What is the FMCSA and what do they do?
The FMCSA is the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. This department of the USDOT is the enforcing agency that regulates the operation of Commercial Motor Vehicles. They also perform Compliance Reviews and Safety Audits as a means of determining a company's efforts in maintaining proper logs and files set forth in the FMCSRs.
What are the FMCSRs?
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, or 49CFR, are the specific regulations that pertain to the operation of a Commercial Motor Vehicle. Companies operating a Commercial Motor Vehicle are required to have a copy of the 49CFR in possession and a driver handbook in each vehicle.
What is considered a Commercial Motor Vehicle? Any vehicle with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of 10,001 lbs or more. This can also be applied to truck and trailer combinations with a Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR) of 10,001 lbs or more.
We are not in the trucking business. Do the regulations still apply to us? Any company that operates Commercial Motor Vehicles, regardless of what the vehicle is used for, or the industry used in, must comply with the 49CFR and is subject to USDOT authority.
We have just received our USDOT number, what should we expect next?
The FMCSA will schedule a preliminary Safety Audit within the first twelve months of receiving your USDOT number. This Safety Audit is a means of determining the progress made by your company to comply with the regulations. It is a pass or fail affair with some unpleasant consequences if certain violations are committed, even unintentionally. Most Safety Audits are less extensive than subsequent Compliance Reviews but care should be taken to have everything in order in preparation.
Is training mandatory?
Training is not mandatory, however, compliance with the 49 CFR is mandatory. How a company goes about educating themselves on what to expect is up to them alone. If you have a copy of the 49CFR and have tried to read through each regulation, then you may have found the reading to be confusing and unpleasant at best. The language can be open to several different interpretations and a false interpretation could lead to expensive or disastrous results. 120 minutes of Drug and Alcohol Awareness Training For Supervisors is mandatory and must be completed in accordance with 49CFR. In addition, ongoing employee Safety Training is mandatory under 49CFR.
What is CSA 2010 and how will it affect us?
CSA 2010 is a new tool that will go into effect nationwide by August of 2010. It enables the FMCSA to monitor a driver's or company's safety rating on an ongoing realtime basis. Scores are assessed based on inspections, penalties, warnings and complaints that accumulate over a running 3 year period and is retroactive beginning in August 2010. Audits and other methods of enforcement will be based on those scores with higher scores warranting more severe enforcement.
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