What is FMCSA compliance?
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration holds motor carriers and drivers responsible for meeting safety standards and regulations. Carriers can find their data stored on FMCSA’s Safety Measurement System (SMS), which they use to track the number, severity, and date of safety violations, as well as crash and inspection data. Data is derived from unsafe driving, crash indicator, Hours of Service (HOS) compliance, vehicle maintenance, controlled substances/alcohol, hazardous materials compliance, and driver fitness. The FMCSA makes available a compliance manual to help companies operating CMVs comply. The FMCSA Compliance Manual can be downloaded here.
What is the FMCSA Clearinghouse for?
The FMCSA established the Clearinghouse rule to require mandatory use of the Clearinghouse for employers to report and collect information about a driver’s drug and alcohol history and violations. The Clearinghouse will contain violations per the FMCSA regulations, including any positive drug or alcohol test results and test refusals. The database provides real-time access, helping employers identify drivers who aren’t legally permitted to operate a commercial motor vehicle (CMV), thus further protecting their company by filtering out employees who could pose a dangerous risk.
How often am I required to pull an MVR on my CDL drivers?
Under FMCSA regulations, an employer must request a pre-hire MVR in all states where a CDL license was held within the previous 3-year period, and then annually as part of the employee’s annual review process.
Do Spotted Lanternfly Trucking Permits apply to fleets of service vans and other non-DOT regulated company vehicles?
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Spotted Lanternfly Trucking Permits are required for all businesses and organizations who will be moving within or from the quarantine zone while working.
More details and examples can be found at Do I Need a Permit?