Plain-English guides to DOT audits, driver files, hours of service, and testing — written by a family that runs trucks, not lawyers.
A complete DOT audit checklist for motor carriers: the six record areas an auditor reviews, what documents to have ready, and how to close gaps before the review.
DOT audits are not random. Learn the 7 most common triggers — crashes, roadside violations, complaints, high CSA scores, and more — and how to lower your risk.
New carriers must pass a safety audit within their first 12 months. Here is what the new entrant safety audit checks, the automatic-failure violations, and how to prepare.
A complete driver qualification file checklist — application, MVR, medical certificate, road test, Clearinghouse queries, and more — so every driver file passes a DOT audit.
A 30-day plan to get audit-ready: week-by-week steps to organize driver files, logs, testing records, maintenance, and filings before a DOT audit.
The most common hours-of-service (HOS) violations — form and manner errors, missing supporting documents, the 14-hour window, and the 30-minute break — and how to prevent them.
What a compliant DOT drug and alcohol testing program requires: the six test types, random testing rates, the 5-panel test, and Clearinghouse queries.
What the three DOT safety ratings mean, how a compliance review assigns them, and what a Conditional or Unsatisfactory rating means for your ability to operate.
What a Driver Vehicle Inspection Report (DVIR) must include, when a driver has to complete one, and how to keep DVIRs audit-ready.
Who must use an electronic logging device, the main ELD exemptions, and the malfunction and roadside data-transfer rules every carrier should understand.
What your CSA / SMS score measures, why it matters, and practical steps to lower it — clean inspections, fixing violations, DataQs challenges, and driver coaching.
A retention cheat sheet for motor carriers: how long to keep driver qualification files, hours-of-service logs, DVIRs, maintenance records, the accident register, and testing records.
The criteria that make a crash require post-accident drug and alcohol testing, the time limits for each test, and what to document when a test isn't performed.
What the DOT physical involves, how the medical examiner's certificate (med card) works, how long it's valid, and what carriers must keep on file.
What belongs in each vehicle's maintenance file — identification, annual inspection, and repair history — plus how a systematic maintenance program keeps you audit-ready.
A plain-English introduction to IFTA fuel-tax reporting and IRP apportioned registration — who needs them, what records to keep, and how they differ from a DOT safety audit.
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