Topic: Trucking Regulations

Trucking company financial protection is just as important as scoring high rates per mile every time you haul a load. Building business credit and researching potential customers are also key ingredients to staying successful. Wes Read, Chief Credit Officer for Apex Capital, brings 29 years of credit management experience. He understands how crucial cash flow, cash reserves, credit reporting, building better credit, and staying financially protected are to taking your trucking company from surviving to thriving. He has invaluable advice along with suggestions on tools and research to boost your business. This blog is the ninth in a series with Apex Experts sharing their industry knowledge.

Trucking companies, drivers, and owner-operators must comply with a variety of safety regulations to stay on the road hauling the goods all of us need to live every day. Part of that compliance is a series of inspections conducted annually on vehicles and drivers. In fact, there are approximately 4 million commercial motor vehicle inspections conducted every year by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). The Level 1 North American Standard Inspection is usually conducted as part of the annual Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) International Roadcheck. Here, we look at the next five DOT inspections, levels 2-6. We explain each inspection and offer a checklist so you can prepare yourself and your vehicle.

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) is ready for its 2021 International Roadcheck, which takes place May 4-6. The event, an annual 72-hour road check inspection spree, covers the United States, Canada, and Mexico. It is designed to remind drivers of the importance vehicle maintenance and driver readiness play in the overall safety of our roadways.

Hot shot trucking, like expedited trucking, is all about getting a load delivered in a hurry. There are no hard and fast rules on how far a hot shot trucker goes to deliver a load, as hauls can be anywhere from 50 miles away to across the country. But when you factor in the time constraints and the hot shot trucking requirements, hot shot loads are most often local hauls.

All carriers and independent owner-operators should mark this date – January 5, 2021. That’s when all carriers and independent owner-operators need to be registered with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) CDL Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse. It’s also the deadline for running their first query. Failure to register and run a query could result in a fine of $2,500 for non-compliance.

If you were going to pick one thing that has been consistent throughout this year, what would you say? We’re going to say it’s been changes – a lot of them, both big and small! Luckily, trucking companies and their truck drivers are resilient and find ways of adapting to these ever-changing times. That’s why with a little bit of preparation the upcoming Hours of Service (HOS) final rules change doesn’t have to be a big deal. We’ve got a few tips and resources to help make this transition easy on you and your drivers.

The process of updating hours of service rules involved multiple steps that required time to complete. Some of those steps included comment periods, a proposal, another comment period, and now we’re in the home stretch. That’s because the FMCSA has announced their final ruling with four major changes to hours of service rules. The final rule is just what it sounds like, it’s the final step in the process of updating HOS. The rule goes into effect 120 days after it is published in the Federal Register. So, what are the four areas being updated? Let’s take a look.

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again and again. Truckers are the lifeline of our economy. We are so proud to be able to work with and support so many carriers that provide essential goods and services to the country. During the COVID-19 or Corona Virus emergency, grocery stores are in constant need of replenishment and health care facilities needing more supplies. Truckers are the solution to those needs and are working harder (and safer) than ever. For that, we are all so thankful! News surrounding COVID-19 changes fast. We will try to keep you updated on major announcements concerning trucking and transportation

A trucker’s office isn’t a desk in a cubicle. It’s a moving 18-wheeler that weighs about 35,000 pounds and rolls up and down the highways. And when truckers are off-duty, they can’t put out an “on break” sign. So, what do they do when they are driving the truck, but they are off the clock? That’s where personal conveyance comes in. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) defines personal conveyance as “an off-duty status. There are no impacts to the 11- or 14-hour limitations for truck drivers, the 10- or 15-hour limitations for bus drivers, the 60/70-hour limitations, the 34-hour restart provisions, or any other off-duty status.”

The FMCSA Clearinghouse is a secure online database that will give employers, the FMCSA, State Driver Licensing Agencies (SDLAs), and state law enforcement personnel real-time information about commercial driver’s license (CDL) and commercial learner’s permit (CLP) holders’ drug and alcohol program violations. That includes records of positive drug or alcohol test results as well as test refusals. Also recorded in the Clearinghouse will be a driver’s completed return-to-duty (RTD) process and follow-up testing plan.