DOT compliance services for trucking companies
Most small carriers don't lose their authority because they can't find freight. They lose it because they can't show an investigator the records that prove the company runs safely. Our DOT compliance services cover the whole company, from the first filing to the next audit, for carriers and new brokerages in all 48 contiguous states.
One compliance partner for the whole company
We are a carrier-first company. Everything we do is meant to keep a small trucking company alive, and compliance is part of staying alive. A truck can be loaded every day and the company can still be shut down if the files behind it are missing.
Our DOT compliance services cover what a small carrier or a new brokerage needs: getting the authority and registrations right, keeping the annual and biennial filings current, setting up driver files and the drug and alcohol program, keeping maintenance records, preparing for audits, and getting back on track when an audit, a rating or a run of bad inspections has gone wrong.
The work is done remotely by phone, email and screen share, so it reaches carriers in all 48 contiguous states. Where a rule is different in your state, we work from that state's requirements.
The pressure starts early. FMCSA monitors new interstate carriers for 18 months and aims to complete a safety audit within the first 12 months of operation. The regulations list 16 violations that fail a new entrant automatically. Older carriers face the same records review in an investigation, often after a crash or a run of bad inspections.
Compliance backed by education
Our compliance services are backed by the education we created at Freight University. We use education, data, technology and academics to stay on top of the newest FMCSA rules and regulations, so the work follows the rules as they are today.
If you come to us with an audit, you don't get one person. You get a team, a platform and a network with up-to-date information that will help you get through that audit and make sure it's done the right and correct way. How we work.
- Current on the newest FMCSA regulations
- A team behind your audit
- Done the right and correct way
Authority and registration
Getting the numbers right at the start, and keeping them active.
MC and USDOT authority
Help applying for your USDOT number and operating authority, with insurance and process agent filings in place.
Intrastate authority
For carriers who haul inside one state: which states require a USDOT number and what the state agency expects.
Motus registration help
Help with FMCSA's Motus registration system, from account access to applications stuck in pending.
UCR, BOC-3 and MCS-150 filings
Annual UCR, process agent filings and the biennial MCS-150 update, tracked on one calendar.
Freight broker compliance
For new brokerages under their own authority: bond or trust, BOC-3, UCR, records and carrier vetting.
Brokerage setup
Building a freight brokerage from the ground up, under the client's own authority.
Audits and getting back on track
Before an investigator looks, and after something has gone wrong.
DOT mock audit
We review your files the way an investigator would and give you a written gap list, ranked by what matters most.
New entrant safety audit
Preparing a new authority for its first safety audit, and the corrective action plan if it doesn't pass.
Safety rating upgrade
Help after a conditional or unsatisfactory rating: fix the practices, document the fixes and request a change.
CSA scores and DataQs
Reading your BASICs, changing the habits behind them and challenging incorrect inspection data.
CSA score chart
How to read your CSA scores and what the public can see.
Ongoing compliance management
Keeping the calendar, the files and the reviews current month after month.
Drivers
Every driver qualified, tested and documented before the first load.
Driver onboarding
Hiring a driver the DOT way, step by step, from the application to the first dispatch.
Driver qualification files
We build, repair and maintain a complete file for every driver, with the dates that keep it current.
Drug and alcohol testing program
We help you set up and manage your program, including the Clearinghouse.
Reasonable-suspicion training
The supervisor training required by 49 CFR 382.603: at least 60 minutes on alcohol and 60 minutes on controlled substances.
Hours of service and ELD
Training and log review for owners, dispatchers and drivers, plus the ELD records the carrier is responsible for.
CDL-A driver jobs
Drivers looking for work with carriers in the LFS network.
Vehicles and records
The paperwork behind every truck and trailer.
Vehicle maintenance files
Per-unit maintenance files, inspection reports and a calendar for annual inspections.
Maintenance files and audits
What an auditor looks for in your maintenance records.
Back office services
Billing, paperwork and records handled alongside your compliance files.
The records an investigator expects you to have
These are the main records and how long the regulations say to keep them. If you can produce each one quickly, an audit is a review. If you can't, it becomes a problem.
- Driver qualification file for every driver, kept for as long as the driver works for you and three years after (49 CFR 391.51).
- Records of duty status and supporting documents, kept at least six months (49 CFR 395.8(k)).
- Driver vehicle inspection reports, kept three months, and maintenance records, kept one year and six months after a truck leaves your control (49 CFR Part 396).
- Annual inspection reports, kept 14 months (49 CFR 396.21).
- Accident register, kept three years from the date of each accident (49 CFR 390.15).
