.
Do I get drug and alcohol tested after every truck accident?
No. Testing is required after any crash with a death. After an injury or tow-away crash, it is required only if you get a citation for a moving violation. If a test is required, you cannot drink alcohol for 8 hours or until you are tested.
How far back do I put warning triangles after a crash?
On a two-way road, one goes 10 feet from the truck on the traffic side, one 100 feet back toward traffic, and one 100 feet ahead. On a divided or one-way road, place them at 10, 100 and 200 feet toward approaching traffic, within 10 minutes.
Haul Cars With Accelerated
We run OEM plant, port and rail freight with contract drivers, and we have hauled for the automakers since 1999. We ask for 3 years of CDL-A driving, 1 year of verifiable 9-car experience and a clean safety history. Contract drivers get a $5,000 sign-on bonus, paid in the first month.
Running your own authority? See the sub-hauler program, or apply to contract with Accelerated.
Sources
Last checked September 28, 2026. This is a plain summary of federal rules, not legal advice. After a crash, follow your carrier’s instructions and the officers at the scene.
- 49 CFR 390.5T, definition of accident
- FMCSA Safety Planner, What is a crash?
- 49 CFR 390.15, accident register and investigations
- 49 CFR 392.22, emergency signals and warning devices
- 49 CFR 382.209, alcohol use after an accident
- 49 CFR 382.303, post-accident testing
- 49 CFR 383.51, leaving the scene as a major offense
- 49 CFR 391.23, past employer crash history
- FMCSA, Crash Preventability Determination Program