Fleetistics strives to be one of the great resources for trucking companies at your fingertips today, but we cannot be all things to all clients. No company or organization can.
We have a great deal of expertise in using ELD platforms and maintaining compliance, but we are often asked questions about regulations that we do not have answers for. Just yesterday a client asked if OSHA or California DOT had DVIR requirements for medium duty vehicles that were different from what FMCSA requires for long-haul heavy-duty trucks. Quite frankly, we would expect they might, but reality is we have no idea.
A few great resources for trucking companies we all should know.
It can be very frustrating trying to find simple answers on regulatory sites like OSHA, and FMCSA. We cannot be experts on everything, so we go out of our way to look for sources we can trust. There are a variety of businesses and organizations that specialize in regulatory compliance services, but smaller trucking firms may not be able to afford their services. There are also web services that offer specific information like oversize load permit regulations that you can subscribe to.
We recently ran across a YouTube channel that was filled with brief videos on everything from what inspectors look for, to defining what constitutes an official ‘flat tire’, to how to properly log your driving time when running emergency loads under an emergency declaration. Most of the videos are under 2 minutes, providing clear and concise information.
Other great resources for trucking companies include:
- A provider that arranges connections between truckers and essential trucking suppliers.
- A provider that specializes in matching the right load to the right kind of truck. With appropriate weight limits.
- A provider for efficient routing. For some companies this might be Google maps, and for others it may be a more sophisticated routing and scheduling app.
- Contact with a law firm specializing in defending commercial trucking companies and their drivers, especially if vehicles are subject to the varying laws in multiple states.
- An insurance provider that specializes in providing liability coverage that covers the driver, their vehicle, the cargo being hauled.
We will continue to do everything we can to help our clients stay in compliance and find the resources for trucking companies that they need. If you have resources you can recommend, let us know so that we can share them with others.
