If you’re new to the trucking industry, or you’ve just been assigned the position of Safety Manager responsible for the company’s compliance with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs), you will need to get up to speed on how this industry works and what you must do, at the bare minimum, to meet the requirements of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Whatever the reason for your involvement with the FMCSRs, a strong base of knowledge is the first step.

The FMCSRs bring together all the safety rules adopted by the FMCSA in an effort to make the highways safer to travel for all. As an agency within the Department of Transportation (DOT), the FMCSA makes every effort to clearly communicate your responsibilities as a trucking company or as a passenger-carrying company, whether it’s private, for-hire, or both, and what you must do to meet these responsibilities. The regulations do not tell you exactly how to do the job, but rather, that the job must be done. And there are penalties for not meeting these safety requirements, ranging from monetary fines for violations, to driver or vehicle out-of-service orders, to a complete shutdown of the business.

Learn more in our Quarterly Special Report: "Transportation 101, Implementing an effective safety program," by clicking on the image below.