Keeping in compliance with the Department of Transportation is an important element of managing a trucking company. You don’t want to risk the fines, reputational damages, and violations that might occur if you aren’t compliant with transportation rules and regulations. However, wanting to do this and making sure your drivers keep up is a different matter.
Here are a few tips on how you can manage your truck driver compliance and make sure that your team is maintaining their certifications, respecting the rules set by the Department of Transportation, and keeping up on their paperwork.
Keep Up with the Latest Compliance News and Updates
Compliance rules aren’t set in stone. They change and adapt over time, so it’s important that you do your due diligence and keep up on news and updates regarding compliance regulations. Following different publications or setting news alerts can help keep you aware of when regulations have changed. This will let you clearly communicate with your drivers on their responsibilities.
Make Sure Drivers are Aware of All Compliance Requirements
Another key thing you can do to maintain compliance is make sure your drivers are aware of what regulations apply to them. Depending on the state you live in or the type of trucking you do, the regulations might be different. Make sure that drivers are aware of their responsibilities and use email updates or regular newsletters to let them know if there have been any changes in the regulations.
Conduct Regular Compliance Audits
Sometimes things can slip through the cracks and go unnoticed. To avoid this issue, conduct regular compliance audits on both your drivers and with your trucking operations as a whole. This will allow you to make sure that nothing has gone wrong and that your company and your employees are remaining compliant. It also provides a record showing that you take compliance seriously.
Take Corrective Action
Compliance issues can occur even when you don’t expect them. However, if something crops up during a compliance audit, you should make sure that you immediately take corrective action. Don’t wait around, hope no one notices, or assume the problem resolves on its own. Instead, address the issues as soon as you notice it and document how you have fixed the problem so that you are no longer violating any regulations or rules.
Have a Solid Plan in Place
No matter how rigorous your hiring process is, there is always a chance that you will have drivers who don’t seem to care about compliance or are consistent violators of policies and regulations. You need to have a solid plan in place to address these drivers and take corrective action so they don’t damage the reputation of your entire organization and hurt other drivers who are in compliance.
Improve Compliance Management with Bluegrass
At Bluegrass, we understand how important driver compliance is. We help you organize and manage your trucking organization from writing a job listing for truck drivers to helping you track compliance across your team. To learn more about what we do and how we can help you with your trucking business, visit Bluegrass online and discover our services today.
Sources: foleyservice.com, globalmultiservice.com, mathesoninc.com
Leave a Comment