- Drug and alcohol program records, kept by type: positive results, refusals and program records five years; collection records two years; negative results one year; supervisor and driver training records for as long as the person does that work and two years after (49 CFR 382.401). Clearinghouse query records are kept three years (49 CFR 382.701).
- Proof of insurance at or above the federal minimum, which is $750,000 for general freight in interstate commerce (49 CFR 387.9).
How we work with you
Talk it through
You call or send the form. We ask how many trucks and drivers you run, how long you've had authority, and what has happened at roadside.
Look at your public record
We pull your inspection and violation history from FMCSA's Safety Measurement System so we know where the pressure is.
Review your files
We go through driver files, logs, maintenance and drug and alcohol records against the regulations, with you or your safety person.
Give you a written gap list
Every gap comes with the regulation behind it and what it takes to close it, in the order that matters most.
Keep it current
Files go stale. MVR reviews and annual inspections come due every year, and medical certificates last up to 24 months, sometimes less (49 CFR 391.45). We can keep the calendar for you as part of trucking company management.
All 48 contiguous states, with local pages for Dallas and Fort Worth
Our compliance services are delivered remotely, so carriers anywhere in the 48 contiguous states can use them. We also have pages for carriers in the Dallas–Fort Worth area: DOT compliance in Dallas and DOT compliance in Fort Worth.
- Remote file reviews, filings and training
- Interstate and intrastate carriers
- Dry van, reefer, flatbed and power only operations
- New freight brokerages under their own authority
Compliance is one turn of the circle
In a business built right, compliance kept current feeds better freight research, cleaner dispatch and fewer days lost at roadside. If you also need help with dispatch, billing or fleet management, start with our management services.
Questions and answers
Do you work with brand-new authorities?
Yes. A new carrier gets a safety audit within its first 12 months, so the best time to set up files is before the first load. If you're still getting your numbers, see trucking authority setup. We also cover new entrant safety audit preparation.
Do you work with carriers outside Texas?
Yes. Our compliance services are delivered remotely to carriers in all 48 contiguous states. Federal rules are the same everywhere; where a state has its own rules, such as intrastate authority, we work from that state's requirements.
Do you help freight brokers too?
Yes. We help new brokerages set up and stay compliant under their own authority: financial security, process agents, UCR, records and carrier vetting. See freight broker compliance. LFS itself is not a freight broker.
Can you promise I'll pass a safety audit or compliance review?
No. Nobody honest can. What we can do is show you where your records fall short of the regulations and help you fix them before an investigator looks.
Is this legal advice?
No. We are a trucking management and consulting company, not a law firm, and we are not part of FMCSA. If you are facing an enforcement case or penalty, talk to a transportation attorney.
What does it cost?
It depends on how many drivers and trucks you run and what you need. Send the form or call 901-205-9679 and we'll tell you after a short conversation.
Related
DOT mock audits: find gaps before the investigator does
A mock audit is a practice run. We ask for the same records an FMCSA investigator would, check them against the regulations, and give you a…
New entrant safety audit preparation
Every new interstate carrier gets a new entrant safety audit. We help you get your records in order before it happens, and if the audit…
How to onboard a new truck driver, step by step
Knowing how to onboard a new truck driver the DOT way keeps a good hire from turning into an audit problem.
UCR, BOC-3 and MCS-150 filing services
UCR, BOC-3 and MCS-150 filings are small, recurring and easy to miss. We prepare and file them with your authorization, help with your…
Get your trucking authority set up
Your authority is what lets you haul other people's freight across state lines for pay.
Trucking company management for small fleets
We run the back office of your trucking company so the truck keeps moving and the business stays alive.
How we work: backed by education
Everything we do at Logistical Forwarding Solutions is backed by education. Your company is managed by LFS, and behind LFS is Freight…
Ask about DOT compliance help
Tell us how many trucks and drivers you run and what's worrying you. We'll reply with next steps.
Prefer the phone? Call 901-205-9679.
Sources
- FMCSA — New Entrant Safety Assurance Program
- 49 CFR 385.321 — Safety audit: Failure
- 49 CFR 391.51 — General requirements for driver qualification files
- 49 CFR 395.8 — Driver's record of duty status
- 49 CFR Part 396 — Inspection, repair, and maintenance
- 49 CFR 390.15 — Assistance in investigations and special studies (accident register)
- 49 CFR Part 382, Subpart G — Requirements and procedures for implementation of the Commercial Driver's License Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse
- 49 CFR 387.9 — Financial responsibility, minimum levels
- FMCSA Safety Measurement System (SMS)
- 49 CFR 382.401 — Drug and alcohol record retention
- 49 CFR 391.45 — Persons who must be medically examined and certified