The switch from paper driver qualification files to electronic storage is a huge step if you’re not tech-savvy. Being able to touch a piece of paper is comforting. Due to a previous loss of a digital item, many consumers worry that they may lose their files.
Those were the good old days. It is now technically riskier to continue using paper than to completely switch to digital due to advancements in technology and backups.
What Should Go Into A Driver Qualification File?
The FMCSA website has the complete regulation, Title 49, Part 391. Here is an overview of the information that each driver qualification file has to contain:
- A completed application for work as a driver;
- A duplicate of each state’s received motor vehicle record;
- A copy of the driver’s license or another document that the motor carrier has recognised as being comparable to the driver’s road test or the certificate of the driver’s road test;
- The motor vehicle record that the annual driver record enquiry has received from each state’s licencing authority;
- A memo about the driver’s annual review of their driving history;
- A list or certificate of motor vehicle ordinance and law offenses;
- Possibly, a copy of the medical examiner’s certificate is legible.
Digitizing your files with an online software provider has several benefits over using numerous spreadsheets and paper files:
1. Automated Backups
You risk experiencing a natural calamity such as fire or flood while using a paper DQ file. Your digitized important documents reside on a cloud-based web service using compliance tracking software.
Your information and files are kept on a server that you may access from any location with an internet connection if you use cloud storage.
Automatic backups are performed by A-cloud Suite, which also has a strong data security strategy and physical servers located in numerous cities around the nation.
A-Suite automatically transfers your data to another cloud server if something happens to the physical server it is stored on. Because of this redundancy, you can eliminate floods, fires, and storms from your list of potential risks.
2. Discreet, Protected And Kept In The Cloud
Personal information about your employees needs the highest level of security. You can give users access to only the data they require to perform their job duties. Digitizing your DQ files has advantages besides privacy protection, such as business protection.
There is a lot of sensitive information in DQ files. Therefore, it’s critical to keep them safe. Passwords and permissions restrict access to everything in A-Suite. You may relax knowing that only the people you have allowed will see sensitive information.
3. Your Records Remain Yours
It’s a common misunderstanding that switching to digital social media transfers content ownership. This is false! You still own the papers and files and can access them whenever you want.
A secure programming file known as JavaScript Object Notation, or JSON for short, can be read by a member of your technical team. This file is an a.zip file and has one folder per employee with all of their records and attachments.
All you have to do is ask for access to these files! You can be sure that your files will always be accessible with a 48-hour turnaround time.
4. Accessibility
To view the documents in a paper file, you must be able to access the folder containing them physically. Your files are accessible from anywhere globally, thanks to electronic storage. You can view your files using your specific login information from any location with internet access because A-Suite is a website.
This served as our client’s most important resource during the COVID-19 stay-at-home order. It’s just as helpful if you need to look up a record when you’re at your child’s karate lesson.
5. Reporting is Proactive
When something is about to expire, A-Suite notifies you, your driver, and your team. You don’t need to fetch a report or ask for an excel shortcuts file because the system anticipates your needs. A-Suite will see that you comply, so sit back and unwind.
Throw away your paper documents, spreadsheets, Post-it notes, fax machines, staplers, and file folders and enter the 21st century!
Why Not Now?
The management of the transportation industry’s intricate regulatory obligations has never been simpler.
Can you really afford not to? Regulations, privacy, and security no longer apply as they formerly did. Continue to advance by digitizing. Try it risk-free, and if you decide not to use it after 30 days, you won’t be charged anything.
