DOT Compliant

Reasons for DOT Audit: 

1. NEW ENTRANT AUDIT

A new entrant audit occurs during the company’s first 18 months in business, although it usually happens within the company’s first six months after DOT has assigned your business a number.

2. TARGETED AUDIT

You will be the subject of a targeted audit if your CSA score is high.

3. COMPLIANCE REVIEW
   • Crash rate: The DOT acceptable crash rate is 1.5 crashes per million miles driven. If your drivers have a higher ratio than that, DOT may initiate a compliance review.
   • Citizen’s complaints: While that is true that the occasional citizen will complain to DOT about the way a driver has passed them on the road or cut them off in traffic, most of these complaints come from disgruntled employees. Very often they base these complaints on areas where they think you will have a difficult time defending yourself.
   • Critical crash: If any of your drivers are involved in a crash that results in a fatality or is extremely high-profile, it will trigger a compliance review. For instance, a truck that overturns, spills its entire cargo across an interstate highway and blocks traffic in one or both directions for hours — something sure to be on the news — will likely cause a review.
   • Random selection: Sometimes you will get a call from DOT saying it’s your time for a compliance review. It’s purely the luck of the draw.

REVIEWED DURING AN AUDIT:

1. General DOT Information: You must provide evidence and documentation of insurance for all your vehicles and the kind of cargo that the vehicles are transporting. This means you should prepare all proper forms, such as the MCS-90, for inspection.
2. Driver Qualification Files: This section of the review covers licenses, qualifications and testing for drugs and alcohol.
3. Operational Logs: Anyone operating a CMV needs to follow all the regulations about driving limitations and hours of service. When the DOT auditor arrives, they will need to see at least six months of driver logs and documents that support the logs.
4. Vehicle Requirements: Any CMV in your possession for more than 30 consecutive days must be enrolled in a maintenance program that includes regular inspection and repairs.

CSA Score for company with US runs.