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Published on Jun 22
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Compliance and safety go hand-in-hand on our nation’s roadways
Department of Transportation (DOT) compliance isn’t just another hoop to jump through: it’s an important preventative measure to ensure safety on our nation’s roadways. Non-compliance can mean serious fines for your company and serious safety hazards for other drivers on the roadway. The following checklist and tips can help keep you prepared for DOT inspections and maintain compliance.
FMCSA guidelines
DOT requires that all commercial fleet vehicle operation companies keep an up-to-date copy of the latest US Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) rules in their place of business. In addition to the physical copy of the guidelines at the company offices, all drivers must sign documentation that they have received the list of FMCSA rules and will abide by the regulations outlined.
All drivers should take time to familiarize themselves with the FMCSA rules that concern them. Educating drivers on the guidelines that pertain to them can help ensure that your drivers are ready for inspections. Conduct regular pop-quizzes of the rules that affect your drivers to help your employees become more acquainted with the rules and keep your company compliant.
Prioritize inspections
Regular inspections will ensure that your commercial drivers’ vehicles are compliant by allowing them to identify potential issues and conducting repairs as necessary before an accident or agency inspection. Make inspections a priority for all drivers at your company.
Before every trip, commercial drivers must conduct pre-trip inspections and record them for verification. Additionally, the same regulations apply to post-trip inspections. Required programs must be implemented to keep all vehicles up to date on operation standards with regular maintenance and inspections, as necessary.
Hours of service
All drivers must keep up-to-date records. These records include a log of hours of service, safety inspections passed, and any current qualifications and certifications maintained by the driver.
As of the end of 2017, all vehicles must be equipped with an electronic logging device (ELD) to accurately track, manage, and share records of duty status data. A vehicles ELD synchronizes with a vehicle engine to automatically record driving time for more accurate hours of service recording.
Vehicle status and history
The fleet owner is required to keep records of all road incidents involving company owned vehicles. Additionally, owners must also ensure that all necessary DOT identification numbers are visible on all vehicles in operation.
In addition to cumulative files at company offices, drivers should maintain a file of their vehicle’s status and history in the cab of their trucks. These files will help in the event of a roadside safety check and inspection.
Screening program
Fleet drivers who are caught operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or other drugs are subject to strict penalties. To combat this, you should implement a thorough drug screening program.
All potential drivers should be subjected to pre-employment drug screening and records of the results should be maintained at your fleet offices. Additionally, regular random drug and alcohol screenings should be implemented for all operators of fleet vehicles. If a driver is found to be in violation of the strict non-use policy at any time, they must be immediately removed from active operation of fleet vehicles. Employees who violate the policy should be referred to counseling or treatment services.
Continuing education and ongoing training
Making compliance a priority for your entire fleet can help protect your business from the hassle of a DOT audit. Offer and require all fleet drivers to attend regular training and continuing education sessions to ensure that they know and follow both new and established FMCSA regulations.
Compliance and Sheakley
Sheakley’s workforce management services provides complete safety resources for your company. By conducting mock FMSCA audits, offering driver qualification file management, DOT drug and alcohol program management, maintaining driver scorecards and reporting, and conducting on-site DOT training and webinars, Sheakley can help keep your company and drivers compliant.
Reserve your free consultation with a Sheakley safety professional today. Stay up-to-date on all things Sheakley by subscribing to our blog and following us on social media. Join in the discussion by commenting below.
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