Accident Register Format

Per § 390.15, every motor carrier must maintain an accident register listing DOT-recordable crashes.

Required register entries

For each DOT-recordable crash:

1. Date of crash
2. City/state where crash occurred
3. Driver name + license number
4. Number of injuries
5. Number of fatalities
6. Whether hazmat was released
7. Brief description of crash

Retention period

• 1 year in the regular accident register (active file)
• 3 years in the historical register (archival)
• Total: 3+ years from date of crash

Format

• Spreadsheet (Excel, Google Sheets) — most common
• Database (carrier-developed)
• Compass Accidents module (purpose-built)

What to include beyond the minimum

• Police report ID
• Insurance claim number
• Vehicle VIN involved
• Preventability assessment
• Total claim cost (when known)
• Investigation status

What auditors look for

• Register is current (last entry within reasonable time)
• All DOT-recordable crashes captured
• No gaps in the chronology
• Required fields populated

What constitutes "DOT-recordable" per § 390.5

• Fatality (any party)
• Bodily injury requiring medical treatment immediately away from scene
• Disabling damage requiring tow-away

Common errors

• Crashes not added (forgotten by safety director)
• Damage tow-away not classified correctly (truck drove away vs was towed)
• Hazmat release not documented (even minor leak should be flagged)
• Description too vague ("hit another vehicle" — needs details)

Compass Accidents module

• Auto-creates register entries from accident reports
• Pre-populates required fields
• Generates auditable register output
• Cross-references with carrier's claim records

CFR citations

• 49 CFR § 390.15
• 49 CFR § 390.21

How Compass surfaces this

Searchable in Compass Ask. Runs against carrier fleet data when invoked from the relevant tracker. Read-only; no actions without explicit user approval.

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