Adverse Driving Conditions (Ultimate Guide)
What is the FMCSA adverse driving conditions exception? The adverse conditions exception to the standard Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) hours of service regulations refers to a regulatory provision that allows commercial truck drivers to exceed the maximum number of hours they can drive in a day by up to 2 hours under certain road…
Personal Conveyance: Ultimate Guide
Personal conveyance is when a truck driver uses their truck for personal purposes when they are not “on-duty”. According to FMCSA, personal conveyance is “the movement of a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) for personal use while off-duty that does not benefit the company financially.” While the statement may sound simple, navigating the requirements may be…
Level 3 DOT Inspection (Ultimate Guide)
A level 3 DOT inspection is a type of inspection conducted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and its state partners. It is also known as a Driver-Only Inspection. This roadside inspection is the least intrusive of the six levels (or 8 levels) of DOT roadside inspections. What is Level 3 Inspection? Basically, a…
Preventing Air Brake System Leaks
Did you know that air brake system hoses and tube violations are the second most common vehicle maintenance DOT violation? In fact, almost 200,000 trucks or trailers a year are cited with a violation of 49 CFR 393.45. Let’s review the most common violations and find out how to prevent them from hurting your CSA…
Avoid These 5 Deadly DOT Violations
Avoiding DOT violations is harder than ever for truck drivers and trucking company owners. The key to avoiding DOT violations is to avoid unwanted attention from law enforcement! Sounds easy enough, right? I know it’s not as easy as it sounds. Here, we’ll outline 5 of the most common DOT violations and share some actionable…
How Long A Return To Duty Process Takes
Did you or one of your truck drivers just fail a DOT drug test or alcohol test? If so, one of the most important questions that you probably have is ” How long does a return to duty process take? “ The FMCSA Return To Duty process takes at least 12 months from start to…
What is a Mock DOT Audit?
What is a mock DOT audit? A mock DOT audit is a simulation used to test a trucking company’s compliance with the FMCSA/ DOT regulations. The audit typically consists of a review of your company policies and procedures and a review of DOT recordkeeping. Mock audits can help a motor carrier ( trucking company or…
Driver CSA Score: Fact or Crap?
What is a driver CSA score? Well, there isn’t actually a “driver CSA score”. Truck drivers can receive CSA points from FMCSA regulation violations, like lighting violations, during a DOT Level 2 roadside inspection, a Level 3 DOT roadside inspection or a Level I roadside inspection. When a driver goes through a roadside inspection, that…
Avoiding DOT Lighting Violations
Avoiding DOT lighting violations isn’t very hard. Usually, it just takes a few minutes a week to ensure you’re in compliance! Truck drivers should strive be in compliance with the the FMCSA lighting regulations at all times because lighting violations cause almost 70% of all roadside inspections. We often say that lighting violations are “Gateway…
How to Choose a DOT Compliance Company
Owner-Operators can usually keep a good handle on their own safety and compliance with a DOT compliance checklist and a good drug and alcohol testing consortium. Large motor carriers usually have a safety director and/or a team of safety and compliance managers. But, what about the trucking companies in between? Managing all of your fleet’s…