Accident Recordkeeping Requirements

This is a request for an extension of a previously approved ICR where the collection of information is mandatory. 49 CFR 390.15 requires interstate motor carriers to maintain for recordkeeping, an "Accident Register" consisting of all accidents (interstate and intrastate) involving their commercial motor vehicles. The frequency of the collection of information is when an accident occurs. This extension request decreases FMCSA’s burden hours estimate based on a decrease in the number of reportable crashes in 2020-2022. Carriers must make all these records available to authorized representatives or special agents of FMCSA upon request. These records are used by the FMCSA to assess the effectiveness of motor carriers' safety management controls. When conducting a compliance review of a motor carrier at its place of business, FMCSA investigators may examine the motor carrier’s accident register. This information can be valuable in assessing the safety performance of the motor carrier. For instance, it may reveal accidents that, for various reasons, were not reported to the FMCSA by the State, and thus are not part of FMCSA’s record of the motor carrier’s accident history. The information may corroborate other evidence or assist the FMCSA investigator in establishing a violation of a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulation. For example, data entered in the Accident Register may conflict with information contained in other documents, such as the record of duty status, or logbook, of a CMV driver, and point to illegal falsification of the RODS by the driver, the motor carrier, or both. Pursuant to section 390.15(b)(1), a motor carrier must obtain, at a minimum, the following information about each CMV accident for 3 years from the date of the accident: (i) date of accident, (ii) city or town in which or most near where the accident occurred and the State where the accident occurred, (iii) driver name, (iv) number of injuries, (v) number of fatalities, and (vi) whether hazardous materials, other than fuel spilled from the fuel tanks of the motor vehicle, were released. In addition, section 390.15(b)(2) requires that “copies of all accident reports required by State or other governmental entities or insurers” be included in the Accident Register. The FMCSA does not prescribe a specific form for Accident Register information. An “entry” on the Accident Register is defined for purposes of this estimate as the entry of all the information about a single accident that is required by Section 390.15.

The latest form for Accident Recordkeeping Requirements expires 2027-03-31 and can be found here.