Questions about inspections

There are several different types of inspection. The most thorough is the Level 1 which will take about an hour to complete. Basically, the inspector will check your logs, license, etc. and do a complete inspection of your vehicle.

http://www.dot.gov/affairs/cbtsip/inspchecklist.pdf

The Level 3 is far more common, they will just go over your paperwork: drivers license, medical card, registration, insurance, bill of lading, etc., If everything is in proper order, you should be on your way in less than 10 minutes.

 

If a company has a history of vehicles OOS and an ISS-D INSPECT rating you will probably get a level 1 . If you are put OOS with a defect you'll be there a lot longer than an hour . Stay away from companies with INSPECT ratings .

 

Checking a carrier's safestat score is an easy thing to do. It will give you an indication of how often you can expect to be pulled in for an inspection.

Go to SafeStat and type in the USDOT# on the side of your truck:

http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/SafeStat/SafeStatMain.asp?PageN=results

Weigh station personnel use this system when you roll through a scale. Troopers also use it while patrolling the highways. They can grab your DOT# when passing you in the left lane, and get a quick rundown on your employer (and, indirectly, you) without you being aware of it.

Shippers,brokers and insurance companies also check Safer scores to some degree. DAC/USIS will not do business with carriers who haven't had a recent in-office safety audit.

If you're an independent, it's to your advantage to keep your operation high and tight. You should look forward to inspections. Good inspection results will lower your score, and benefit you in ways that aren't always apparent.

 

When you get your company in click the ISS-D recommendation on the right .
I have to question DAC/USIS not doing business with carriers that haven't had a recent audit . Many carriers haven't been audited for several years .

 

RickG, thank you for pointing that out. You may be correct regarding recent safety audits. When we inqiured about becoming a DAC subscriber, the declined us because our last safety audit was too old and didn't match our current physical address. More than likely, thay have a number of different things they check before accepting a new subscriber. I would imagine that their main concern is to preserve the integrity of driver backround data uploaded by member carriers.

 

Unless you have other options , take it . Jobs are hard to come by . Have they been audited lately ? Look at Crete . FMCSA came down heavy on them . Now they make sure they are compliant .