Maintaining a fleet is no simple task, especially when it comes to compliance and ensuring vehicle safety. To verify that vehicles are fully compliant at all times, it’s critical for companies with fleets to have an inspection process in place for their drivers.
How compliant a vehicle is when undergoing an inspection ultimately impacts a company’s average Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) score, a data-driven compliance and enforcement program set by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Better CSA scores indicate to the FMCSA that these respective companies and drivers prioritize safety and vehicle compliance, as well as encourage customers to utilize their services.
To ensure better compliance and boost their average CSA scores, companies with fleets should require drivers conduct regular inspections. ACERTUS has outlined some of the key areas those inspections should cover to ensure safety and benefit both companies’ and drivers’ CSA scores.
– Hours of Service Logs:
The FMCSA oversees Hours of Service (HOS) that dictate the amount of time commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers can be on duty, as well as the number and length of their rest periods. These HOS rules ultimately exist to promote safety, ensuring CMV drivers are not too tired to drive and protecting everyone on the road.
To ensure drivers are following all requirements for HOS, they must keep accurate and consistent logs, documenting hours on duty, break periods and more. The FMCSA requires that HOS are logged digitally via an electronic logging device (ELD), which allows for the most accuracy. Depending on the specific technology platform used, ELDs can also alert drivers about inaccurate or incomplete HOS.
– Driver Fitness:
Driver-qualification (DQ) files must also be accurate and up-to-date at all times. These DQ files should exist for every driver and include their valid commercial drivers’ licenses, medical certificates, relevant state driving records, annual reviews of their driving records and employment applications. These files can also include any trainings the drivers have undergone.
Some drivers may keep documents on hand while driving, but many ELD platforms will allow drivers to produce DQ files through the platform for inspections.
– Vehicle Maintenance:
CMV drivers are also required to keep vehicles properly maintained, conducting pre- and post-trip inspections for every transport. During these inspections, drivers must record any vehicle defects, reporting them and arranging for them to be repaired prior to again operating the vehicle.
– Controlled Substances:
Drivers are never allowed to use illegal drugs, misuse over-the-counter or prescription medications or use alcohol while driving, as it’s both illegal and dangerous. Having containers of alcoholic beverages in a cab, whether open or closed, is a violation of federal regulations set by FMCSA, as well.
ACERTUS as a Compliance Partner
As an expert compliance provider, ACERTUS serves as a fleet safety manager on behalf of automotive partners to ensure compliance across the board and help companies keep their CSA scores high.
In this fleet safety manager role, ACERTUS can consult on inspections like these, outlining how drivers should handle their own pre-imposed inspections, how frequently these inspections should occur and more. ACERTUS team members can also help with scheduling and performing safety meetings, designing and implementing training programs, preparing for and supporting on audits, creating customer solutions for fleet safety and maintaining all DQ files.
With data and analytics, ACERTUS also has the ability to see both a company’s overall CSA score and its drivers’ respective CSA scores at any point in time. This information can help companies assess how they’re faring with compliance and safety as compared to their competitors. Vehicle shippers can take this data and use it to make important decisions when it comes to their drivers, safety plans and critical business needs.
ACERTUS’ team can also assist companies with fleets when it comes to fuel tax reporting, Department of Transportation (DOT) audits and compliance, permitting, toll and transponder management and full-service consulting on telematics platforms.
ACERTUS can also extend support well beyond compliance services. As the only full-scale, tech-enabled automotive logistics platform designed to move, store, recondition and title and register finished vehicles, ACERTUS has a proven, complete and start-to-finish service that turns logistics into a competitive advantage for those with fleets.
Learn more about ACERTUS’ compliance services – as well as our full range of fleet-logistics solutions – at https://acertusdelivers.com. To connect with one of our team members or receive a quick pricing quote, contact us here or call us at 855-ACERTUS (855-923-2655).
