Alabama adopts more of the federal book than its neighbours.
Alabama's adoption statute is unusually broad — it takes in the hazardous materials parts, entry-level driver training, financial responsibility and the full 390 through 399 range. The intrastate exemption below 26,001 lbs is the narrow part, and it has two holes in it.
Free: see your roadside record and MCS-150 due date from FMCSA’s public data.
What Alabama adopted
Alabama takes the federal safety regulations into state law and applies them to carriers that never leave the state. The instrument is Ala. Code § 32-9A-2.
- Parts adopted
- 49 CFR Part 107, Parts 171-180, Part 380, Parts 382-387 and Parts 390-399
- In the rule's own words
- “A commercial motor vehicle operated in intrastate commerce which does not equal or exceed 26,001 pounds, except a motor vehicle, regardless of weight, which is designed or used to transport 16 or more passengers, including the driver, or which is used in the transportation of hazardous materials and required to be placarded pursuant to 49 C.F.R. Part 172, Subpart F, shall be exempt”Ala. Code § 32-9A-2
When it reaches you
Alabama intrastate threshold
26,001 lbs
An intrastate commercial motor vehicle that does not equal or exceed 26,001 pounds is exempt — with two exceptions that apply regardless of weight.
Covered regardless of weight
- Designed or used to transport 16 or more passengers, including the driver
- Transporting hazardous materials requiring placards under 49 CFR Part 172, Subpart F
Cross a state line — or run an in-state leg of trade that starts or ends out of state — and the federal definition applies instead, at 10,001 lbs (49 CFR 390.5). The state threshold only ever helps a carrier whose work is entirely inside Alabama.
Part 380 is in the list
Alabama adopts Part 380, the entry-level driver training rules. The training certificate is one of the records we track alongside the 391.51 file, so in Alabama the paperwork and the adoption line up.
"Does not equal or exceed" is exact
The exemption is written as not equalling or exceeding 26,001 pounds. A vehicle at exactly 26,001 is inside the rules, not outside them.
What every driver file must hold
Once the rules apply, the contents are federal and identical in every state: 11 records per driver across two separate files, plus related obligations. A missing or incomplete required record is a recordkeeping violation — up to $1,584 per day and $15,846 per violation (49 CFR Part 386, Appendix B).
Driver Qualification File
49 CFR 391.51
- Application for employment · At hire
- Motor vehicle record — at hire · At hire
- Road test certificate or equivalent · Once
- Motor vehicle record — annual inquiry · Every 12 months
- Note of annual review of driving record · Every 12 months
- Medical examiner's certificate · Expires — up to 24 months
Driver Investigation History File
49 CFR 391.53
- Driver's written authorization · At hire
- Previous employer responses · Within 30 days of hire
Related obligations
49 CFR Parts 380 & 382
- Pre-employment drug & alcohol test result · At hire
- Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse query · Pre-employment, then annually
- Entry-level driver training certificate · Once
We build the files for you
$999 one-time Audit-Ready Setup for Alabama carriers with up to 30 drivers, with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Then $8 per driver per month ($79 minimum) to track every expiry date.
We run flatbeds under 26,000 lbs inside Alabama only. Files required?
Ala. Code § 32-9A-2 exempts an intrastate commercial motor vehicle that does not equal or exceed 26,001 pounds, unless it carries 16 or more passengers including the driver or placardable hazardous materials. Note that a single interstate load moves you to the federal 10,001 lb definition in 49 CFR 390.5.
Does Alabama adopt the drug and alcohol testing rules?
Yes — Parts 382 through 387 are within the adopted range in § 32-9A-2. We track that queries and tests were completed; we do not act as a consortium or Clearinghouse agent.
What about hazmat?
Parts 107 and 171-180 are adopted, and the under-26,001 lb intrastate exemption does not apply to vehicles requiring placards under Part 172, Subpart F.
Other states
- Georgia · 10,001 lbs
- Florida · 26,001 lbs
- North Carolina · 26,001 lbs
- Tennessee · over 26,000 lbs
- South Carolina · no weight carve-out in the rule
General information, not legal advice. State rules are amended; verify Ala. Code § 32-9A-2 in its current form before relying on it for your operation. Federal citations are to Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations.