4. Expanded Feature Catalog (What Small Fleets Ask For)

These are features small fleet owners and their office staff ask for, drawn from competitor feature lists, the regulations themselves and the gaps found in 10. Owner interviews haven't happened yet, so demand is inferred, not heard. Each feature is classified with the same honesty as the stated list. Being in demand doesn't mean you should build it.

Legend: TS = Table stakes, D = Differentiator, X = Distraction, L = Liability. Priority: P0 = v1 of the recommended wedge, P1 = next, P2 = later, — = don't build.

4.1 Getting started (the owner who doesn't know the rules)

Feature	Category	Priority	Notes
"Does DOT apply to me?" checker (truck, trailer, GVWR/GCWR, state, interstate or not → plain answer and a list of owed records)	D	P0	The free hook and the first lesson. Every answer shows the rule, its source and the review date. Advisor signs off.
What you don't owe (no drug testing or Clearinghouse for non-CDL drivers, DVIR only on defects)	D	P0	Relief sells. Trucker tools pile on tasks that don't apply.
Catch-up gap list per driver and vehicle after import	D	P0	The first value moment. "7 drivers, 23 missing items, here's the order to fix them."
New-USDOT-number checklist (what the new entrant audit will look at, by month)	D	P1	Timely for firms that just registered.
State intrastate threshold lookup for all 50 states	TS	P2	Start with 3 states. Each state needs sourcing and review.

4.2 Driver qualification (DQ) file

Feature	Category	Priority	Notes
Driver text link: photos of licence and medical card, e-signed application (§ 391.21), consent forms	D	P0	Removes the owner from the paper chase.
OCR of expiry dates from licence and medical card, with human confirmation	D	P0	Cheap to run. Always ask the owner to confirm.
Expiry engine (medical card, licence, annual MVR, annual review) with 60/30/7-day reminders to owner and driver	TS → D	P0	Everyone has reminders. The difference is reminding the driver by text too, and escalating to the owner.
Annual review (§ 391.25) signed on a phone: MVR attached, criteria shown, reviewer's name and date recorded	D	P0	The note is what small firms forget.
Previous-employer inquiry (3 years, § 391.23) sent by email with a 30-day tracker	D	P1	Tedious by hand. Keep the proof of a good-faith effort if there's no reply.
Road test certificate (§ 391.31) completed by a supervisor on a phone, or record the accepted equivalent (§ 391.33)	D	P1	Non-CDL drivers usually need a road test. Most trade firms never do one.
National Registry check note for the medical examiner	TS	P1	Link to the registry lookup and record the check.
Retention log (what can be removed 3 years after execution, and files kept 3 years after a driver leaves)	D	P0	Nobody tells owners what they may delete. The log also proves the file was kept.
Driver termination flow that locks the file for 3 years	TS	P1	Keeps records after the driver leaves.
English-proficiency note (§ 391.11) at hiring	TS	P2	New emphasis in 2025–26. Record, don't test.
Bulk import (CSV, photos of old paper files) with AI extraction and a human check	D	P1	Speeds the catch-up. Cap AI pages per firm.

4.3 MVR, CDL and Clearinghouse

Feature	Category	Priority	Notes
MVR ordering through a licensed vendor at cost plus $2	D / L	P1	Only after counsel confirms your role under FCRA and DPPA.
Continuous MVR monitoring (alerts on new violations)	D	P2	Vendors sell it per driver. Useful for insurers. Resell, don't build.
CDL add-on: Clearinghouse annual-query reminder and log, pre-employment query record	TS	P2	Only for mixed fleets. FMCSA charges $1.25 a query, paid by the carrier.
Drug and alcohol test result storage (for CDL drivers)	TS	P2	Store results from the carrier's consortium. Don't run the program.
Drug-testing consortium or TPA services	L	—	A regulated service business. Refer to a partner.

4.4 Vehicles

Feature	Category	Priority	Notes
Vehicle list with GVWR, trailer pairings and which combinations cross 10,001 lb	D	P0	It drives which drivers need a DQ file.
Maintenance schedule and log (§ 396.3) with due dates	TS	P1	Oil and brake records live elsewhere today. Keep it simple.
Annual inspection record per vehicle	TS	P1	§ 396.17 wasn't re-read in this run. Advisor to confirm the fields.
Defect report → repair → certification (§ 396.11), kept 3 months	TS	P1	Defects-only for property carriers.
Daily pre-trip inspection app	X	—	Not required for property carriers without defects. Whip Around does it for $5.
Telematics mileage and engine-hour import (Samsara, Geotab, Motive)	TS	P2	Only when customers on those platforms ask.
Parts inventory and work orders	X	—	Fleetio's and Whip Around's job.

4.5 Audit and reporting

Feature	Category	Priority	Notes
One-click audit binder (per driver, per vehicle, in auditor order)	D	P0	The reason to renew.
Compliance score per driver and for the firm, with a fix-it list	TS → D	P1	Show gaps, never "compliant".
Insurer pack (MVRs and driver list for renewal)	D	P1	Ties the product to a yearly event the owner can't skip.
Auditor read-only access link	D	P2	Only after the advisor approves the format.
"Guaranteed compliant" badge or certificate	L	—	Never.

4.6 Workflow and team

Feature	Category	Priority	Notes
Owner, office manager and crew-lead roles	TS	P1	Crew leads do road tests and collect defects.
Spring hiring mode (bulk invite 20 drivers, a board of who's complete)	D	P1	The season when the pain is highest.
Spanish-language driver screens	D	P1	Likely important in landscaping crews (unverified; ask in interviews).
Payroll or HR system sync (Gusto, ADP) for new hires	TS	P2	Triggers the text link automatically.
Field-service app integration (Jobber, ServiceTitan, LMN, Aspire)	D	P2	Where trade owners already work. Marketplace terms unverified.

4.7 Out of scope (people ask, don't build)

Feature	Category	Why not
ELD and hours of service	X	Hardware plus certification. Short-haul trade fleets are likely exempt (unverified).
GPS tracking and dashcams	X	Samsara, Motive, Lytx, Verizon Connect.
IFTA fuel tax	X	Most trade fleets under 26,001 lb don't file IFTA (unverified). Others do it well.
UCR, MCS-150, BOC-3 and permit filing	X / L	Filing services full of paperwork mills. Pulls you away from software.
Driver training courses	X	J.J. Keller and others own the content. Link to them.
Legal advice chat ("am I compliant?")	L	An answer engine without a reviewer is advice.

4.8 Net effect

Of about 45 features, about 13 are real differentiators for trade fleets, and about 9 belong in v1 (the P0 rows). Most of the rest are table stakes that the small DQ tools and Whip Around already sell cheaply, or other companies' products to integrate with rather than rebuild.