Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy threatened to withhold $50 million from North Carolina after an audit found the state illegally issued over half of its foreign driver CDLs.
For most Americans, crossing a state line barely registers. For truck drivers, it can change everything. A carrier hauling freight within a single state might follow one set of safety, insurance, and weight regulations. But the moment that same load crosses a border, an entirely different rulebook applies, one governed by federal agencies and layered […]
FMCSA audits shape your safety rating, impact your ability to haul freight and determine if your company stays on the road. In 2025, with scrutiny rising and technology advancing, understanding how these reviews unfold is mission-critical.
Compliance might be about avoiding fines but it’s more about protecting your fleet, securing business, and staying in business. A poor FMCSA safety rating can lead to lost revenue, higher insurance premiums, and even an Unsatisfactory Rating and shutdown. With new Safety Measurement System (SMS) changes ahead, fleets must actively manage their compliance records to avoid increased scrutiny.
Staying ahead of FMCSA regulations is the only way to ensure long-term profitability and operational stability.
Augmenting a carrier staff with state and federal regulatory experts can help an organization exceed the minimum recordkeeping requirements, which can reduce the risk of a negligent hiring claim.
A proposal by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to alter and expand reporting categories for crashes is drawing criticism from the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, which argues the FMCSA should take stronger action to protect driver safety records.
By implementing a strong safety and compliance program — like Reliance Partners can help them build — carriers can minimize risk and pay less for insurance.
After a notice Tuesday by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration that it is revoking an electronic logging device — TMS ONE’s ELD ONE — from its list of self-certified ELDs, CEO Radu Murzac says the company is working on a fix and plans to have the “final issue” resolved in less than two weeks.
Seat Belt Usage Awareness
Fleet professionals were asked to identify their top struggles and what would help overcome them
FMCSA filings against employers, shippers and others could nearly double previous high
Compliance reviews can catch any motor carrier off guard. Reliance Partners’ John Seidl encourages participation in mock audits to reveal and correct violations before the federal government does.
Reliance Partners’ Joe Schreiner explains that elevated CSA scores limit the markets available to you. Drivers and carriers alike can take steps to clean up their scores and help keep their premiums lower.
Seidl suggests that non-rated carriers are often better than those labeled satisfactory.
Drivers looking to improve safety and avoid legal pitfalls must thoroughly understand Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rules.
TIA, ATA and OOIDA call provision to make CSA scores public “dangerous”
Hair follicle testing – once cleared for use in the federal database – could have the biggest effect on driver availability.
Flip a switch. Seems easy enough, but for those fleets that think that’s all they have to do with their ELD come December 16, 2019, they may quickly find their truck driver sitting idle, which is why now is the time to start the transition from a legacy AOBRD.
