Driver Qualification
Everything motor carriers need to know about building compliant driver qualification files, employment verification, MVR monitoring, road tests, and the medical certification process under 49 CFR Part 391.
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Understanding DOT road tests
Ensuring commercial drivers are properly qualified to operate heavy trucks or buses is a major part of complying with federal and state motor carrier safety regulations. That shouldn't come as a surprise since defects in drivers' qualifications routinely contribute to significant accidents. Indeed, Part 391 of the federal safety regulations contains dozens of rules carriers must follow before allowing an individual to operate a commercial vehicle on public highways. Things like pre-employment dr
Brandon Wiseman
FMCSA proposes revisions to various CDL processes
FMCSA is proposing several changes to its commercial driver's license (CDL) program to "enhance the flexibility and efficiency of the CDL program," according to a notice published in the Federal Register. The agency says it plans to remove "certain regulatory restrictions to allow applicants to obtain a CDL and be productively employed as a CMV driver in less time than it currently takes, without compromising safety." FMCSA believes the proposal will "further address CMV driver shortages, enhanc
Brandon Wiseman
FMCSA proposing to remove over 15,000 medical examiners from National Registry
FMCSA is proposing to remove over 15,000 medical examiners from its National Registry of Medical Examiners, according to a notice to be published in the Federal Register soon.In its notice, the FMCSA explains these examiners have not set up accounts through login.gov, the government-run multi-factor authentication site, and therefore are unable to "fulfill regulatory requirements such as reporting results of physical qualification examinations performed on commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers,
Brandon Wiseman
Trucksafe & Haul launch cutting-edge managed services offering
For today’s fleet managers, navigating the complex world of DOT regulations and ensuring fleet safety can feel like an uphill battle. But what if you could hand over the reins and focus on what you do best – running your business? That’s exactly what the groundbreaking partnership between Trucksafe Consulting, LLC and Haul, a cutting-edge AI-powered fleet risk management software provider, aims to achieve. Through this strategic alliance, Trucksafe expands its offerings with the launch of Trucks
Understanding FMCSA verifications of employment
Vetting commercial drivers to ensure they are properly qualified is one of the foundational regulatory obligations placed on motor carriers by federal and state safety regulations. As we've discussed in other articles, there's a lot that goes into qualifying drivers. But there's one aspect of driver qualification in particular that seems to cause quite a bit of confusion, and that's the so-called "verification of employment" or "safety performance history request" process. In this article, we br
Brandon Wiseman
Trucksafe LIVE! | The intersection of driver recruiting and compliance
On a recent episode of our Trucksafe LIVE! podcast, we discussed the importance of proper vetting in the driver recruitment process. Jeremy Reymer, founder and CEO of Driver Reach, who'sbeen in the trucking industry for over 20 years, joined us to discuss this important topic. Jeremy started his career in trucking running a successful driver staffing company and then moved on to establish DriverReach, a technology platform aimed at helping companies hire drivers faster and manage compliance bett
Compliance myth: 10-year employment history
There's a lot that goes into qualifying a regulated driver: applications, motor vehicle reports, license checks, drug tests...and the list goes on! One particularly critical component of the driver qualification process is the past employment verifications that prospective motor carrier employers must make on every driver applicant. Of course, in order to conduct these verifications, carriers must first know for whom an applicant has worked in the past. But how far in the past must driver applic
Brandon Wiseman
Answering ELDT questions
In this post, we're answering all your burning questions about the FMCSA’s Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) rule--to whom it applies, who is exempt, and everything in between! For an in-depth breakdown of the rule itself, be sure to check out our prior article. As of the date of this article, we’re about 5 months into the new ELDT requirement, which took effect February 7, 2022. Without a doubt, the rule is a pretty big one…impacting every individual who is now seeking a Class A or B CDL or ce
Brandon Wiseman
Understanding the Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP)
At its heart, PSP provides carriers, individual drivers, and industry service providers access to commercial drivers' safety records from th
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