How long we have to keep the logs?

it depends on if you use them for your taxes, if so then 3.5 years according to my CPA daughter. Otherwise 90 days for DOT

 

6 months for DOT.

 

corrected your right

 

If you need them to prove the per diem deduction on your taxes then keep them for 7 years.

 

Fleet 6 months, 13 days. Driver has 13 days to get them to fleet.
Personal for Taxes - 7-10 years
Personal and no taxes - you keep current, prior 7 days.

 

If there is a DOT audit, then should they not even request any logbooks more then 6 months old, even though, they know, you have them for IRS anyway?

 

6 months is all FMCSA looks for. How do they know what you hold for the IRS?

6 months is for fleet only. If single O/O then your company is considered fleet. You are the driver..

 

I think, that they're smart enough to know it. I guess, that telling them that I don't have any logbooks for them that are older than six months, although I might have some of those for IRS, should be perfectly all right.

 

On paper, you'd keep your original in a "company" file cabinet for 6 months, and your "copy" with your own personal tax records. For elogs, I'd keep separate folders with the relevant info for each. The FMCSA is there auditing the company, NOT you personally...and as such, they only get access to company info, not personal info. Whatever your employer would keep in your driver file if you drove for someone else is the extent of the personal info they have a right to access. You only have to hand over things you are required to have, and anything else (because you aren't required to have it) doesn't exist. I handle roadside inspections the same way, in that if the regulations do not say I must have something, or to go one step farther they specifically state that I'm not required to have something, then I won't admit to having it and will deny that it is even in the truck. Log sheet from 9 days ago no longer exists, even if I've been out for 3 weeks. If I'm inside the 100 air-mile radius, even if my log book is in my door pouch, I don't have one.