We will need access to: (a) – (zzz).” After you recover from the angina and heart palpitations, you need to start gathering and reviewing the requested documents to prepare for the audit, and to see if there are any problems.

More literally, the letter will say, “We will be at your facility next Tuesday, to audit your operations. Trucking Company, I’m from the government, and I’m here to help”-but they never tell you who they are helping. So what do you do, when you open the letter, or e-mail, that says those scary words, “Hello Ms. A necessary component of that enforcement power is the ability to audit motor carriers’ operations to ensure compliance with the Regulations. Within those reams of paper, that have killed countless trees to create, also lie enforcement provisions, “carrots and sticks” bestowing on the DOT authority to reward good behavior by motor carriers with continued operating authority, and satisfactory safety ratings, and to punish bad actors with civil penalties, conditional and unsatisfactory safety rating, and Out of Service Orders revoking a motor carrier’s authority to operate. The Transportation Code is the rulebook for the motor carrier telling them, among other things, (1) what to do, (2) what not to do, (3) what paper to keep, and (4) when you can throw things away. That does not include other government agencies that impact motor carriers. Title 49, the Transportation Code of the United States, by itself consists of 10 subtitles, 7 of which affect motor carriers, broken down into 1580 Parts, each of which contain hundreds to thousands of discreet sub-parts-and that is just for the Department of Transportation. Whether its equipment safety, insurance and risk, driver conduct, or any number of other issues, intrastate and interstate motor carriers, whether carrying persons or property, are among the most heavily regulated industries in the country. Regulations, Regulations, and more Regulations.

Dot safety rating review letter