Department of Transportation (DOT)
Commercial drivers and carriers must comply with the Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations, which govern almost every aspect of the industry. Vehicles that are required to register with the DOT and receive a USDOT number must comply with these rules. These vehicles are generally commercial vehicles, including those involved in the transportation of hazardous materials, transport of more than eight passengers (including the driver) for compensation, transport of more than 15 passengers, and those with a gross vehicle weight rating or gross combination weight rating of 4,536 kg (10,001 pounds) or more.
The FMCSA website provides a FAQ section where users can search for information on regulations, driver safety, registration, licensing, and more. To remain in compliance with DOT rules, businesses should focus on fleet compliance and driver compliance. Fleet compliance requires maintaining a copy of the current FMCSA rules in the office, completing pre-trip and post-trip inspections of vehicles with documentation, developing a vehicle maintenance program, ensuring that each vehicle is marked with its DOT registration number, maintaining a record of any road incidents for each vehicle.
On the other hand, driver compliance includes providing each driver with a copy of the FMCSA rules and obtaining a signed receipt, maintaining qualification records and safety history for each driver, maintaining a record of hours of service for each driver, maintaining records of pre-employment drug testing for each driver, conducting random drug and alcohol testing of drivers on a regular basis, and requiring supervisors to receive drug and alcohol training as required by DOT regulations.