Paperwork prep prevents potential penalties
As inflation continues to rise, so too do potential fines from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
The agency’s fines are pegged to inflation and earlier this year they went up by nearly 8 percent, one of the largest increases ever. That may not seem like much, but the impact could be huge.
Violations and penalties add up
A single violation may be of little cause for concern and will likely not result in a fine. With multiple violations, however, the penalties can really add up.
That’s most clearly the case with paperwork violations. You probably won’t be fined for missing a single driver’s log, for example, but missing multiple logs for several drivers across many months could easily result in a five-figure penalty.
Why? Because eachrecordkeeping violation carries a fine of up to $1,500 per day. Multiply it out and you have a serious penalty on your hands.
Click here to see our handy FMCSR Recordkeeping Requirements chart! |
Don’t misinterpret ‘48 hours’
You avoid such fines by having the right records available at the right time. Unfortunately, many carriers believe they have more time than they actually do.
Section 390.29 says you have 48 hours to get a requested document ready for inspection at your primary business location. However, that isn’t 48 hours from the time an auditor asks for a specific document in the middle of an audit. Rather, the 48-hour clock starts ticking when you receive a letter or email informing you of the records that will be needed during the audit.
For example, the request might ask for all drivers’ hours-of-service records. Then, during the audit, the investigator may ask for logs from specific drivers, and you would be expected to have those logs at the ready.
The price for failing to produce a requested document? Up to $15,000.
(Note that if you’re given a verbal request for a document that was not part of the original request and which you don’t have on-site, then you’ll have 48 hours from the verbal request to present the document.)
Test yourself
The best way to tell if your recordkeeping system is up to task is to perform your own mock audit. Inventory your records (whether paper or electronic) and determine if you could get them to your main office location within 48 hours or less.
Keep in mind that some records may need to be obtained from third parties, such as your maintenance provider. Can they get you the records on time?
A mock audit can help uncover inefficiencies and missing documents and help prevent penalties during any real DOT investigation or litigation.
Key to remember: FMCSA fines continue to rise along with inflation. Fines can be multiplied by the number of documents you’re missing and the number of days they’re gone. Mock audits can help ensure your documents are ready to go in the event of a real DOT audit.