Best Practices for DOT compliance: Procedures and Checklists

The US Department of Transportation is the federal agency that enforces laws regulating commercial motor vehicles' operation. These rules are known as the Department of Transportation Rules. DOT compliance refers to the effective fulfilment of these standards set by the US Department of Transportation.
 
Failure to comply with DOT regulations results in a breach of those laws. Violators are subject to sanctions that may include fines, revocation of a company's authorization to operate its commercial vehicle fleet or incarceration.
 
WHO MUST COMPLY
Department of Transportation regulations applies to vehicles required to register with the DOT and legally receive a USDOT number.
 
These may generally be defined as commercial vehicles, but the DOT guidelines more precisely concern vehicles operating under one or more of the following criteria:

• Transportation of toxic materials; form and quantity defined by DOT.
• A gross vehicle mass or a gross combination mass value of 4536 kg (10001 pounds) or more, or gross vehicle mass or gross combination mass
• Transportation of more than 8 passengers (including the driver) for settlement
• Transportation of more than 15 passengers (including the driver)

 
These requirements refer to commercial vehicles used in interstate trade; some states require registrants of their commercial intrastate motor vehicles to obtain a USDOT number. One can visit the Motor Carrier Safety Administration website for more information on the same.

COMPLIANCE PROCEDURE
To ensure that commercial drivers and carriers stay under DOT laws, the way to start is with the regulations themselves. Learning the DOT rulebook's ins and outs can be promoted by going through the FAQ section on the FMCSA website. This page includes a handy list of frequently asked questions that allow the users to scan subjects like laws, driver protection, registration, and licensing.
 
SAMPLE CHECKLISTS
Business carriers may remain on track after being familiar with the regulations and prevent lapses by periodic review of their operations. For drivers and fleet managers, the following checklists offer useful instructions for maintaining adherence to DOT requirements.
 
FLEET COMPLIANCE

• A copy of the current FMCSA rules should be maintained in the office.
• Complete reports of the pre-trip and post-trip vehicle inspections should be kept.
• Establish a vehicle maintenance plan and conform to it, including all the required documentation.
• Ensure each vehicle has its DOT registration number marked. 
• Maintain road incident records for each vehicle.

 
DRIVER COMPLIANCE

• Provide a copy of the FMCSA rules, and obtain a signed receipt for the document and agreement to follow the regulations listed.
• Maintain each driver's qualification records and safety history.
• Maintain each driver's hours of service records.
• Maintain records for each driver on pre-employment drug testing. The documents should also include reports of alcohol and drug abuse, if any.
• Perform random drug and alcohol testing of drivers periodically, as listed in the DOT regulations.
• Require supervisors to undergo training on drug and alcohol testing, as required by DOT regulations.

 
This checklist includes the principal enforcement elements of DOT compliance but to ensure that all requirements are met, a commercial fleet manager needs to get to know the DOT regulations thoroughly and make the appropriate adjustments to the policies and operations of the organization. These periodic reviews may help to minimize the risk of non-compliance.
​