Quoting NON Existant DOT Regs

[EASYTRADER]

The DOT is a big enough PAIN , without our carriers adding to the mess with poor reading skills or just plain using the DOT as an excuse fo thir being lazy.

391.27 update driving record at least every 12 mos, not exactly on your hire date or only on the day we tell you because I'm too lazy to change the date for the 12 mos update we picked arbitrarly.

 

[ATeam]

This is why good expediters stay up on DOT regs. You can hold your own when someone tries to operate outside of them or use them against you when there is no basis for doing so.

DOT devotions is an expediter best practice. That little green book your carrier gives you, you know the one, right? Do your DOT devotions by spending one hour a day of quiet time with it. Read every word. Meditate on the passages. Prayers to the current Secretary of Transportation are optional.

 

[Turtle]

Kind of like the monthly maintenance reports. According to DOT regs, those are to be done at least once a year. 12 times a year is fine if the carrier chooses, but the DOT only requires one a year. Many carriers misread the regulation to mean every 30 days, and say it's a DOT regulation, but the regulation is for any vehicle under the carrier's control for 30 days must be inspected at least once a year, not every 30 days.

 

[scottm4211]

Kind of like the monthly maintenance reports. According to DOT regs, those are to be done at least once a year. 12 times a year is fine if the carrier chooses, but the DOT only requires one a year. Many carriers misread the regulation to mean every 30 days, and say it's a DOT regulation, but the regulation is for any vehicle under the carrier's control for 30 days must be inspected at least once a year, not every 30 days.

Hmmm, I wonder if the back office knows of this...

 

[Turtle]

I dunno. But I certainly wasn't gonna be the one to tell the red head how to do her job.

The regs state:

General requirements
Every carrier shall systematically inspect, repair, and maintain all commercial motor vehicles under its control.

Recordkeeping requirements
Motor carriers must maintain the following information for every vehicle they have controlled for 30 days or more:
Identifying information, including company number, make, serial number, year, and tire size

• A schedule of inspections to be performed, including type and due date
• Inspection, repair, and maintenance records
• Records of tests conducted on buses with pushout windows, emergency doors, and marking lights.

And many carriers read that part about the record keeping requirements (have controlled for 30 days or more) to mean inspection and maintenance records are to be recorded every 30 days. But that's not really what it says.

Then the regs go on to state:

Periodic inspection

Every commercial vehicle, including each segment of a combination vehicle requires periodic inspection that must be performed at least once every 12 months. At a minimum, inspections must include all items enumerated in the Minimum Periodic Inspection Standards, Appendix G to Subchapter B. Carriers may perform required annual inspections themselves. The original or a copy of the periodic inspection report must be retained by the motor carrier for 14 months from the report date.

Actually, the above quotes are from the FMCSA Guidance page on the regs. The actually Regulations are here: Inspection, repair, and maintenance - Part 396

There's nothing really wrong with requiring monthly maintenance reports, as opposed to quarterly or annual reports, but they're only actually required annually by the DOT, along with the annual inspection (except for buses, which are required to have the push-out windows inspected every 90 days). My previous carrier, for example, required the reports and receipts for work done to be turned in quarterly, and then the annual inspection, as well.

 

[jelliott]

The annual is the vehicle inspection. Monthly maintenance reports are under the first part where a carrier must maintain copy of repairs. 2 different things. DOT requests the monthly maintance reports every time they come in to due an audit. Been through numerous audits in my life at multiple carriers.

 

[scottm4211]

Glad I didn't email Dora

 

[paullud]

Kind of like the monthly maintenance reports. According to DOT regs, those are to be done at least once a year. 12 times a year is fine if the carrier chooses, but the DOT only requires one a year. Many carriers misread the regulation to mean every 30 days, and say it's a DOT regulation, but the regulation is for any vehicle under the carrier's control for 30 days must be inspected at least once a year, not every 30 days.

The DOT will be cracking down on maintenance reports soon, I think it is this summer.

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