Box Truck DOT Requirements: What Applies Under and Over 26,000 lbs

Do box trucks need a USDOT number?

Yes, if the truck is rated 10,001 lbs or more and you use it in interstate commerce. That makes it a commercial motor vehicle under 49 CFR 390.5T, whether you haul for hire or carry your own goods. A truck that never leaves your state can still be in interstate commerce if the freight started or will end in another state.

If you haul other people's freight for pay across state lines, you also need operating authority (an MC number). Mark the truck on both sides with your company name and USDOT number (49 CFR 390.21T).

Non-CDL box trucks (10,001 to 26,000 lbs): what still applies

A box truck rated 26,000 lbs or less does not need a CDL, unless it hauls placarded hazmat or is built to carry 16 or more people. But it is still a CMV, so most of the federal safety rules apply:

• Medical card: every driver needs a current medical examiner's certificate (49 CFR 391.41).
• DQ file: application, MVRs, road test certificate, medical certificate and the other items in 49 CFR 391.51. For non-CDL drivers, the file also needs a note that you checked the medical examiner is on FMCSA's National Registry.
• Hours of service: the same 11-hour, 14-hour and 60/70-hour limits as other property carriers (49 CFR 395.3).
• ELD: required for drivers who must keep logs on more than 8 days in any 30-day period, unless the truck was built before model year 2000.
• Maintenance: an annual inspection with proof on board (49 CFR 396.17), plus repair records and driver inspection reports.

Do non-CDL box truck drivers need drug testing?

Not under federal rules. FMCSA's drug and alcohol testing rules in Part 382 cover drivers who must hold a CDL (49 CFR 382.103). A driver of a non-CDL box truck is not subject to Part 382, and you do not register those drivers in the Clearinghouse.

That does not stop a customer, network or insurer from requiring testing in its contract. Read your agreements. If you add a CDL truck later, every driver of that truck needs the full federal program before they drive it.

26,001 lbs and over: CDL and the full drug and alcohol program

A single truck rated 26,001 lbs or more needs a Class B CDL (49 CFR 383.91). The CDL definition uses the rating or the actual weight, whichever is greater. So a truck rated 26,000 lbs that is loaded to more than 26,000 lbs can need a CDL. Overloading a non-CDL truck is a real risk, not just a weight ticket.

Once your drivers need a CDL, Part 382 applies. You need a written policy, a random testing pool, pre-employment tests, Clearinghouse queries and supervisor training for anyone who decides on reasonable suspicion testing.

Local box truck routes: the short-haul exception

Many box trucks run local routes and come back to the same yard each night. Non-CDL drivers may qualify for an exception from logs and ELDs (49 CFR 395.1(e)(2)) if they meet all of these conditions:

• They stay within 150 air miles of their normal work reporting location.
• They return to that location at the end of each duty tour.
• They stop driving by the 14th hour after coming on duty. On up to 2 days in any 7 in a row, that limit stretches to the 16th hour.
• You keep time records for 6 months showing when they started, stopped and how many hours they worked.

Box trucks for last-mile and expedite networks

Many box truck businesses run for delivery networks, expedite companies or load boards. Find out whose authority you run under. If you run under your own USDOT number, every inspection and crash goes on your record, and the network will likely check it.

For-hire carriers of general freight in trucks rated 10,001 lbs or more must carry at least $750,000 in public liability coverage (49 CFR 387.9). Networks and brokers often ask for more in their contracts. If you plan to haul through Amazon Relay, see our Amazon Relay page. We are independent and not affiliated with Amazon.