Call Ken 361.563.8186

Introduction to DOT Compliance The first portion is an overview of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) and what you need to know to maintain compliance. We have condensed the most important performance measures you must make part of your company's safety systems in order to be minimally compliant with the DOT regulations. You will be trained on the MCS-90 and what you need to do to safeguard your company’s safety record. Call, Ken Cotton, our lead instructor with over 25 years of experience.

• Who needs to register with the FMCSA?
• What does the DOT (and anyone with an internet connection) know about your company?
• What do you need to do with AND what can you do about this data?
• Are you required to have Motor Carrier (MC) Authority?
• What are the MOST IMPORTANT things you need to understand about Driver Fitness and Qualification, Drug and Alcohol Testing, Hours of Service and Fatigued Driving, and Vehicle Maintenance?
• What training is mandated for both drivers and supervisors?
• What is an accident countermeasures program and are you required to have one?
• We break the safety controls down into the separate systems so you can focus the necessary attention and resources on each area.

Surviving DOT Visits and Interventions Everyone fears the DOT - but if you understand their processes better, you can be prepared. With this training you can ensure that when you receive communications from the DOT, you can do the right things to prepare for a Compliance Review and other interventions, minimize damage during the visit, and take the right steps after the fact. A Compliance Review (aka DOT audit) is the current process for the DOT to measure your compliance status, but is changing dramatically with the Comprehensive Safety Analysis (CSA) program. We will train you to prepare for both, and have the proper documentation available during your review.

Understanding Violations and Minimizing Fines

State DOT Regulations Each state has basically adopted the federal regulations but “tweaked” them slightly. What’s the difference? When does one apply vs. the other? How do you know which to follow? And, finally, what are the particular rules in your state that MAY be beneficial to you? We answer these questions and more. If you have specific questions about a particular state, we try to be prepared for these as well, but we may have to get back to you on specifics.

• Comprehensive Safety Analysis (formerly CSA 2010)
• FMCSA, DOT, PHMSA, and State agencies and how they interact
• Accident register and other documentation, as well as accident countermeasures
• Driver Qualification Process and Files
• DOT rules for drug and alcohol testing and all paperwork that is required
• Hours of Service rules, monitoring and auditing procedures
• Maintenance procedures and required documentation
• Required training for all employees

Fatigued Driving The thing to focus on with respect to Hours of Service is to ALWAYS ensure your drivers are not fatigued regardless of how many driving hours they have remaining. Then, set up a monitoring system that fits your company’s business model and be sure you are pro-actively keeping people from breaking the 3 cardinal rules (11-hour, 14-hour, and 60/70-hour rules).