Compliance

The 2023 Driver Qualification File Checklist You Need to Pass a DOT Audit

[Updated March 2023]

Trends in the Driver Market for 2023

We’re over a month into 2023, so it’s time to take the pulse of the trucking industry. Unfortunately, it appears that the industry’s crystal ball is f...

Replacing PEV Drug & Alcohol Inquiries with the Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse Query in 2023

The FMCSA is making changes to 49 CFR 391.23 which outlines the requirements for Previous Employer Verifications.

Stop Plaintiff Attorneys Before They Take Your Fleet to Court

FMCSA Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse: Answers to Common Questions

In the first week of operation, the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse identified nearly 8,000 substance abuse violations in professional drivers. T...

Transitioning From PDF Applications to Digital Files: A How-To Guide

Excel spreadsheets, downloadable PDFs, and website form captures aren’t the industry standard anymore. These processes are cumbersome, take a lot of e...

New DOT Physical Requirements for 2022

The DOT driver physical is an important part of keeping America’s roads and highways safe. That being said, it can be a hurdle for companies and drive...

Go Beyond Compliance to Combat Runaway Nuclear Verdicts

For the most recent episode of Solving the Driver Problem, Scott Rea met with Bluewire’s CEO, Steve Bryan.

What You Missed at The AvatarFleet/Bluewire Connect Event

On June 22nd, 2022, AvatarFleet leaders Scott Rea and Mark G. Gardner discussed recruiting, compliance, training, and nuclear verdicts with Bluewire.

What to Do If You Can’t Get a Candidate’s Employment Verification

Hiring enough drivers to keep up with demand isn’t easy. It feels impossible most days. That’s why it’s all the more frustrating when you’re ready to ...

FMCSA Eliminates Annual Record of Violations Requirement

There are major changes to the Annual Record of Violations Requirement. What does it mean for the transportation industry and companies like you?

3 Takeaways from the SambaSafety + AvatarFleet Webinar You Should Know About

Trucking companies face massive risk from aggressive plaintiff attorneys and nuclear verdicts. The FMCSA isn’t the main boogie-man anymore. It’s lawye...

How to Use Compliance Software to Prepare for a DOT Audit

No one has ever accused the government of being cutting-edge technology adopters. Without a literal act of Congress, the FMCSA will have to audit your...

Ultimate Guide to Preparing for a DOT Audit

The audit is a fact of life. The Department of Transportation (DOT) takes its role as federal regulations arbiter very seriously and conducts its nece...

Preparing for the 2022 International Roadcheck

The 2022 International Roadcheck is scheduled for May 17th - 19th. This year’s focus will be on wheel-end components. If you want to avoid costly fine...

The Most Common Driver File Violations

When you have an accident, the last thing you need is a plaintiff attorney named The Hammer knocking on your door and sniffing around your Driver Qual...

How to Ensure Your Fleet Passes Cargo Securement Tests

Failure to properly secure cargo/loads can result in hefty fines. Worse yet, improper securement can cause serious accidents and injuries. It can even...

Do You Need a Fleet Compliance Manager?

The biggest fear for most fleets is a massive DOT violation. There’s an issue with your drug & alcohol testing policy, a driver who is out of comp...

A Comprehensive List of CSA Violations for Fleets

CSA violations are one of many things that can keep a fleet manager up at night. They range from burdensome all the way to crippling. They could even ...

What to Know About the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse in 2022

In order to avoid hefty fines and stay in compliance, you need to stay informed on the DOT Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse going into 2022. We’ll help ...

What is a Fleet Audit?

Like most people in the trucking industry, the idea of an audit probably makes your skin crawl. However, we’re not talking about the DOT. We’re talkin...

Updated Entry-Level Driver Training Regulations

The FMCSA will roll out new Entry Level Driver Training (ELDT) regulations that take effect on February 7, 2022. What does this mean for your company?

Nuclear Verdicts: Are You Running Naked With Scissors?

What would happen to your company if you were handed a $1 billion verdict in a court case? It sounds far-fetched, but today it’s a reality. A Florida ...

Earn NATMI Certification Renewal Points for Training We Offer

Earn points towards NATMI certification renewal with AvatarFleet’s professional safe driving training programs.

Fleet Owner Fined for Falsifying Compliance Docs

We all know what happens when we’re not ready for the DOT audit. Fines, court dates, or even worse - prison time - can happen when we’re not in compli...

Understanding the PRO Act and How it Affects Truckers

This blog was written by John Kuder with consultation from Jordan Call and Marc Blubaugh from Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP. The Unit...

