When you’re starting a trucking company, keeping track of regulatory compliance can get confusing. It’s important to make sure your fleet is compliant with both DOT and FMCSA requirements.
Costly fines and safety hazards can abound, which is why it’s important to understand the rules. This simplified look at regulatory compliance will give you a quick overview of what you need to know.
DOT Compliance Requirements
DOT requirements include many safety compliance factors that include driver qualifications, maintaining the fleet, and performing inspections. There’s much more to understand beyond the DOT number cost to stay compliant in the industry.
Hours of Service (HOS) Regulations
These regulations are intended to help truck drivers stay awake, alert, and responsive behind the wheel. This is why it is mandated that they take a 30-minute break every 8 hours and avoid dangerous driving conditions. Regulations also involve electronic logging devices (ELDs) that track the hours of service.
Vehicle Inspections and Maintenance
An ELD can also help trucking companies manage vehicle inspections and maintenance. The DOT requires every truck driver to complete reports before and after each trip as an added measure of protection to prevent accidents while in transit.
Driver Qualifications
The FMCSA requires all trucking companies to conduct a background check on every new driver. You must take a look at their safety records and other pertinent factors such as their health and drug history. In these investigations, it is required to get each driver’s motor vehicle records over the past three years and check for any previous accidents.
Records must also be checked for substance abuse and a drug test must be conducted prior to hiring each candidate. Once a truck driver is hired, they will be subjected to random drug tests as part of DOT requirements.
Hazardous Materials Regulations
If your truckers are transporting hazardous materials, there are certain safety regulations that are applied. Drivers who transport dangerous items must get proper training to learn how to handle them to stay compliant with DOT regulations. Dangerous items can cause a catastrophic incident without proper protocol, which is why hefty penalties are applied when you fail to meet these requirements.
Keeping Proper Driver Records
As the owner of a trucking company, it is your responsibility to be DOT compliant by maintaining and filing truck driver records. You must adhere to the specifics of annual reporting, which will also prepare you in the event of an audit. These records generally include proof of insurance, driver qualifications, vehicle inspection and maintenance records, hours of service, training, and drug screening.
Licenses and Permits
Complying with DOT regulations also means you need to register for all relevant licenses and permits. These vary depending on which state your business is located in, though you will likely need a USDOT number and an MC number. There may be additional required permits and licenses, such as unified carrier registrations and standard carrier codes.
How to Maintain Regulatory Compliance in Trucking
There are many things you must keep track of when starting a trucking company. With so many requirements, you don’t want to make a mistake and miss something, which could result in penalties and fines.
One of the best ways to do this is with an ELD that can track and record the mandated requirements. Ages ago, this was done on paper, but new electronic solutions make managing all these requirements for compliance a breeze. ELDs put hours of service, records of duty, inspections, and more at every driver’s fingertips and give you an omniscient view of how your business is following regulatory compliance.
