Truck driver handbook template: company policies for a small fleet

Most small fleets run on rules the owner carries in their head: how pay works, when drivers get home, who to call after an accident. That works with one driver. With three or five, unwritten rules turn into arguments, and a driver who leaves over a misunderstanding costs far more than writing it down would have.

A driver handbook fixes that. This template gives you 11 chapters, written in plain language for a small fleet. Five of them touch federal rules and say which; six are company practice you decide for yourself.

Template only, not legal or HR advice. Have your finished handbook reviewed for your state.

The handbook, chapter by chapter

• CH 1

  Welcome and contacts

  Practice

  Who to call for dispatch, pay, safety and testing.

• CH 2

  Driver qualification

  Rule

  What the company must have on file, and the driver's duty to report a license suspension by the next business day.

• CH 3

  Drug and alcohol policy

  Rule, CDL drivers

  Testing types, and the separate policy materials each CDL driver signs for.

• CH 4

  Hours of service and logs

  Rule

  Driving limits, the ELD, and a promise no one will push a driver past them.

• CH 5

  Inspections and defects

  Rule

  Pre-trip review, end-of-day defect reports, never driving an unsafe truck.

• CH 6

  Phones while driving

  Rule

  No texting or hand-held phone use while driving.

• CH 7

  Pay and settlements

  Practice

  How pay is calculated, pay day, extra pay, settlement questions.

• CH 8

  Home time and load offers

  Practice

  The home-time rule and how loads are offered and declined.

• CH 9

  Equipment care

  Practice

  Clean, fueled, documents in the cab, maintenance reported early.

• CH 10

  Accidents and incidents

  Practice

  Safety first, who to call, photos, post-accident testing for CDL drivers.

• CH 11

  Acknowledgment

  Practice

  Driver signs and dates that they received and read it.

Fill it in

DRIVER HANDBOOK TEMPLATE

Your answers stay in this browser. Template only, not legal or HR advice. Have it reviewed for your state before use.

Company legal nameUSDOT numberOwner or managerDispatch phone (24/7 if you have it)Safety and drug testing contactHow drivers are paid (per mile, percentage, hourly)Pay day and settlement scheduleHome time ruleDetention, stop and layover payHow loads are offered and how to decline

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1. PRACTICE

   1. Welcome and contacts

   This handbook explains how [Company legal name] (USDOT [USDOT number]) works with its drivers. Questions go to [Owner or manager]. Dispatch: [Dispatch phone (24/7 if you have it)]. Safety and drug testing questions: [Safety and drug testing contact].

2. RULE

   2. Driver qualification

   Before driving, every driver completes an application, road test (or accepted equivalent) and medical certificate, and the company obtains driving records and previous employer checks (49 CFR Part 391). Drivers must tell [Owner or manager] about any license suspension, revocation or withdrawal before the end of the next business day (49 CFR 391.15). Medical certificates must stay current; give us a copy of each renewal.

3. RULE, CDL DRIVERS

   3. Drug and alcohol policy

   Drivers who need a CDL are covered by DOT drug and alcohol testing (49 CFR Part 382 and Part 40): pre-employment, random, post-accident, reasonable suspicion, return-to-duty and follow-up tests. Separate policy materials required by 49 CFR 382.601 are given to each CDL driver and must be signed for. Questions: [Safety and drug testing contact]. Non-CDL drivers are not in DOT testing; any company policy for them is stated separately.

4. RULE

   4. Hours of service and logs

   Drivers follow the federal hours-of-service limits (49 CFR Part 395), including the 11-hour driving limit, 14-hour window and 30-minute break, and record duty status on the ELD. No one at this company will ask a driver to break these limits. Tell dispatch early if a load can't be delivered legally on time.

5. RULE

   5. Inspections and defects

   Before driving, be satisfied the truck is safe and review and sign the last inspection report if it listed defects (49 CFR 396.13). At the end of each day, report any defect that affects safety (49 CFR 396.11). Never drive a truck with a defect that makes it unsafe; call dispatch.

6. RULE

   6. Phones while driving

   No texting and no hand-held phone use while driving, including while stopped briefly in traffic (49 CFR 392.80 and 392.82). Use hands-free only, and only when safe. Pull over to handle dispatch messages.

7. PRACTICE

   7. Pay and settlements

   Pay method: [How drivers are paid (per mile, percentage, hourly)]. Pay day: [Pay day and settlement schedule]. Extra pay: [Detention, stop and layover pay]. Every settlement lists each load and each deduction. Questions about a settlement go to [Owner or manager] within 14 days.

8. PRACTICE

   8. Home time and load offers

   Home time rule: [Home time rule]. Load offers: [How loads are offered and how to decline]. If a load would break your home-time rule, say so when it's offered.

9. PRACTICE

   9. Equipment care

   Keep the truck clean and fueled for the next trip, report maintenance needs early, and keep required documents (registration, insurance card, inspection report, lease if any) in the cab.

10. PRACTICE

    10. Accidents and incidents

    Make the scene safe, call 911 if anyone is hurt, then call [Dispatch phone (24/7 if you have it)]. Take photos, don't admit fault, and collect names and contact details. CDL drivers may need a post-accident test; dispatch or [Safety and drug testing contact] will tell you.

11. PRACTICE

    11. Acknowledgment

    I have received and read the [Company legal name] driver handbook. Driver name, signature and date: ________________________________

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The rule chapters, and where they come from

Driver qualification. Every driver of a commercial motor vehicle needs a qualification file: application, driving records, previous employer checks, road test or equivalent, and a medical certificate 49 CFR 391.51Driver qualification fileApplication, MVRs, road test, annual MVR review, medical certificate (and more) for every driver49 CFR 391.51(b) lists what each driver's qualification file must hold, including the employment application, MVRs from each licensing state, the road test certificate or equivalent, the annual MVR inquiry and review note, and the medical examiner's certificate.49 CFR 391.51Checked Oct 2026Close. Drivers must tell the carrier about a license suspension, revocation or withdrawal before the end of the next business day 49 CFR 391.15Driver disqualificationLoss of license, listed offenses (1 year first, 3 years repeat), out-of-service order violations, repeat texting or hand-held phone violations49 CFR 391.15: a disqualified driver may not drive a CMV and a carrier may not let them. Grounds include loss of driving privileges, on-duty offenses such as impaired driving, leaving the scene of an accident or a felony involving a CMV (1 year for a first offense, 3 years for a repeat within 3 years), violations of out-of-service orders (90 days to 1 year for a first), and repeat texting or hand-held phone convictions (60 days for a second within 3 years, 120 days for a third).49 CFR 391.15Checked Oct 2026Close.

Drug and alcohol policy, CDL drivers only. Employers must give each CDL driver written materials covering who is tested, prohibited conduct, when tests happen, refusals and consequences, the return-to-duty process and Clearinghouse reporting, and get a signed receipt 49 CFR 382.601Drug and alcohol policy materials (CDL drivers)Written materials explaining the testing rules and the company's policy, given to each driver before testing starts49 CFR 382.601: employers give each CDL driver educational materials covering who answers questions, who is covered, prohibited conduct, when tests happen, test procedures, refusals, consequences of violations and the SAP process, and Clearinghouse reporting, and obtain a signed receipt.49 CFR 382.601Checked Oct 2026Close. The template's chapter 3 points to those materials rather than replacing them. Non-CDL drivers aren't in DOT testing.

Hours of service. Drivers follow federal driving limits, including the 11-hour driving limit within a 14-hour window and a break after 8 hours of driving 49 CFR 395.3Hours of service, property carriers11 hours driving in a 14-hour window after 10 hours off; 30-minute break after 8 hours driving49 CFR 395.3(a): after 10 consecutive hours off duty, a property-carrying driver may drive up to 11 hours, and may not drive after the 14th hour since coming on duty. A 30-minute interruption in driving is required after 8 cumulative hours of driving. 395.3(b): no driving after 60 hours on duty in 7 days or 70 in 8 days; a 34-hour off-duty period restarts the count.49 CFR 395.3Checked Oct 2026Close.

