Questions About Fleet Compliance?

If you only operate intrastate (i.e. you do not cross state lines), then different regulations may apply. Contact NTCI to determine what regulations may apply in your state.

The following reflect some of the items most often required (additional items may be required) for DOT compliance:

· USDOT Number (if you cross state lines)

· State DOT Number (if you only stay within your state)

· Medical Examiner’s Certificate

· Driver Qualification File

· Accident Register (for recordable crashes)

· Annual / Periodic Vehicle Inspections

· Vehicle Maintenance Files

· Hours of Service Records

· Pre-Trip & Post-Trip Inspections

To determine what Federal and/or State DOT regulations affect you, contact NTCI and take away the guesswork.

Regulations can be costly, resulting in fines, increased scrutiny, and ratings downgrades that can impact your reputation, cause you to lose business, and increase your insurance costs. It can even lead to the revocation of your fleet’s operating authority and put you out of business.

If you don’t know what Federal and/or State DOT regulations affect you, contact NTCI. You’ll be glad you did!

When the program is fully rolled out we will have a new nationwide system that will make the roads safer for motor carriers and the public alike. We offer the following educational programs to learn and understand CSA:

· Complete training for CSA

· Analysis of how SMS (Safety Measurement System) results impact a carrier

· Development of safety programs to improve compliance

· Analysis of data to identify root causes

· Training to correct problem behavior

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations govern anyone who operates a commercial motor vehicle in interstate commerce (i.e. across state lines). The regulations apply to commercial motor vehicles that have a gross vehicle or combination (i.e. truck and trailer combined) weight or weight rating of 10,001 lbs. or more. In other words, if your truck, or your truck and trailer combined, has a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,001 pounds or more, you are subject to the regulations when you are using the vehicle(s) in the furtherance of a commercial enterprise.

If you only operate intrastate (i.e. you do not cross state lines), then different regulations may apply. Contact NTCI to determine what regulations may apply in your state.

Yes. A driver may use a non-schedule I drug or substance that is identified in 21 CFR 1308 if the substance is prescribed by a licensed medical practitioner who is familiar with the driver’s medical history and has advised the driver that the prescribed substance will not affect the drivers ability to safely operate a commercial vehicle.

The list of certified medical examiners including physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and chiropractors, is available on the National Registry website

No, you are only subject to the drug and alcohol testing when you possess a CDL and operate a CDL vehicle.

Roadside Intervention Effectiveness: Analyzing the FMCSA Program Results

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has developed an analytic model to measure the effectiveness of roadside inspections and traffic enforcements in terms of the number of crashes prevented, injuries prevented, and lives saved. This model provides FMCSA management with the information needed to address the requirements of the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993, which requires Federal agencies to measure the effectiveness of their programs as part of the budget cycle process. It also provides FMCSA and State safety program managers with a quantitative basis for optimizing the allocation of safety resources in the field.

That’s taken from the first paragraph of a report issued in February discussing the positive impacts created by FMCSA’s program of roadside inspection and traffic enforcement. Anytime someone releases a study there’s almost certain to be questions asked about the validity of the methodology. However, for the moment, let’s take a look at the report’s findings without questioning how they arrived at the conclusions.

For the five year period ending in 2012 the number of roadside inspections increased by 17% to just over 3 million. During that same period the number of crashes, injuries and deaths prevented only rose at one half that rate. For the same five year period the number of traffic enforcements dropped by 32% and the number of crashes, injuries and deaths prevented dropped by a slightly higher percentage.

If we expand the time period to ten years, the number of roadside inspections goes from 2,253,070 to 3,071,817, an increase of 36%. Yet, during the same period, the number of crashes prevented only increases by 21% while the number of injuries and deaths prevented actually drops. If we take a look at traffic enforcement over the last ten years, the number of stops has dropped by 33% while crashes prevented have dropped 30%, injuries prevented have fallen 43%, and deaths prevented have fallen by 53%.

