It’s sadly inevitable, but at some point your trucking fleet is going to be hit with a regulatory fine.
It may be a mistake, a clerical error or a simple miscalculation by a harried official having a bad day.
It may not. One of your trucks may, by simple error or oversight, run afoul of the many rules and regulations that oversee interstate transit and end up hitting your company with a fine.
There are a number of approaches that can be taken when that happens, but each must be taken with care to make sure you don’t run afoul of any more perceived trucking transgressions.
Try and resolve any fine as quickly as possible, no matter what route you take.
If you’re convinced the fine is the result of a mistake or incomplete data on the part of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the natural step to take is to request access to the agency’s DataQs system, which allows you to file challenges, or “requests for reviews,” (RDRs) for potential resolution by the appropriate office.
The FMCSA will review the available information, compare it against your own submitted information, and determine if a mistake was made. If so, congratulations! Your fine will be rescinded and you can go on your way knowing your coffers won’t be raided by the Feds this day.
If the FMCSA decides there was no mistake in the original judgment, however, or if you’re well aware the fine was issued correctly, then there’s one simple, if uncomfortable, solution to apply: pay the fine.
No one likes paying fines, of course, but it’s important to pay any regulatory fines in a timely manner lest you end up hit with additional penalties for belated payments. If the DataQ route fails, there’s little recourse beyond simple payment of the fine so both you and the agency can move on.
If you don’t, you can create a pattern of violations that can hurt your entire fleet if you let it. It’s important not only to avoid that, but also to avoid future violations by keeping up to date on your trucks and your fleet maintenance and regulation.
Accumulating violations and fines will often result in an audit that can put you Out of Service or at minimum make you uninsurable to most.
The best way to keep an eye on your fleet’s performance, avoid fines and keep your company in compliance with regulations is to make sure you have someone looking over your shoulder, such as Fleet Risk Solutions.
Fleet Risk Solutions can help you avoid regulatory fines and keep up to date on those you previously been hit with so your company keeps moving forward and not backwards into closure.
Avoid going Out of Service, or collecting regulatory fines at all, by keeping your trucking fleet and company in tip top shape and ensuring all rules and regulations are met. To do that, chose Fleet Risk Solutions and let them do the heavy lifting for you on staying in compliance with everything that comes your way.
About the Author
Logan utilizes a holistic approach to assist trucking companies with growth, and survival in one of the most volatile times in our history. A strong risk management program is critical for every business, but trucking companies are extremely susceptible to breaks in the risk management process. Maintenance violations, driver violations, breakdowns, driver turnover, and the list goes on, all have a domino effect on each other, and the cost of operating a trucking company.