DOT Compliance Overview and Audit Survival Seminar

Part A:  Introduction to DOT Compliance

This is an overview of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) and what you need to know to maintain compliance. We have condensed the most important performance measures you must make part of your companies safety systems in order to be minimally compliant with the DOT regs. Covered topics include introduction to the USDOT, FMCSA, and PHMSA, and how they affect you. We will use a little-known tool – the MCS-150A – to illustrate and enumerate your regulatory obligations. You will be trained on the MCS-90 and what you need to do to safeguard your company’s safety record. We will provide answers to the following questions and more:

•               What does the DOT (and everyone with a computer) know about this company?

•               What can we do about this data?

•               What do we need to do with this data?

•               Who needs to register with the FMCSA?

•               Do we need to register with the PHMSA?

•               Are we required to have MC Authority?

•               What are the MOST IMPORTANT things we need to understand about Driver Qualification, Drug and alcohol testing, hours of service, maintenance records, and required training for drivers and supervisors? We break down safety controls into the separate systems so you can focus the necessary attention and resources in each area.

Part B:  Audit Survival

Everyone is afraid of DOT audits. If you understand the process a bit better, you can prepare properly. With this new knowledge you can put aside fear of the DOT and do the right things to prepare for compliance review, minimize damage during a compliance review, and take the right steps after the fact.

Part C: Understanding Violations and Minimizing Fines

There are thousands of things you are supposed to do. There are certain things that you should focus on because they are critical and acute violations (two or three of these can result in an Out of Service Order – putting you out of business). There are some things you should make a priority because there are fines for not doing the right thing. If you understand what the most important things are and how to do them, you can minimize the violations. Sometimes if you don’t understand the different ways to prioritize your efforts you can do the things you think are important then get fined for the things you didn’t understand or didn’t get around to. We will help you understand what to do 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. Included are some tips and tricks for minimizing fines even after the compliance review. The last part is the list of all the critical and acute violations.

Topics addressed in this workshop include, but are not limited to:

•               FMCSA, DOT, PHMSA, and State agencies and how these all relate to each other

•               Accident register and other documentation, as well as accident countermeasures

•               Driver Qualification Files

•               DOT Rules for drug and alcohol testing and paperwork that must be maintained

•               Hours of service rules, monitoring and auditing procedures

•               Maintenance procedures and required documentation

•               Required training for drivers and others