Why Annual MVR Checks Aren’t Enough for DOT Compliance
All motor carriers must run a motor vehicle report on every driver at least once a year. And while that report provides an accurate snapshot of where drivers stand now, it doesn’t account for what may happen tomorrow or the day after that. A lot can happen over 364 days: a string of speeding tickets, […]
Motus Is Here: FMCSA’s Long-Awaited Registration Overhaul Is Finally Rolling Out
If you’ve spent any time wrestling with the FMCSA Portal, you know “user-friendly” isn’t exactly how most people would describe it. After years of clunky legacy platforms, paper forms, and juggling multiple logins, the trucking industry is finally getting the registration upgrade it deserves. FMCSA’s new system—called Motus—became available in December 2025 to service providers […]
The Most Common FMCSA Audit Violations of 2025
In 2025, motor carriers were cited for more than 62,000 FMCSA audit violations. Those violations spanned 865 different violation codes, covering everything from highly specialized drug and alcohol issues, such as using an unqualified breath alcohol technician to conduct a required test, to rare hazardous materials documentation failures, like not displaying an ID number on […]
4 Reasons Paper-Based Compliance Systems Are Putting Your Fleet at Risk
Over the past five years, roughly 20 percent of FMCSA audit violations have been tied to documentation and recordkeeping issues. These are not violations tied to unsafe drivers or poorly maintained equipment. Rather, they come from paperwork that was missing, incomplete, or out of date when it was requested. In most cases, those gaps don’t […]
FMCSA Extends Paper Medical Card Waiver (Again): What Motor Carriers Need to Know
A show of hands…who’s getting tired of hearing about the transition to digital medical cards? In one of the messier, more confusing regulatory rollouts in recent years, the FMCSA has just issued yet another waiver extending the use of paper medical cards until April 10, 2026. This is now the fourth extension since the rule […]
Why DOT Recordkeeping Still Drives Audit Violations
Key takeaways from the DOT Recordkeeping FAQ webinar For many carriers, Department of Transportation (DOT) compliance management seems to always break down in the same familiar place: recordkeeping. Documentation requirements are detailed, deadlines are strict, and enforcement has shifted to a faster, digital-first audit model. In a recent webinar hosted by U.S. Compliance Services (USCS), […]
FMCSA Removes Nearly 3,000 CDL Training Providers: What It Means for Carriers
The Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) have taken sweeping action against fraudulent commercial driver’s license training programs, commonly called “CDL mills,” removing nearly 3,000 providers from the federal registry and placing 4,500 more on notice. Recent headlines about this crackdown are sending a clear message across the commercial […]
End-of-Year DOT Compliance Guide for Carriers
Some DOT requirements renew every calendar year. Others run on 12-month cycles, making December the perfect time to confirm your compliance. Use this quick checklist to make sure you’re not rolling into 2026 with loose ends or avoidable violations. 1. UCR Registration (Due December 31) If you operate as an interstate carrier, Unified Carrier Registration […]
What Should DOT-Compliant Applications Include? A Simple Guide for Carriers
Are you using the same employment application for everyone who walks through your door—from front desk staff to CDL drivers? For DOT-regulated drivers, federal regulations require specific safety and background information that standard job applications don’t collect. That information has to be captured during the application process to become part of the Driver Qualification File—the […]
How to Maintain a Compliant DOT Driver Qualification File: A Step-by-Step Checklist
A driver qualification file can be 100% compliant the day you hire a driver—and completely out of compliance a year later if you don’t maintain it. That’s where many carriers run into preventable violations. The problem usually isn’t how the file was built, but what happens after the driver hits the road: updates slip, deadlines […]