What is a DOT Physical?

Being a truck driver isn’t easy.

DOT Clearinghouse Deadline Approaching: Are You Ready?

It’s been nearly a year since the foundation of the DOT Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse as the new primary database for driver histories of drug and al...

What to Look For In Your Fleet Management Software

Time is precious and in short supply for both you and your drivers, so you need to save it where you can. On top of that, you don’t need the added fin...

Step 1 to Preventing the Nuclear Verdict: Proper DQ File Management

Accidents are every fleet’s nightmare. Accidents cost lives, money, and trust, none of which are easily replaced. A worst case scenario is one known a...

Updates To The Hours Of Service Regulations

In May, Congress elected to make changes to the existing hours of service rules in order to give truckers more flexibility in their work that will go ...

Webinar Recap: How To Manage Recruiting, Compliance, and Training in the COVID-19 World

On June 9th, AvatarFleet President Scott Rea was featured on a webinar hosted by the Ohio Trucking Association on the topic How To Manage Recruiting, ...

FMCSA Remote Audits Increase

FMCSA is going digital. That’s right, your government is joining the 21st century. As a means of continuing their usual responsibilities of maintainin...

FMCSA Grants Limited Exemptions for Expired CDLs, Medical Card

Can I Keep My DQ Files at Different Terminal Locations?

If you have more than one terminal, can you keep your Driver Qualification Files at multiple physical locations? It may seem like a simple question, b...

A-Suite Can Help Solve Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse Headaches

A Summary of The Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse The Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse is waiting for you on January 6, 2020 so we’ve created a summary to...

5 Things to Know about The Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse

There have been rumblings about the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) new Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse for years, and it appears that it is final...

AvatarFleet President Scott Featured in FreightWaves Video

Telematics - Where To Look For ROI

Map 21 And What it Means For You

In 2016, the federal government passed sweeping regulations that could drastically change the face of the transportation industry. These regulations a...

Time to Switch to Electronic Verification

In order to hire new drivers, all transportation companies have to run Previous Employment Verifications (PEV) under DOT regulations. The PEV has hist...

Why You Should Move On From Paper DQF Files

This blog post was updated on May 26, 2021.

How A Compliance Tracking System Works

The digital age has forced trucking into the 21st century. It’s no longer just an advantage, but an absolute necessity to use technology in profession...

Now's The Time To Invest in A Compliance Tracking System

This blog post has been updated on January 27, 2021.

Vehicle Inspections Are Part of Safe Driving

Why DOT Compliance Software Pays For Itself

This blog post was updated on March 16, 2021.

The Annual CVSA International Roadcheck: June 5-7, 2018

Why Do People Do Dumb Things When They Drive?

For as long as cars have existed, people have driven without complete attention. Back in the 1930s, radios were first put in luxury vehicles and peopl...

Being "Better" In Trucking Means Change

Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers And Truck Safety

AvatarFleet exists to make the world a safer place. It’s in our DNA. It’s the fire in our belly when we come to work each morning. But what does it me...

You’re Still Not Wearing a Seat Belt? C’mon Man!

How to Conduct a Successful Safety Meeting

Safety meetings can be a powerful asset in your toolbox for a strong safety campaign. In trucking however, it’s difficult to get everyone in the same ...

Is Permanent Trailer Registration Worth It?

In the past couple of years, Ohio has made the move to allowing commercial carriers to register trailers permanently in the state for a one-time fee. ...

Verified First & AvatarFleet Join Forces To Better Trucking

Verified First and AvatarFleet have partnered to streamline the hiring process through integration of background screening tools with AvatarFleet’s Ap...

Safety Requires Insurance

You will never be 100% safe at your company. It’s a harsh thing to say, but it is a fact of life. Even if you have the best safety team in the world, ...

Compliance Is Not Safety: Learn the Difference

You can’t run your business in trucking if you aren’t in compliance with federal regulations. This fact can often cost your company a bunch of time an...

What Should Be on Your DOT Compliance Checklist

One of the easiest ways to make sure you are playing by the DOT’s rules in trucking is to develop your own DOT compliance checklist. DOT regulations s...

Why You Should Get DOT Compliance Software

You run a trucking company the best that you can. You’ve hired and trained qualified safety personnel to deal with DOT regulations and nonsense. You t...

Truck Driver Compliance In Real English

You know what truck driver compliance is. You and your safety team have a painfully instilled working knowledge of the DOT and their guidelines and re...

Get The Most Out of DOT Compliance Software 

This blog post was updated on January 15, 2021.