Compliance, Safety and Accountability Violations
Truck & Trailer Violations
Truck and trailer violations account for the majority of roadside violations and are often visually observed. They often lead to a more in-depth look at the driver and his vehicle once the stop has been made. Listed below are the three most commonly documented truck violations.
- Lights: 28% of all violations. Lights violations carry 6 severity points each. Head light and Tail light violations are an automatic Out-Of-Service (OOS) violation, which adds 2 points.
- Brakes: 25% of all violations. Brakes violations carry 4 severity points each. There were over 1 million brake violations issued in 2014.
- Tires: 11 % of all violations. Tire violations carry 8 severity points each, and usually pertain to tread depth and wear.
PREVENTION
Preventing each type of vehicle violation listed above requires attention to detail during thorough pre-trip and post-trip inspections. Preventing Brake violations requires training. Drivers must know what to look for when they suspect a brake is out of adjustment. Adjusting a brake that has an automatic brake adjuster won’t fix the problem and may even make it worse.
Driver Violations
Driver violations pertain to the driver’s paperwork, including his hours of service records, his medical card and the paperwork he must keep for his truck. These violations can be very high in severity points, as they pertain to his qualification level to be driving a Commercial Motor Vehicle. Listed below are the three most common driver violations.
- Logs: 25% of all violations. “General Form and Manner” and “Log Not Current” are cited far and above any other violation. They carry 1 and 5 severity points, respectively.
- Medical Cards: 12% of all violations. Failure to have correctly registered one’s medical card with his licensing state is the most common violation, carrying 7 severity points, and is always OOS, which adds 2 more points.
- English Fluency: 9% of all violations. Surprisingly, this issue has been surging in recent years and the standard for compliance seems to be open to interpretation. Drivers are required to speak and write English well enough to fill out paperwork and answer all questions.
PREVENTION
Prevention of driver violations begins with thorough hiring processes and continuing education about the laws and company policies that drivers must comply with. Log violations are frustratingly obvious and typically are easily correctable. Medical card violations are a hot topic among officers recently because of changing laws, and are always checked during inspections. And English fluency is one of many checkpoints in determining driver qualification. A thorough recruiting and orientation process is key for keeping the best drivers at P&S Transportation.
We encourage you to share with us how you as a driver avoid these common violations. Any tips, tricks or good habits you can share are welcomed!