MARCH 9, 2019 – Are you sure your driver files are compliant?
To maintain files that are compliant with Regulation Part 391, there are a few key items you must track and update for the duration of each driver’s employment:
Although many of the above tasks may seem basic, they are some of the most common driver and carrier violations. In 2017, over 70,000 drivers were cited for not having a valid medical certificate. According to information in the FMCSA database, a single violation for a missing, altered or falsified medical certificate often exceeds $2,000. Similar fines were issued for drivers caught operating a commercial motor vehicle without a valid CDL – another top violation that results not only in hefty fines, but out-of-service orders.
The more drivers you employ, the more time and resources it consumes to manage the above tasks (as well as your other compliance activities). In an effort to streamline these processes, and ensure that the business is always audit ready, many carriers are choosing to work with a third-party compliance partner to automate these tasks. In the Foley Portal, for example, we’ll set up each driver with a fully-compliant file and will then keep track of important expiration dates and alerts on an ongoing basis so that you always know when a DOT physical or CDL renewal is due. We’ll also automatically run a Motor Vehicle Report to ensure compliance with the annual review process.
As DOT off-site audits become more common, these electronic driver files have another benefit: they can be immediately downloaded and sent to the DOT officer upon request.
To learn more about the Foley Portal, and how it helps employers create and maintain compliant driver files, click here or call (860) 815-0764.