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Safety Audit... Is It A Thing?

Discussion in 'Trucking Industry Regulations' started by The_SnowMan710, Oct 27, 2025 at 3:52 PM.

  1. Oct 27, 2025 at 3:52 PM #1
    The_SnowMan710

    The_SnowMan710 Light Load Member

    50
    76
    Dec 17, 2022
    NE Nebraska
    0
    One thing I've learned since getting my DOT number is how many 3rd party compliance companies come out of the woodwork, most of them being scams. Typically, they're easy to spot. However, these guys at Foley keep emailing and calling non-stop. I haven't answered them once or responded to any of their emails. Yet, they continue to pester me. Points for persistence, I suppose.

    Anyway... Is a safety audit a real thing that the DOT or FMCSA require or is this just another scare tactic to try and get me to call them? My DOT number is set up as intrastate so I'm not crossing state lines and I'm not running outside of 150 air miles so ELD's don't apply to me, either. Don't know if any of those things are pertinent to whether or not a safety audit is required.

    If it really is a requirement, surely there's a way to do it on your own without a 3rd party getting involved, right? Thus far I haven't needed one and would really prefer to not pay someone to do something I'm totally capable of doing on my own.
     

    Attached Files:

    The_SnowMan710, Oct 27, 2025 at 3:52 PM
    The_SnowMan710, Oct 27, 2025 at 3:52 PM
    #1
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  3. Oct 27, 2025 at 4:20 PM #2
    nikmirbre

    nikmirbre Road Train Member

    5,487
    10,012
    Jul 27, 2011
    High Point NC
    0
    Anything from Foley is a scam.......
     
    nikmirbre, Oct 27, 2025 at 4:20 PM
    nikmirbre, Oct 27, 2025 at 4:20 PM
    #2
    The_SnowMan710 Thanks this.
  4. Oct 27, 2025 at 4:26 PM #3
    The_SnowMan710

    The_SnowMan710 Light Load Member

    50
    76
    Dec 17, 2022
    NE Nebraska
    0
    That's what I figured. Thanks for the response!
     
    The_SnowMan710, Oct 27, 2025 at 4:26 PM
    The_SnowMan710, Oct 27, 2025 at 4:26 PM
    #3
  5. Oct 27, 2025 at 4:27 PM #4
    nikmirbre

    nikmirbre Road Train Member

    5,487
    10,012
    Jul 27, 2011
    High Point NC
    0
    I cant speak to the safety audit for intrastate..... when I went through a DOT audit within my first year I believe they emailed me to establish contact.
     
    nikmirbre, Oct 27, 2025 at 4:27 PM
    nikmirbre, Oct 27, 2025 at 4:27 PM
    #4
  7. Oct 27, 2025 at 5:03 PM #5
    North Pole Nightmare

    North Pole Nightmare Heavy Load Member

    926
    1,783
    Dec 15, 2021
    0
    In Texas if intrastate someone from the state would contact you,if federal they would contact you directly.
     
    North Pole Nightmare, Oct 27, 2025 at 5:03 PM
    North Pole Nightmare, Oct 27, 2025 at 5:03 PM
    #5
  8. Oct 27, 2025 at 5:39 PM #6
    Concorde

    Concorde Road Train Member

    5,146
    17,910
    Jun 29, 2016
    West Melbourne Florida
    0
    Look, next time Foley calls answer the phone and calmly ask them to put you on their do not call list and ask to be taken off their mailing list.

    I actually used them in the beginning to help me create a legit driver file. They treated me well and I can’t say anything bad about them. For me they were easy to deal with and communicated well. Once I got what I needed I canceled the service. Never once did they pressure me into staying. Canceling was easy and pleasant.

    Nebraska will give you a safety audit within 12 months for intrastate. It’s really not a big deal and will probably just be a document exchange via email. Make sure you are enrolled in a drug testing program and have your clearinghouse setup.

    I’m interstate out of Florida and had my safety audit within 6 months I think. Mine was handled by the Florida Highway Patrol. Was initially contacted by phone and then everything was done via email. Was a big document dump for me. They can do the audit in person so just be aware. Typically they save the in person visits for carriers that are having trouble with violations imo.

    You don’t need a third party to set you up unless you’re totally clueless. I was clueless about the driver file so that’s why I paid Foley to set it up. Once I saw it I realized how easy it was to do myself.
     
    Concorde, Oct 27, 2025 at 5:39 PM
    Concorde, Oct 27, 2025 at 5:39 PM
    #6
  9. Oct 27, 2025 at 6:26 PM #7
    Grumppy

    Grumppy Trucker Forum STAFF Staff Member

    3,136
    10,837
    Dec 11, 2010
    West Monroe, La
    0
    Yeah, its a real thing. Like some of the other guys here, I too was naive about the administrative rules and what to expect. I didn't hire anybody to do any prep work. I got the little green book down and went through what was required. Some of which is trivial, depending on the personality of the auditor.
    I had a lady that come did my DOT audit. I was based in Louisiana. She mainly just wanted to make sure that I was generally in compliance. If something was wrong or not in order, or not in place, she just said you need to get this in order and that was the end of it. She didn't write any citations or anything of what they are allowed to do. She just explained that It wasn't done or wasn't in compliance and explained how I should go about doing it.
    It's just a bunch of administrative stuff that company drivers dont ever have to deal with and don't know about.

    You gotta have a file for each employee.... including yourself. You gotta have a safety person.... which was my wife. It can actually be you... you just gotta have a safety person named etc, etc.. It's just trivial stuff mostly.
    She wanted to look at my log books and fuel tickets etc. I think some BOLs etc. Again, trivial stuff.
    I think she had pulled my DOT record etc.

    Again, I just read through the green book that outlines the admin stuff and just kinda winged it.

    Thats was pretty much my experience.
     
    Grumppy, Oct 27, 2025 at 6:26 PM
    Grumppy, Oct 27, 2025 at 6:26 PM
    #7
  10. Oct 27, 2025 at 7:06 PM #8
    wichris

    wichris Road Train Member

    4,388
    8,874
    Jan 17, 2011
    0
    Didn't have the new entrant program when I started. Also wasn't inundated with calls/e-mails. About the only one around was JJ Keller. Get one sample DQ file, copied out the sample across each page and you had everything you needed. Still have a few files that you can see the whiteout on the copy. LOL

    D/A was easy, could do it all at one place. Go pee in the morning, few hours later have the results.
     
    wichris, Oct 27, 2025 at 7:06 PM
    wichris, Oct 27, 2025 at 7:06 PM
    #8
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