Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

Account & Registration Information

When you create an account, we collect your name, email address, company name, USDOT number, phone number, and billing information (processed securely by Stripe — we do not store credit card numbers).

Compliance Data You Enter

Our platform stores the compliance data you input, including:

• Driver information: names, CDL numbers, medical certificate dates, employment history
• Vehicle information: VINs, license plates, inspection records, maintenance logs
• Drug and alcohol testing records and dates
• Insurance policy numbers and expiration dates
• HOS and ELD records
• Accident and incident reports
• Documents you upload (inspection reports, COIs, medical certificates, etc.)

Usage Information

We collect information about how you use our platform, including pages visited, features used, and actions taken, to improve our service and troubleshoot issues.

Communications

If you contact us via email or our contact form, we retain those communications to provide support and improve our service.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide, maintain, and improve our DOT compliance management platform
• Send expiration alerts and compliance notifications you've configured
• Process payments and manage your subscription
• Provide customer support and respond to inquiries
• Send service-related communications (receipts, account updates, security notices)
• For Full Plan clients: enable our compliance specialists to manage your records on your behalf
• Analyze usage patterns to improve platform features
• Comply with legal obligations

We will not use your compliance data for marketing purposes or share it with third parties for advertising.

3. Information Sharing & Disclosure

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information or compliance data. We may share information only in the following limited circumstances:

Service Providers

We use trusted third-party service providers who access your data only as necessary to help us deliver our service, including Stripe (payment processing) and email delivery services. All service providers are bound by data protection agreements.

Legal Requirements

We may disclose information if required by law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request. We will notify you of such requests where legally permitted to do so.

Business Transfers

If DOT Compliance Watch is acquired or merges with another company, your information may be transferred. We will notify you and give you the opportunity to delete your account before any such transfer occurs.

With Your Consent

We may share information for any other purpose with your explicit consent.

4. Data Storage & Security

Your data is stored on secure servers. We implement industry-standard security measures including encryption in transit (TLS/SSL), encrypted storage of sensitive data, access controls limiting who can view your information, and regular security reviews.

Uploaded documents are stored in protected directories with access controls. Direct URLs to your documents are not publicly accessible.

No method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security. We will notify you of any data breach affecting your account as required by applicable law.

5. Compliance Data & DOT Records

We understand that the compliance data stored in our platform — driver files, drug test records, accident registers, vehicle inspection reports — is sensitive business and regulatory information.

• You own your data. All compliance records you enter remain yours. You can export or delete them at any time.
• We are custodians, not owners. We store and help you manage your records but make no claim of ownership over your compliance data.
• Retention periods. We retain your data for as long as your account is active. Upon cancellation, you have 30 days to export your data before it is deleted from our systems.
• FMCSA requirements. Certain records have mandatory retention periods under federal law (e.g., accident registers must be kept 3 years). We flag these retention requirements but you remain responsible for compliance with applicable regulations.
• Full Plan. For Full Plan clients, our compliance specialists access your records to perform services on your behalf. Specialist access is logged and audited.

6. Your Rights & Choices

You have the following rights regarding your information:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
• Deletion: Request deletion of your account and associated data
• Export: Export your compliance data in CSV format at any time from within the platform
• Opt-out: Unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time (note: you cannot opt out of service-critical notifications like expiration alerts while your account is active)
• Portability: Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format

To exercise these rights, contact us at privacy@dotcompliancewatch.com. We will respond within 30 days.

7. Cookies & Tracking

We use cookies and similar technologies to keep you logged in, remember your preferences, and understand how our platform is used. We do not use tracking cookies for advertising or sell cookie data to third parties.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect platform functionality, including login persistence.

8. Third-Party Services

Our platform integrates with the following third-party services:

• Stripe — Payment processing. Stripe's privacy policy governs payment data: stripe.com/privacy
• FMCSA Systems — Our platform references FMCSA registration requirements. We do not transmit your data to FMCSA on your behalf.
• Google Translate — Powers the language switcher. When the switcher loads, Google receives your IP address and basic browser information, and a cookie remembers your language choice: policies.google.com/privacy
• Google Fonts — Provides the fonts used on our website. Google receives your IP address and basic browser information when the fonts load.

9. Children's Privacy

Our platform is intended for business use by adults operating commercial motor carrier companies. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If you believe a minor has provided us with personal information, contact us immediately.

Text Messages (SMS)

DOT Compliance Watch sends text messages only for service purposes related to screening orders: a secure link for an employee or applicant to complete their background check or MVR form, up to two reminders to finish that form, and drug screen collection instructions. We do not send marketing texts.

A mobile number is provided either by the employee or applicant themselves, or by their employer, who confirms that the person agreed to receive these texts. Message frequency varies, typically 1 to 4 messages per order. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out at any time, or HELP for help.

No mobile information will be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. Text messaging opt-in data and consent are not shared with any third parties, except the service providers that deliver our messages (such as our SMS provider), solely to send them.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes via email and by posting the updated policy on this page with a revised "Last updated" date. Your continued use of our platform after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact Us