Inspections. Before driving, the driver must be satisfied the truck is safe and review the last report if it listed defects 49 CFR 396.13Driver inspection before drivingBe satisfied the vehicle is safe; review and sign the last report if it listed defects49 CFR 396.13: before driving, a driver must be satisfied that the vehicle is in safe operating condition, review the last driver vehicle inspection report if one was required, and sign it to acknowledge that required repairs were certified.49 CFR 396.13Checked Oct 2026Close; when the day's work is done, defects are reported in writing 49 CFR 396.11Driver vehicle inspection reportWritten post-trip report when a defect is found or reported; not required when there are none49 CFR 396.11: drivers report at the end of each day's work on each vehicle any defect or deficiency affecting safe operation (brakes, steering, lights, tires, coupling, wheels, mirrors, emergency equipment and more). Property-carrying drivers are not required to prepare a report if no defect is found or reported. The rule doesn't apply to carriers operating only one CMV.49 CFR 396.11Checked Oct 2026Close.

Phones. No texting and no hand-held phone use while driving, and carriers may not allow or require it 49 CFR 392.80 and 392.82Texting and hand-held phonesNo texting or hand-held phone use while driving a CMV; carriers may not allow or require it49 CFR 392.80 and 392.82 prohibit texting and hand-held mobile phone use while driving a CMV, including while stopped briefly in traffic, and prohibit carriers from allowing or requiring it, with an emergency exception for contacting law enforcement or emergency services.49 CFR 392.80 and 392.82Checked Oct 2026Close.

How to fill out the practice chapters

Pay and settlements. Say exactly how pay is calculated, when it's paid, and what extra pay applies (detention, stops, layovers). Unclear pay is one of the main reasons drivers leave National Academies (2024), P…What drives turnover (National Academies)Pay level and variability, unpaid time, and the amount and predictability of home timeNational Academies (2024), chapter 3: human resource firms cited put pay (level, variability, unpaid time) and time at home (amount and variability) as the top reasons drivers leave; drivers assigned to one shipper for a long period leave at lower rates than randomly dispatched drivers at the same pay; higher piece rates are associated with lower turnover; referral hires appear less likely to leave.National Academies (2024), Pay and Working Conditions in the Long-Distance Truck and Bus Industries, ch. 3, 2024Checked Oct 2026Close.

Home time. Write it as a rule a dispatcher can plan around: "Home Friday 6 p.m. to Monday 6 a.m." rather than "regular home time."

Load offers. Say how loads are offered (call, text, app), how fast a driver should answer, and whether and how a driver can decline. If an outside dispatch service books your loads, name it here and explain how drivers reach it.

Accidents. Keep it to a short, ordered list a shaken driver can follow: safety, 911, call dispatch, photos, no admissions, contact details.

Handbook, testing policy and safety plan: three documents

The handbook is for drivers: how the company works day to day, written so a new driver can read it in one sitting.

The drug and alcohol policy materials are for CDL drivers, with the content federal rules list, and a signed receipt for each driver.

The safety management plan is for the company: how you qualify drivers, maintain trucks, monitor hours and respond to violations. Auditors and insurers ask about it.

Keeping them separate makes each one easier to update. The handbook can point to the other two.

Rolling it out

1. Fill in every bracket. A handbook with blanks looks unfinished and invites arguments.
2. Have it reviewed for your state's employment rules.
3. Walk each driver through it in person or by phone, not just by email.
4. Get a signed acknowledgment for every version, and keep it in the driver's personnel file.
5. Give CDL drivers the drug and alcohol policy materials separately and keep their signed receipts with your testing records.
6. Review it every year, and whenever pay, home time or rules change.

EXAMPLE A three-truck flatbed fleet fills in the template in an evening, adds its tarp pay and securement rules to the equipment chapter, and has a local employment attorney review it. Each driver signs at the next monthly meeting. Two pay disputes that had come up in the previous year don't come up again, because the detention rule is now written down.

The handbook after the hire

The handbook is the second half of hiring; see truck driver recruiting for the first. Pair it with a safety management plan and the trucking company compliance checklist. Your handbook's pay and home-time rules should match the numbers in your truck business plan. For systems that keep driver records organized, see truck fleet management. And estimate what one driver leaving costs with the driver turnover cost calculator. For how our desk works with your drivers, see small fleet dispatch.

This template is not legal, tax or HR advice. Have it reviewed for your state before use.