Key takeaways
Fill, sign, and submit Form DF-6 from any browser — or have AI generate a custom version in seconds. No installs, no printing, no back-and-forth.
- The Driver Statement of On-Duty Hours records a driver's on-duty hours for the seven days prior to driving for a carrier.
- Motor carriers must obtain this statement from any driver not on duty with them during the preceding seven consecutive days.
- The form requires identifying personal information and a daily breakdown of on-duty hours for the immediately preceding seven-day period.
- The driver must sign and date the statement to affirm the accuracy of their reported work history.
- Carriers must collect this signed document before allowing a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle.
- Falsifying records of duty status can lead to civil penalties or criminal charges for both drivers and motor carriers.
What is Form DF-6?
Driver Statement of On-Duty Hours is a mandatory declaration used to document the time a commercial motor vehicle driver spent on duty during the seven days immediately preceding their employment or return to service. Its primary purpose is to provide motor carriers with a verifiable record to assess hours-of-service compliance before allowing a driver to operate a vehicle. This documentation helps ensure that drivers are within legal limits, supporting overall safety and regulatory adherence as outlined under federal transportation guidelines.
The document captures the driver's personal identification details along with a daily breakdown of all on-duty hours for the previous week. This driver work hours statement must be signed and dated by the driver to verify the accuracy of the reported time before they are permitted to operate a vehicle. Federal rules mandate that motor carriers obtain this signed record from any driver who has not worked for that specific carrier during the consecutive seven-day period prior to their current assignment.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)
Who needs the Form DF-6 — and who doesn't
Not everyone files Form DF-6. The checklist below tells you whether it applies to your situation — and points you to the right alternative if it doesn't.
You need this Form DF-6 if…
- you are a motor carrier hiring a driver who has not been on duty for your company during the immediately preceding 7 consecutive days.
- you are a driver who must declare all on-duty time from the past week before starting a new driving assignment.
- you need to document a driver's recent work history to ensure compliance with federal hours-of-service regulations before they operate a commercial motor vehicle.
You do not need this Form DF-6 if…
- you have been on duty for the same motor carrier at any point during the immediately preceding 7 consecutive days.
- you are not operating a commercial motor vehicle subject to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations.
Why you need the Form DF-6
Why people fill out Form DF-6, and what tends to go wrong when they don't.
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Regulatory Requirement Under federal motor carrier safety regulations, motor carriers must obtain this signed statement from any driver who has not been on duty for them during the preceding seven consecutive days.
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Hours-of-Service Verification This record allows a motor carrier to calculate a driver's remaining available hours before they begin operating a commercial vehicle, helping to prevent violations of federal safety limits.
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Employment Recordkeeping As a specialized type of time sheet, this form captures a snapshot of a driver's recent work history and requires a signature to affirm the accuracy of the reported hours.
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Digital Workflow You can fill, eSign, and share this newly hired driver form using pdfFiller, an online platform for editing, completing, and managing PDF documents and forms, to streamline necessary recordkeeping.
Form DF-6 vs. similar documents
Form DF-6 gets mixed up with similar documents more than most. Here's how to tell them apart, and what filing the wrong one actually costs.
| Comparison criteria | Driver Statement of On-Duty Hours | Driver's Record of Duty Status (ELD or paper log) |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Report hours for the preceding 7 days | Ongoing daily record of driver activities |
| When to use | Before operating a commercial motor vehicle | Used as an ongoing daily record |
| Signatures required | Signed by the driver | Not specified |
| Filing | Provided to the motor carrier | Not specified |
| Governing reference | 49 CFR 395.8(j)(2) | 49 CFR 395.8 |
What each section of Form DF-6 means
Every section explained — what it's asking, the records you'll need on hand, and the mistakes that most often cause a rejection or follow-up request.
| Driver Personal Information | Input your full name and any relevant identifying credentials required to associate this hours-of-service statement with your specific driver file and employment record. |
|---|---|
| Statement of On-Duty Hours | Record the total number of hours spent on duty for each of the seven consecutive days immediately preceding your current assignment with the motor carrier. |
| Driver Signature and Date | Sign and date the form to legally certify that the hours reported for the previous seven-day period are accurate according to federal safety regulations. |
How to fill out Form DF-6 using pdfFiller
A walkthrough from the first field to the signature line. With your records in front of you, most people finish in under ten minutes.
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Open the document Click Get Form to open Driver Statement of On-Duty Hours in the pdfFiller editor to begin documenting your recent work history for your employer or motor carrier.
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Enter personal information Click the text fields within the Driver's Personal Information section to type your full name and other required identifying credentials necessary for associating this statement with your records.
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Record on-duty hours Navigate to the Statement of On-Duty Hours section and use the editable fields to input your specific work hours for each of the immediately preceding seven consecutive days.
