Field notes on DOT compliance.
Practical guides to the regulations small carriers actually run into. Every claim cites the CFR.
- 9 min read
What Happens If You Fail the DOT New Entrant Audit (and How to Fix It)
Failed your DOT new entrant safety audit? What the §385.319 notice means, the 60- or 45-day corrective action plan deadlines, and how to keep your authority.
- 11 min read
The DOT Audit Letter Arrived: What to Expect and What to Bring
Got your DOT new entrant safety audit letter? What the notice means, the exact documents to bring, how the offsite upload works, and how to use the weeks you have.
- 8 min read
The Annual MVR and Driver Review: How to Run the §391.25 Cycle Right
How to handle the annual MVR requirement under 49 CFR §391.25: pull each driver's motor vehicle record, document the review, and file both correctly.
- 8 min read
The Driver Investigation History File: §391.53 Safety Performance History, Explained
What goes in the §391.53 driver investigation history file: safety performance history inquiries, the Clearinghouse rule, deadlines, and 3-year retention.
- 10 min read
Do I Need a DVIR? Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports, Explained (§396.11)
DVIR requirements for small carriers: what a driver vehicle inspection report actually is, when you must file one, the single-truck exemption, and what the 2026 eDVIR rule changed. Plain-English §396.11 walkthrough.
- 9 min read
CSA Scores Explained for Owner-Operators: What Your SMS Percentiles Actually Mean
What a CSA score is, how FMCSA calculates your SMS percentiles, why most small carriers have no public score at all, and the few things that actually move it — plain-English guide for owner-operators.
- 10 min read
Hotshot Trucking DOT Compliance: The Under-26,000-Pound Rules Explained
What DOT compliance looks like for a non-CDL hotshot under 26,001 lbs — which FMCSA rules apply, which don't, and the new-entrant audit checklist.
- 10 min read
Post-Accident Drug and Alcohol Testing: When a Crash Triggers a Test — and When It Doesn't
After a CMV crash, two separate questions kick in: does it go in your accident register, and does it require a drug and alcohol test? They are not the same question. Here are the §382.303 triggers, the 8- and 32-hour clocks, and the §390.15 register — current as of 2026.
- 10 min read
Trucking Insurance Minimums in 2026: Still $750,000, Despite What You Keep Hearing
The federal minimum for general freight has been $750,000 since 1985 — and as of June 2026 it has not changed and is not a pending FMCSA rule. Here's what's actually required by commodity, the real status of the $2M and $5M proposals, how the BMC-91 filing works after MC numbers went away, and why the legal floor and the coverage you actually need are two different questions.
- 10 min read
Choosing an ELD That Stays on the Registered List: Self-Certification and the Revocation Risk Nobody Warns You About
FMCSA doesn't test ELDs — vendors self-certify. That means the registered list is not a quality filter, and FMCSA has been purging it: dozens of devices removed since January 2025. Here's how the self-certification regime works, what happens to you when your device gets pulled, and how to choose one that survives.
- 10 min read
The Written Drug and Alcohol Policy: Setting Up a Part 382 Program From Scratch
The §382.601 written policy is the document a new carrier most often skips and most reliably gets cited for. Every required element, the signed-receipt rule, the owner-operator's two hats, and what a new-entrant auditor actually checks — current as of 2026.
- 11 min read
Personal Conveyance and Yard Moves: The Honest Rules for Off-Duty and Yard Driving
When you can legally drive a CMV off duty, when a yard move is really a yard move, and how your own ELD's GPS trail becomes the evidence — 49 CFR §395.28, FMCSA's 2018 guidance, and what enforcement actually checks in 2026.
- 8 min read
ELD Records and HOS Supporting Documents: What the Auditor Actually Checks
The ELD doesn't end your hours-of-service recordkeeping — it starts it. What 49 CFR Part 395 requires beyond the device: the 6-month retention rules, the 8-documents-per-day rule, the in-cab packet, and what happens when the ELD malfunctions.
- 8 min read
The Vehicle Maintenance File: What Part 396 Actually Requires You to Keep
Every record 49 CFR Part 396 requires per vehicle — the maintenance file, DVIRs, and the annual inspection — with the retention clock for each, and the mistakes that fail new-entrant audits.
- 7 min read
The FMCSA Clearinghouse for Owner-Operators: Do You Have to Query Yourself?
If you run under your own authority, the FMCSA Clearinghouse treats you as both the employer and the driver — which means registering as an employer, designating a C/TPA, and running an annual query on yourself. Here's exactly how.
- 7 min read
How to Pass the New Entrant Safety Audit: A 12-Month Timeline for Owner-Operators
A month-by-month plan for the new entrant safety audit. What to do in months 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 — and the records you'll be expected to produce when the auditor calls.
- 8 min read
Building Your Driver Qualification File from Scratch: The §391.51 Guide
Every item required in a driver qualification file under 49 CFR §391.51, what each one is for, where to obtain it, and how long to keep it.
- 6 min read
MCS-150 Biennial Update: How to File It Yourself in 10 Minutes
How to file your MCS-150 biennial update yourself, online, for free. Step-by-step walkthrough with the exact fields that trip up small carriers — and the deadline that quietly deactivates your USDOT if you miss it.