What is striking is that the 36% increase in roadside inspections has only produced a smaller increase in crash prevention and has had a negative impact on injury and death prevention. It seems that roadside inspections have hit a level of diminishing returns. That’s not surprising since it seems highly unlikely that a violation for a burned out license plate light in any way corresponds to crash risk. Yet, the underlying assumption by FMCSA is “each inspection that uncovers and corrects at least one violation is interpreted as having reduced crash risk.” Unfortunately, FMCSA’s own statistics don’t validate that assumption.

On the other hand, the sharp drop in traffic enforcements has been accompanied by an even higher reduction in injuries and deaths prevented. There doesn’t seem to be any mystery in that. It makes sense from a safety and countermeasures point of view to focus on stopping drivers whose driving habits bring them to the attention of police. It just makes sense to put the priority back into traffic enforcement which intuitively and statistically will lead to better outcomes.

(1) Satisfactory safety rating means that a motor carrier has in place and functioning adequate safety management controls to meet the safety fitness standard prescribed in §385.5. Safety management controls are adequate if they are appropriate for the size and type of operation of the particular motor carrier.

(2) Conditional safety rating means a motor carrier does not have adequate safety management controls in place to ensure compliance with the safety fitness standard that could result in violations of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations.

(3) Unsatisfactory safety rating means a motor carrier does not have adequate safety management controls in place to ensure compliance with the safety fitness standard, which has resulted in violations of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations.

When a motor carrier receives a Satisfactory Safety Rating, no action is required and the rating becomes final on the date of issue. A Conditional Rating may be appealed when the carrier has made sufficient corrective actions to warrant a Satisfactory Rating. Carriers with a Conditional Rating may continue to operate. Carriers who receive an Unsatisfactory Rating must submit evidence to the FMCSA of corrective actions. Unsatisfactory Rated carriers will be prohibited form interstate and intrastate transportation.

Today’s regulatory enforcement activities are driven toward paying attention to motor carriers as identified by high SMS scores and less than Satisfactory safety ratings. This prioritizes your trucks for an increased level of roadside inspections, which potentially increases the number of violations discovered and further deteriorates your ratings.

The Conditional or Unsatisfactory rating usually is the result of a compliance review conducted by a state or federal enforcement officer. The officer determines the violations and a rating is assigned based on the following categories:

1. Adequacy of safety management controls.

2. Frequency and severity of regulatory violations.

3. Frequency and severity of driver/vehicle regulatory violations.

4. Number and frequency of out–of–service driver/vehicle violations.

5. Increase or decrease in similar types of regulatory violations.

6. Frequency of accidents; hazardous materials incidents; accident rate per million miles; indicators of preventable accidents; and whether such accidents, hazardous materials incidents, and preventable accident indicators have increased or declined over time.

7. Number and severity of violations of CMV and motor carrier safety rules, regulations, standards, and orders.

Once that task is complete, you need to convince FMCSA that you now deserve a rating upgrade to Satisfactory. A motor carrier must base their request on evidence that they have taken the corrective action identified in their safety management controls, as well as developed and implemented a sustainable plan to bring the company into compliance.

FMCSA is overbooked with other rating upgrades and compliance reviews. Therefore, getting the rating upgrade approved takes time. You do not want the FMCSA to delay your rating upgrade because your request was not complete. NTCI has the experience and expertise to develop a comprehensive safety management plan. Do not run the risk of your plan being denied or delayed. Contact NTCI to develop your safety management plan and rating upgrade request.

An examination of business practices has also led many national companies to outsource key safety and compliance functions to NTCI. Some of the benefits are:

· More efficient handling of your safety and compliance program

· Support from qualified people in all phases of safety, compliance, and regulations

· Reduced personnel costs

· Allow you more time to focus on your core business

· When you partner with NTCI, we are not just your consultant, but also your partner in safety and compliance, providing you with a customized safety and compliance program that reduces your safety and regulatory exposure.