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Verify statement accuracy Review the entered data to ensure this newly hired driver form correctly reflects your recent work history as required by federal hours-of-service regulations before finalizing the document.
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Apply your signature Select the Sign tool to add a legally binding eSignature to the Driver's Signature and Date area, affirming the accuracy of all declared on-duty hours in the statement.
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Insert the date Click on the date field to select the current calendar date, ensuring the fmcsa form 395.8 documentation is properly timed and officially valid for the motor carrier's records.
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Save and share Click Done to finalize the document, then download the finished PDF or use pdfFiller to securely send it directly to the motor carrier via email or shareable link.
Deadlines, key dates & penalties for Form DF-6
When Form DF-6 is due, what late filing actually costs, and how to request more time if you need it.
| Submission Deadline | The motor carrier must obtain the signed statement from the driver before allowing the driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle. |
|---|---|
| Penalties for Non-compliance | Failure to follow hours-of-service record-keeping requirements can lead to civil penalties for both drivers and motor carriers. Drivers may also be placed out-of-service. |
| Falsification Penalties | Falsifying a record of duty status carries a maximum civil penalty of $1,270 and a criminal penalty of up to 6 months of imprisonment for each individual offense. |
Recent changes to Form DF-6
The requirement for a signed statement of on-duty hours for the immediately preceding seven consecutive days is established under 49 CFR 395.8(j)(2). This regulatory mandate has been a consistent part of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations for an extended period. While other sections of Part 395 regarding Hours of Service have seen significant revisions, such as the implementation of the Electronic Logging Device mandate, the obligation for motor carriers to obtain this specific statement from newly hired or returning drivers remains in effect.
Because the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration does not issue a standardized, official template for this statement, the layout of the document may vary between different motor carriers. The current version of the governing regulation is maintained through the electronic Code of Federal Regulations, ensuring that the data collection requirements for driver work history and compensated work certification are accurately reflected in the documents used by carriers to assess hours-of-service compliance.
Pointer: Verify that the document accounts for each of the seven consecutive days prior to the driver beginning work.
Related content
The forms, guides, and worksheets most filers reach for alongside Form DF-6.
Key terms used in Form DF-6
A one-sentence glossary of the Form DF-6 terms and concepts you'll see throughout this guide.
- Driver's Personal Information
- Fields for the driver's identifying information required to associate the statement with the individual driver.
- Statement of On-Duty Hours
- A declaration of the hours a driver was on duty for each of the immediately preceding seven consecutive days.
- Driver's Record of Duty Status
- An ongoing daily record of driver activities, typically maintained via an Electronic Logging Device or paper log.
- Pre-Employment Driver Hours Statement
- An alternative name for the document providing a snapshot of a driver's prior seven days of on-duty history.
- Driver's Signature and Date
- The portion of the form where the driver affirms the accuracy of their declared on-duty hours.
Frequently asked questions about Form DF-6
Quick answers to the questions we hear most often about completing the Form DF-6.
The Driver Statement of On-Duty Hours is a document used to record a driver's total on-duty time during the immediately preceding seven consecutive days. Motor carriers use this information to ensure compliance with federal hours-of-service limits before a driver begins operating a commercial motor vehicle. Using pdfFiller, you can quickly fill and edit this form in your browser to meet safety requirements.
Under 49 CFR 395.8(j)(2), the driver must sign the statement to affirm the accuracy of their reported on-duty hours for the previous week. While the regulation specifically mandates the driver’s signature, many motor carriers also include a field for a company representative to sign for internal record-keeping. You can easily add legally binding e-signatures to this document using pdfFiller.
A motor carrier must obtain the signed Driver Statement of On-Duty Hours before allowing a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle for the first time or after a seven-day break. This ensures the carrier has a complete record of the driver’s recent work history to calculate available driving hours accurately. Filing this document on time helps maintain regulatory compliance and safety.
This statement includes the driver’s personal identification information along with a day-by-day breakdown of on-duty hours for the past seven consecutive days. It serves as a snapshot of the driver's work history, which is distinct from the ongoing Record of Duty Status maintained via an Electronic Logging Device. Once completed, you can share the finished PDF via link or email through pdfFiller.
Failing to comply with hours-of-service record-keeping requirements can result in civil penalties for both the driver and the motor carrier. Falsifying records of duty status is a serious offense that may lead to fines up to $1,270, criminal penalties, or placing the driver out-of-service. Maintaining secure and accurate records is simplified with pdfFiller’s encrypted storage and version comparison tools.
This specific statement is only required when a driver has not been on duty for a particular motor carrier during the immediately preceding seven-day period. Drivers who have been consistently working for the same carrier during that time do not need to provide this statement, as their hours are already tracked through standard records of duty status.
