What are your Company’s Trends Recently on Roadside Inspections? (Feedback)

You know as we go full steam ahead with CSA 2010, I myself am noticing a pattern on the vehicles of my clients being pulled in and given violations for Reflective devices and tape and Cargo securement.

Do we as individuals working for companies understand the complexity of just how important the regulations are and how this can affect your company.

I was recently told, “I bought my two trailers less than 3 months ago, they should have the proper reflective tape.” The question was not how new they were, but whether or not you made sure before you began your safety-sensitive function, that that vehicle or unit was in compliance under the regulations of the D.O.T. 

The purpose of being safe and compliant is that you take the responsibility to ensure that you have met what measures you have been given and implement them to the best of your ability. Never assume that something is correct, always make sure of it for yourself and C.Y.A. and we all know the importance of that.  

• Vehicle Maintenance BASIC — Failure to properly maintain a CMV. Example violations: brakes, lights, and other mechanical defects, and failure to make required repairs. (FMCSR Parts 393 and 396)
• Cargo-Related BASIC — Failure to properly prevent shifting loads, spilled or dropped cargo, and unsafe handling of hazardous materials on a CMV. Example violations: improper load securement, cargo retention, and hazardous material handling. (FMCSR Parts 392, 393, 397 and applicable DOT HM regulations)

I would like to hear others thought on what your company is or has been experiencing when it comes to the recent trends of your roadside inspections and how you plan to be either retro-active or become pro-active.

A Driver reprimand or a Driver Bonus, which would you rather do?

I guess today it seems I have more to say than other days. I commented on a blog post this morning and was amazed on such a quick response since there were so many other posts. It is really nice when you actually have the interaction with someone that is more personal and not an auto-responder. 🙂 @truckerdesiree and it got me thinking.

Taking a look at the trucking industry and the position I am in with my business relative to the trucking industry and helping companies in all areas of their trucking company even administrative tasks, is the companies should understand the value of saving money but the value of their driver.

But the one thing that I have noticed in the forums that I have posted in, seen comments in areas of social media such as facebook, twitter or linkedin,  is the core of what exists in the trucking industry in relation to our drivers.

We are so focused on the compliance side of the companies, and cutting costs and focusing on the CSA 2010. Do we really focus on making the industry better when it comes to our drivers.

A driver gets a roadside inspection they get reprimanded if they are given a violation, or they get reprimanded if their logs are wrong and causes HOS service violations. But what do you do as a company when it comes things that can be implemented to not only help the driver, but will also help the company.

Think about this, you have 1 driver who gets 4 clean inspections, GREAT right. Now you have another driver who get 4 dirty inspections, which results in 3 OOS. So now really you only have 1 good inspection. So how many hours did you lose in revenue because of the OOS. If you offered a $25.00 bonus for each clean inspection with a maximum in a 30 day period $100.00. Then maybe it would juice up the driver to pay better attention and work more on not getting dirty inspections.

Would this be worth it? I think that paying late fees to a receiver or having a driver sit for an additional day waiting to get loaded would be worth that extra bit, that both helps the driver and the company.

If you implement a bonus of any kind it needs to be beneficial to both the company and the driver and when a driver still does not work on his area of his job as a commercial driver and continues to get those dirty inspections, then maybe he needs to find a different employer.

Give me your thoughts in this area, all comments open to opinion and I promise not to bring out the whip.