If you're a truck or fleet operator who needs assistance or guidance in the area of USDOT regulatory compliance, there's a good chance I can help. I not only spent more than a decade as an enforcement agent with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, I helped draft many of the regulations and compliance procedures. Some of the services I regularly provide are listed below.
Hours of service
I am an expert in hours of service, and we can check your logs at a rate cheaper than what it would cost you to pay an employee. You mail us the logs along with whatever timed supporting documents you have, such as fuel bills, toll receipts, and scale tickets. We audit the logs for 11, 14, and 70 hour violations, as well as falsification. We send them back within 10 days, with a summary page of the total number of violations by driver, a detailed list of each violation for each driver, and photocopied examples of where drivers are making their mistakes, to help illustrate what they are doing wrong. In addition, we design a disciplinary program for you, track it, and send the drivers warning letters, if necessary. I am even available for telephone conferences with your drivers to explain what they are doing wrong. If you choose to monitor your hours of service in-house, I can train you drivers, and your office personnel on how to audit the logs.
Defense against D.O.T. audits and fines
If you are in business long enough, sooner or later, the D.O.T. is going to come knocking. Even if you have your act together, it still can be an intimidating experience. Let me take the fear out of it. I know their procedures inside and out. I have instructed their personnel, and have even written some of their policies. The agency must follow certain rules and procedures, and often times, because their auditors are under pressure to conduct a certain number of audits a month, corners are cut, and mistakes are made.
I am available to sit through DOT audits with you. It is my experience that my presence helps present you in the best light possible, and increases the likelihood of you passing the review with a satisfactory rating and no fines.
If you ever receive a D.O.T. penalty, do yourself a big favor, and CALL ME. I am the premier defender against D.O.T. penalties throughout the country. There is no attorney, law firm, or consultant that handles more of these cases than Arnold Safety Consulting. There are no guarantees, but it is very likely that I will be able to reduce that big penalty significantly. Remember, I used to sit on the other side of the desk, so I know exactly what causes the D.O.T. to reduce penalties. D.O.T.'s goal is to collect 100% of the penalty, so unless you know exactly what you are doing in defending yourself, you will probably not get the best deal possible, which could cost you thousands of dollars.
Safety Rating
If you have lost your Satisfactory rating, I can help you find the fastest, most efficient way to get it back. You do not necessarily need another audit from D.O.T. to earn the Satisfactory rating. Call today, and I can strategize the best plan to get your Satisfactory rating.
Driver qualification, including drug and alcohol testing.
There is no area of the regulations that draws more devastating fines than drug testing. Miss one or two tests, and you could be fined thousands of dollars. I have seen it happen time and time again. I will set up your files and drug testing program. If you are too busy to keep up with the files and the testing, I will supervise the testing, and keep the files for you.
Safestat management
If you are an over-the-road carrier, your Safestat score is becoming of critical importance to you. It can make the difference between landing that big contract with a new shipper, or whether your insurance carrier is going to hit you with a big rate increase. It also determines when the D.O.T. is going to come knocking on your door.
Safestat is made up largely of roadside inspections. Those annoying out-of-service violations at the scales which delay your drivers are more costly than you might imagine. They are putting you on the Safestat hit list, and believe me, that's one list you don’t want to be on. I know the formula inside and out, and can help you stay off the list.
Training
I offer group training or one-on-one training for drug and alcohol testing, hazardous materials, and all areas of D.O.T. compliance. I will come to your place of business, or speak at association functions. All training is tailored to your needs.
Expert Witness
I am available to attorneys to testify in depositions or trial based on my expert knowledge of the industry and the regulations.
For USDOT compliance information and questions, please visit the Arnold Safety Blog
