While office managers may live in fear of an IRS audit, carrier managers have an altogether different audit to deal with—a Department of Transportation (DOT) safety audit.
Any carrier transporting at least 10,000 pounds of cargo across state lines needs to be ready for one, the DOT warns, but audits can also apply to commercial motor vehicles with a gross weight of 26,001 pounds or more, those designed to transport a driver and 15 or more passengers, or those that transport the sort of hazardous materials that require placards. New drivers must pass DOT safety audits.
Audits cover six inspection categories, including documentation of the driver, the vehicle, hazardous materials, accidents and more. And while some may be random, not all are. “If you’re selected for a Compliance Review or some other type of investigation, such as focused on- or off-site investigation, the Department of Transportation likely has concerns about your safety practices,” noted an audit consultant working in the industry.
“Fall out of compliance with DOT and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Association (FMCSA) rules, and you may come to a dead stop as surely as if you’d cracked a piston,” said one company which primarily supports independent truckers. “But unlike an engine that can be repaired, a compliance violation can be much more disabling, leading to suspension or even loss of your license and—possibly—your livelihood.”
Proper Preparation Now Saves Headaches Later
Though perhaps annoying, being prepared for an audit will make life easier in the long run—especially if you are chosen for DOT review. “Time spent now can lessen fines received later during an audit,” noted The Balance. “Also, by auditing the logs daily, you can give back to the drivers logs that need correction, thus teaching them the correct way to fill out their logs, which will lessen fines received during roadside inspections.”
Knowing the rules ahead of time is important, The Balance added. Sticklers including putting second jobs on log books, initialing changes in log books, keeping windshields free from clutter and properly noting mandatory rest breaks. Also important to note is that falsified logs can land drivers in prison for up to five years.
Record keeping is key to emerging from an audit intact, according to WorkTruck. “Driver files should be complete, current, and correct and contain the same information in the same order,” the company stressed. And not only must records be present, but they must be clear and legible, too.
Stay Ahead of Auditors with Expert Help
While large trucking companies will have in-house records teams, most small and medium-sized outfits don’t, according to Mark Dixon, a DOT expert and AudioSolutionz seminar conductor. Regardless of the size of a trucking company, each and every one of them are held and assessed under the same strict guidelines set forth by FMCSA regs, and fines are generally associated with any infractions.
Dixon’s sessions highlight everything from past employment verification to roadside inspections and are aimed at truck owners, safety and operations management, human resources officers, and anyone else in trucking companies who are in charge of implementing DOT-mandated safety-related requirements.
DOT compliance is not an option; it is a requirement when you’re running a trucking company. Rather than waiting for DOT to knock at your doorstep, stay ahead and be compliant.
