DOT Audit is generally held to determine the safety fitness of a motor carrier. Clearing this audit is definitely not an
easy thing to achieve, given the amount and criticality of the steps involved in it. The U.S. Department of Transportation generally runs such audits on all the trucking companies to assess every truck under the stringent guidelines of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations publication. It includes an extensive set of parameters which assess everything from top to bottom, including the driver, the truck, and also the company it is employed with. In simpler terms, a DOT Audit runs an assessment upon the following parameters:
- How many hours of driving experience the driver has
- How often is the inspection and maintenance done for the truck
- What qualification files does the driver possess
- Is the driver successfully able to clear tests for alcohol or drug abuse
- Does he possess all the right paperwork and other driver license prerequisites
- Have all the formalities related to financial responsibility been looked into
- How many cases of mishap/accidents have been registered so far
- Is there presence of any hazardous material within the truck
- Was the truck able to clear all commercial/economical regulations
- Have all safety management controls been verified
- Is there any evident issue related to the truck’s operational performance
- Does the truck adhere to the U.S. Regulatory compliance
The DOT Audit Compliance session is generally set to be conducted within 2-14 days from the day the compliance inspector calls in to obtain agreeable time and location with the company’s owner/supervisor. The larger trucking companies often have dedicated personnel to look after the compliance problem and for ensuring the health of their vehicles. The smaller or mid-size firms usually cannot afford such luxuries, and often many of those do not even know about the DOT regulations that they may unknowingly violate. The penalty so incurred stays the same for the large as well as for the smaller businesses, hence the latter stand a higher chance to lose more.
An easy way out of this, without actually spending on the salary of external or internal professionals (both usually charge a lot for this) is to stay prepared with everything, including making preparations for the audit, staying formal and professional all along, and always give out a positive outlook about your business. The range of essentials that can win you the clearing in the first go, which you have to remember here include:
- Learn everything about the DOT regulations as they are
- Be prepared with the required paperwork and answers for the standard questions
- Don’t give away paperwork that is unnecessary to steer clear of trouble
- Assess your unit(s) yourself to be extra sure of everything
- Keep all receipts/toll slips/reports, etc. handy
- Don’t try to sound too friendly or speak too much, be courteous instead
- Take a mock interview session beforehand so as to rehearse for the whole thing
- Think and assess before you sign your copy of compliance
Remember, the auditor will not be there to see your company or your trucks from every viewpoint. Let them do their work, answer only when you have to, and they will be gone soon, giving you the best report you could have hoped for.
To get a better idea about the process and your options, you can also attend the live webinar session by Mark Dixon. He will be taking you through each compliance section one at a time so that towards the end of the session you will be prepared to face the DOT audit compliance inspector with full confidence.
