Compliance reviews

How to Pass a DOT Audit in 2025 Without Losing Sleep

Fleet compliance is like a diet; it has to be a lifestyle change. It has to be consistent over time. When it’s not, it fails, and those failures can have serious effects on your business. One of those effects might be a compliance review, aka, an audit. For small fleet owners, owner-operators and trucking managers, a DOT audit can feel daunting and threaten their business and livelihood. Whether you run a single truck or manage a small fleet, preparing for an FMCSA compliance review or DOT...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/how-to-pass-a-dot-audit-in-2025-without-losing-sleep

What to know about FMCSA safety ratings

Compliance reviews by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration are not something motor carriers should take lightly. The rating that you receive based on your safety compliance can greatly impact your business both positively and negatively.

John Seidl, Reliance Partners’ VP of risk services, joined Dooner during Monday’s WHAT THE TRUCK?!? episode to break down what motor carriers need to know about FMCSA safety ratings.

The first thing to know is there are four possible ratings after a...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/what-to-know-about-fmcsa-safety-ratings

Electronic recordkeeping: Are you falling behind?

In 2017, the idea of a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration off-site audit rarely crossed the minds of carrier executives, and with good reason — FMCSA almost never conducted one.

In fact, in 2017 and 2018, FMCSA conducted just 329 off-site audits in total as it trialed the process. That changed in 2019 when the agency ramped up the program, conducting 1,374 audits. Last year, in part because of the COVID-19 pandemic, that number jumped to 5,551 audits — 50.5% of the total audits...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/electronic-recordkeeping-are-you-falling-behind

Accepting constructive criticism first step in mitigating risk

Most people don’t like to be told that they’re doing things wrong — but don’t want to be caught messing up either.

Constructive criticism is not always easy to hear, but just like applying hydrogen peroxide to a wound, the pain is for the best.

The same applies to risk management in trucking. Some may feel that admitting faults may hurt their trucking machismo. However, the willingness to hear recommendations and make improvements is one of the smartest traits any trucker or motor carrier can...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/accepting-constructive-criticism-first-step-in-mitigating-risk

The identity crisis of a non-rated motor carrier

Motor carrier safety ratings are a big deal, and they should be. Safety has become the industry’s top concern as compensatory payments and increased insurance premiums stemming from accidents have increased annually. With that being said, it’s understandable for a shipper to preferably contract with the highest-rated carriers.

Safety ratings, however, don’t often paint an accurate picture of the current performance of a company. Worse, obtaining a satisfactory rating has become an almost...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/the-identity-crisis-of-a-non-rated-motor-carrier

Carrier safety ratings to continue despite COVID-19 constraints

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) determined it will continue to conduct compliance reviews and assign safety ratings even if inspectors do not visit the carrier’s place of business as required by current regulations.

In guidelines issued May 19, the agency said that due to COVID-19 risks, it will be “leveraging all available technology to access information and records” to limit potential exposure to drivers, employers, and safety investigators during compliance review...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/carrier-safety-ratings-to-continue-despite-covid-19-constraints