What is the new entrant program?

The new entrant program is the first safety review for certain motor carriers that are beginning operations under a USDOT number. It is not a certification, a training course, or a promise that a carrier is safe. It is a period of monitoring followed by a safety audit. The practical question is whether the carrier is operating safely and keeping the records that show how it does so.

Part 385 Subpart D sets the boundaries. Section 385.301 describes the scope of the program. It generally concerns new entrants operating in interstate commerce, with specific exclusions and conditions. A carrier's cargo, passenger operation, hazardous-materials authority, domicile, and operating pattern can matter. A small fleet is not automatically outside the program. Regulations may use terms such as power units; in ordinary use, these are the trucks a carrier operates.

Registration starts the clock. Under section 385.303, a new entrant registers and receives new-entrant status when it obtains the relevant USDOT number. The status is not permanent. During the monitoring period, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) can review available safety information and may arrange a safety audit. Section 385.305 describes that monitoring. It is useful to treat every day of the period as part of the review, rather than waiting for a notice.

The audit itself is addressed in section 385.307. An auditor may examine records and ask how the carrier hires and qualifies drivers, manages drug and alcohol testing, records hours of service, maintains vehicles, handles accidents, and supervises its operation. The exact requests depend on the carrier and the review. A clean-looking folder is not enough if the underlying practice does not match it; a carrier needs records that are complete, current, and connected to the work being performed.

The result is a formal determination under section 385.311. The determination can affect whether the carrier remains authorized to operate under the new-entrant program. When a carrier needs to address deficiencies, section 385.319 describes corrective action. Section 385.321 addresses revocation, and section 385.323 provides an appeals process. These provisions explain why a notice should be read carefully and answered through the process and deadlines stated in it.

The program can also reach some intrastate-only carriers, but state adoption matters. A carrier that never crosses a state line should check whether its state has adopted 49 CFR Part 385 Subpart D or an equivalent requirement. The federal text alone does not answer every intrastate question. The state agency and the carrier's actual operation are relevant.

The most useful first step is to identify the carrier's scope and then map daily work to records. Keep the people who perform the work involved. Do not create records after the fact or assume that a form, by itself, proves compliance. If a question is outside the carrier's knowledge, seek qualified advice rather than guessing.

Source note: Sections 385.301, 385.303, 385.305, 385.307, 385.311, 385.319, 385.321, and 385.323 were read at ecfr.gov on 15 September 2026.