Optimizing Fleet Compliance

What will 2025 mean for your regulatory risk?

Next year is expected to be a transformative one for carriers. With the incoming Trump administration’s promise of widespread deregulation, carriers may finally see a long-awaited boost to their bottom lines in the coming months. 

The freight recession has had an unprecedented impact on carriers, with the state of the economy to the top of the list. 

“The freight recession since mid-2022 is the most protracted downturn since I entered trucking in 1991. Even some of the most profitable carriers...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/what-will-2025-mean-for-your-regulatory-risk

Top 4 hours-of-service areas carriers should be concerned about

Carriers and drivers are governed by federal hours-of-service (HOS) regulations on a day-to-day basis. These rules dictate schedules and often determine whether a shipment will be delayed. Despite the regulations’ outsize impact on operations, confusion surrounding the rules continues to plague the industry. 

Hours of service is consistently one of the topics carriers ask about most often, according to Richard Malchow, a transportation industry business adviser with J. J. Keller.

There are four...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/top-4-hours-of-service-areas-carriers-should-be-concerned-about

FMCSA auditors are always ready. Are your DQ files?

The trucking industry has seen the devastating impact of nuclear verdicts play out over the past several years. In order to avoid this fate, carriers must focus on hiring qualified drivers – and keeping pristine paperwork.

Carriers are operating in an environment where every new driver hire could result in a productive driver tenure or a multimillion-dollar negligence lawsuit. At the same time, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration audits can happen at any time. 

Paperwork can be easy to...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/fmcsa-auditors-are-always-ready-are-your-dq-files

How do you create a best-in-class safety program?

The increasing prevalence of nuclear verdicts – and the resulting insurance hikes – have prompted carriers to reevaluate their safety strategies. Carriers with best-in-class safety programs enjoy the most competitive insurance rates while simultaneously protecting driver wellbeing and making positive changes in the industry as a whole. 

Best-in-class safety program benefits include, but are not limited to: 

  • Improved company safety metrics, leading to lower risk costs and increased profitability
  • R...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/how-do-you-create-a-best-in-class-safety-program

Understanding HOS compliance: Top violations for carriers

Federal hours-of-service (HOS) regulations are often an area of concern for both individual truck drivers and motor carriers. This has been especially true since the Federal Motor Carrier Administration (FMCSA) introduced multiple significant changes to existing rules in September 2020. 

The regulation changes in 2020 shifted the landscape of the average driver’s day-to-day routines. Those changes included:

  • The 30-minute off-duty break changed from continuous, on-duty hours to a 30-minute...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/understanding-hos-compliance-top-violations-for-carriers

How to return a driver to duty following a drug or alcohol violation

Drug and alcohol violations quickly sideline drivers, creating stress for all parties involved. When drivers fail or refuse testing – or when carriers have concrete knowledge of a driver’s illegal drug or alcohol usage – they must be immediately removed from the driver’s seat. The journey back can be daunting for drivers and carriers alike. 

The U.S. Department of Transportation has provided a detailed framework surrounding driver drug and alcohol violations – including return-to-work...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/how-to-return-a-driver-to-duty-following-a-drug-or-alcohol-violation

How to prepare for CVSA International Roadcheck 2024

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) International Roadcheck is coming up next month. It is a high-visibility, high-volume inspection and compliance enforcement initiative, and carriers should begin preparing now to avoid racking up unexpected violations.

This three-day Roadcheck — which takes place in Canada, Mexico and the United States — is scheduled for May 14-16.

“Don’t let this three-day event sneak up on you. Out-of-service inspections can dramatically impact a carrier’s safety...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/how-to-prepare-for-cvsa-international-roadcheck-2024

Video review services change the game for carrier risk mitigation

These days, dashcams do much more than record events on the road and in the cab. Dashcams can detect accelerometer-triggered events to relay back to a carrier in real time, and AI-powered dashcams take it to the next level with the ability to alert a carrier to everything from distracted and fatigued driving to speeding and failure to obey the rules of the road. This gives carriers a newfound ability to exonerate drivers in the event of a crash, as well as proactively prevent accidents and...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/video-review-services-change-the-game-for-carrier-risk-mitigation

Carriers can reduce legal, financial risk with more frequent MVR monitoring

Many carriers pull their drivers’ motor vehicle records (MVRs) to check for violations and privilege suspensions just once a year. This means that, in some cases, a driver could lose driving privileges for up to 364 days before a carrier ever finds out.

This “same time next year” approach to MVRs doesn’t work in the carrier’s favor. While FMCSA has issued minimal requirements surrounding MVR checks, carriers doing only the bare minimum are creating and perpetuating visibility gaps that leave...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/carriers-can-reduce-legal-financial-risk-with-more-frequent-mvr-monitoring

5 advantages of outsourcing driver qualification file management

Hiring qualified drivers and ensuring they remain qualified to drive is central to a good safety compliance program. Trucking companies must ensure all new and existing drivers are up to code with state and federal regulations governing truck drivers, which indicates they meet the minimum safety and health requirements to operate a commercial motor vehicle. A driver’s record of these qualifications is called a driver qualification (DQ) file.

Because of the frequent onboarding due to high driver...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/5-advantages-of-outsourcing-driver-qualification-file-management

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