DOT Compliance & Safety Program

We know that DOT Compliance is complicated and it can be difficult to know what the regulations are. Whether you are new to the industry and encountering a DOT New Entrant Safety Audit or facing a DOT Compliance Review, we are ready to help. If the Department of Transportation is requiring you to prepare a Corrective Action Plan or if you have been given a conditional safety rating and need to do a Safety Upgrade Request contact ESC.


ESC employs DOT Compliance Specialist who will assist you with your DOT Compliance & Training. We Guarantee that our instruction is engaging and informative. Please contact us to request a proposal for assistance with a Compliace Audit & Training.

Introduction to DOT Compliance

The first portion is an overview of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) and what you need to know to maintain compliance. We have condensed the most important performance measures you must make part of your company's safety systems in order to be minimally compliant with the DOT regulations. You will be trained on the MCS-90 and what you need to do to safeguard your company's safety record.


Call, Ken Cotton @ 361.563.8186, our lead instructor with over 25 years of experience.

We will provide answers to the following questions and more:


  • Who needs to register with the FMCSA?
  • What does the DOT (and anyone with an internet connection) know about your company?
  • What do you need to do with AND what can you do about this data?
  • Are you required to have Motor Carrier (MC) Authority?
  • What are the MOST IMPORTANT things you need to understand about Driver Fitness and Qualification, Drug and Alcohol Testing, Hours of Service and Fatigued Driving, and Vehicle Maintenance?
  • What training is mandated for both drivers and supervisors?
  • What is an accident countermeasures program and are you required to have one?
  • We break the safety controls down into the separate systems so you can focus the necessary attention and resources on each area.

Surviving DOT Visits and Interventions

Everyone fears the DOT - but if you understand their processes better, you can be prepared. With this training you can ensure that when you receive communications from the DOT, you can do the right things to prepare for a Compliance Review and other interventions, minimize damage during the visit, and take the right steps after the fact.


A Compliance Review (aka DOT audit) is the current process for the DOT to measure your compliance status, but is changing dramatically with the Comprehensive Safety Analysis (CSA) program. We will train you to prepare for both, and have the proper documentation available during your review.

Understanding Violations and Minimizing Fines

There are thousands of things you are SUPPOSED to do. But there are certain things that YOU REALLY NEED TO FOCUS ON because they are critical and acute violations. Some of these can result in an Out of Service Order, putting you out of business indefinitely. There are also '16 Deadly Sins' that can cause you to automatically fail an audit. We will cover these AND the new hot-button topics the FMCSA has introduced with CSA. We will include tips and tricks to help minimize fines from prior violations, and steps to take moving forward that will help you avoid them altogether.

State DOT Regulations

Each state has basically adopted the federal regulations but "tweaked" them slightly. What's the difference? When does one apply vs. the other? How do you know which to follow? And, finally, what are the particular rules in your state that MAY be beneficial to you? We answer these questions and more. If you have specific questions about a particular state, we try to be prepared for these as well, but we may have to get back to you on specifics.

This DOT compliance seminar is designed for management and supervisors of new DOT entrants, human resource professionals with safety responsibilities, or even experienced Safety and Operations professionals that just want to stay current with the changing landscape. All attendees will receive a Certificate of Completion to keep on file. Topics addressed in this workshop include, but are not limited to:



  • Comprehensive Safety Analysis (formerly CSA 2010)
  • FMCSA, DOT, PHMSA, and State agencies and how they interact
  • Accident register and other documentation, as well as accident countermeasures
  • Driver Qualification Process and Files
  • DOT rules for drug and alcohol testing and all paperwork that is required
  • Hours of Service rules, monitoring and auditing procedures
  • Maintenance procedures and required documentation
  • Required training for all employees

Fatigued Driving

The thing to focus on with respect to Hours of Service is to ALWAYS ensure your drivers are not fatigued regardless of how many driving hours they have remaining. Then, set up a monitoring system that fits your company's business model and be sure you are pro-actively keeping people from breaking the 3 cardinal rules (11-hour, 14-hour, and 60/70-hour rules).

  1. We will share with you a tried and proven way to manage driver logs and decrease violations in what can be the most frustrating BASIC.
  2. We will teach you how to organize, audit, and perform QC checks on logs, as well as counsel and educate your drivers.
  3. We will define a compliant driver log, show examples of log violations, and explain some tips and tricks for identifying violations when auditing.
  4. We will discuss individual concerns and issues with attendees.


We will also discuss the new rule about Electronic On-board Recorders (EOBR) and why you might not want to wait until the DOT makes them mandatory, as well as the latest HOS rule changes that went into effect in February 2012 and others that will take effect in June 2013.

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