DOT Compliance Deadline Calculator
The three recurring deadlines that catch small carriers — the annual vehicle inspection, each driver's medical certificate, and the annual MVR review — on one board, soonest first, each with its CFR citation. Nothing you enter is stored or sent anywhere.
Annual inspections
§396.17Next inspection is due 12 months later; keep the report 14 months (§396.21).
Medical certificates
§391.43Use the date printed on the card — the examiner sets it (up to 24 months, shorter for monitored conditions).
Annual MVR reviews
§391.25The next MVR and review note are due 12 months later.
Your deadline board
Every deadline above, soonest first. Nothing you enter leaves this page.
Enter at least one date above and the board fills in here — soonest deadline first, each with its CFR citation.
Where these deadlines come from
- Annual inspection — every 12 months. Per 49 CFR §396.17, every commercial motor vehicle must pass a periodic inspection against Appendix A to Part 396 at least once every 12 months — trailers and converter dollies included. The inspection report (or decal) is kept for 14 months per §396.21 — note the two-month difference between the inspection cycle and the record's retention window. At a new-entrant audit, operating vehicles without current inspections is one of the automatic-failure items when it shows in 51% or more of examined records.
- Medical certificate — the examiner sets the date. A Medical Examiner's Certificate under §391.43 is valid for up to 24 months, but examiners issue shorter cards for conditions that need monitoring — which is why this tool asks for the date printed on the card instead of computing one. Driving with an expired card means the driver is not medically certified.
- MVR and annual review — every 12 months. Per §391.25, you pull each driver's motor vehicle record at least every 12 months and document your review of it. Both land in the driver qualification file.
What the calculator doesn't cover
These are the recurring date-driven deadlines. They are not the whole program: drug and alcohol testing has its own clock (the random pool runs continuously — see the random pool calculator), the MCS-150 biennial update follows your USDOT number's schedule, and DVIRs and maintenance records run on their own retention windows. For the full picture of what an auditor samples, the audit readiness check scores all of it in about five minutes.
This tool is general guidance, not legal advice. The CFR is the authoritative source. Roadworthy HQ tracks these deadlines per driver and vehicle automatically, with alerts before each one lands — you can try it free for 14 days.