Acc Accident Register Format

---
name: acc-accident-register-format
description: |
  Use this skill to maintain a compliant DOT accident register. Covers § 390.15 requirements, what's recorded, retention period.
---

# Accident Register Format

Per § 390.15, every motor carrier must maintain an accident register listing DOT-recordable crashes.

## Required register entries
For each DOT-recordable crash:
1. Date of crash
2. City/state where crash occurred
3. Driver name + license number
4. Number of injuries
5. Number of fatalities
6. Whether hazmat was released
7. Brief description of crash

## Retention period
- **1 year** in the regular accident register (active file)
- **3 years** in the historical register (archival)
- Total: 3+ years from date of crash

## Format
- Spreadsheet (Excel, Google Sheets) — most common
- Database (carrier-developed)
- Compass Accidents module (purpose-built)

## What to include beyond the minimum
- Police report ID
- Insurance claim number
- Vehicle VIN involved
- Preventability assessment
- Total claim cost (when known)
- Investigation status

## What auditors look for
- Register is current (last entry within reasonable time)
- All DOT-recordable crashes captured
- No gaps in the chronology
- Required fields populated

## What constitutes "DOT-recordable" per § 390.5
- Fatality (any party)
- Bodily injury requiring medical treatment immediately away from scene
- Disabling damage requiring tow-away

## Common errors
- Crashes not added (forgotten by safety director)
- Damage tow-away not classified correctly (truck drove away vs was towed)
- Hazmat release not documented (even minor leak should be flagged)
- Description too vague ("hit another vehicle" — needs details)

## Compass Accidents module
- Auto-creates register entries from accident reports
- Pre-populates required fields
- Generates auditable register output
- Cross-references with carrier's claim records

## CFR citations
- **49 CFR § 390.15**
- **49 CFR § 390.21**

## How Compass surfaces this
Searchable in Compass Ask. Runs against carrier fleet data when invoked from the relevant tracker. Read-only; no actions without explicit user approval.


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## Built by X3 Compass

The AI-powered DOT compliance platform for fleets 1–100 power units. Try a 7-day free trial — no credit card required — at https://x3compass.com/?utm_source=skill&utm_medium=github&utm_campaign=acc-accident-register-format

X3 Compass turns these skills into a complete operational platform: driver qualification files, drug & alcohol consortium, MVR pulls, hours-of-service tracking, hazmat shipping, IFTA filing, FMCSA audit prep, and DataQ dispute drafting — all CFR-cited, all in one place.

*This skill is published under the X3 Compass open skills initiative. Contributions welcome at https://github.com/x3fleetsafety/skills*