If you run a trucking company, you need to stay on top of DOT compliance regulations. Issues with compliance can put you out of business until the problems are resolved. Even one shutdown can spell disaster for your business. Luckily, there are some steps you can take to ensure that your company avoids DOT compliance troubles. Here are four strategies that will help you stay in compliance with all DOT requirements.
Obtain Medical Exams for All Your Drivers
It can be difficult to stay on top of medical exams for all your drivers. This is particularly true if you leave it up to your drivers to schedule and receive their annual medical exams. Unfortunately, if you're missing the required medical exam reports for just one driver, it can put your company out of compliance, which can lead to a temporary shutdown until you receive the proper documentation from the medical examiner. To avoid these problems, arrange for your medical care provider to come to your facility for mandatory medical exams. Require that all your drivers attend the meeting so that the exams can be taken care of in one day.
Ensure Proper Vehicle Safety Inspections
In addition to medical exams for all your drivers, your trucks will also require clean bills of health. During the compliance inspection, DOT inspectors will also be examining your trucks, specifically their maintenance records. To make sure you avoid compliance issues, and to ensure the safety of all the trucks you have on the road, you'll need to make sure that you provide annual safety inspections. About six months before your DOT compliance inspection, start scheduling the annual safety inspections for each of the trucks in your fleet. This will ensure that the paperwork is completed in a timely manner.
Stay On Top of Driver Training
To remain in compliance, your drivers must complete DOT training seminars. Unfortunately, it can take a while for seminars to be available in your area. To prevent problems, you should schedule a DOT seminar well in advance of the compliance inspection. This will ensure that you're not faced with a shutdown while you arrange for last-minute training seminars.
Keep Complete Records
During the compliance inspection, DOT inspectors will conduct a thorough evaluation of your records. Incomplete records can lead to serious issues for your trucking company. To avoid problems, make sure that all your records are kept in one location, and that they're complete, including the medical records, safety inspections, and driver training certifications.
Share14 July 2017
Hello, my name is Denver and this blog was created due to my fascination with various types of transportation. It all started when I was a child and I received my first train set for my birthday. As I got older, I also became interested in the big semi trucks that I would see on the highways while traveling with my family. It didn't stop there, I then became mesmerized by airplanes and helicopters. The subway system and monorails were next on my list of interests. I would constantly read books and try to find out additional information about all the different kinds of transportation. Because of this early obsession of mine, I am very knowledgeable about this subject. If you would like to learn about the various modes of transportation, I invite you to read my blog and to enjoy the information that I've gathered together.