Trucking Compliance Guides

21 guides across 4 areas. Every regulatory figure on them is fetched from the eCFR or the regulator, and carries the date it was read.

Hours of Service & Logs

Hours of Service Rules, in Plain English
The 11, 14, 30 and 70 explained the way a driver actually uses them.
9 min
The 34-Hour Restart, Step by Step
When a restart is worth taking, and the two ways carriers get it wrong.
7 min
The ELD Mandate: Who Must Run One
Which trucks are exempt, what the device has to do, and the transfer rules.
8 min
Truck Driver Log Books After the ELD Rule
Where paper logs are still legal and how to keep the 8-day file.
7 min

What a DOT Physical Actually Covers
Every station of the exam, the thresholds, and what the examiner records.
9 min
How to Pass a DOT Physical
The five findings that cost drivers a full card, and how far ahead to act.
8 min
The CDL Medical Card, Start to Renewal
Certificate length, the electronic link to the state, and what happens when it lapses.
7 min
CDL Requirements by Class
Class A, B and C, endorsements, and the federal floor every state builds on.
10 min
DOT Drug and Alcohol Testing Rules
The six test reasons, the random rates, and who has to be in the pool.
9 min
The FMCSA Clearinghouse Explained
Annual queries, full queries, consent, and the annual query plan.
8 min
Building a Driver Qualification File
What goes in on day one, what goes in every year, and what never comes out.
9 min
DOT Physical Form: MCSA-5875 and MCSA-5876
Who fills in which part, what the examiner keeps, and where the certificate goes now.
7 min

USDOT Number: Who Needs One and How to Get It
Who needs one, what it costs, and how the biennial update works.
8 min
MC Numbers and Operating Authority
For-hire authority, the 10-day protest window, and going active.
8 min
UCR Registration Every Carrier Owes
Fleet brackets, the filing window, and the states that enforce it hardest.
6 min
IFTA Fuel Tax Without the Headache
What IFTA is, what a quarter's return needs, and the records to keep.
9 min
IRP Apportioned Plates
Why an interstate truck runs apportioned tags and what the fee is built from.
7 min
BMC-84 Bond: The $75,000 Broker Surety Bond
The $75,000 bond, what it costs by credit, and BMC-84 against BMC-85.
9 min

DOT Annual Inspection Rules (49 CFR 396.17)
Who may perform it, what the form must show, and how long to keep it.
8 min
The Eight Roadside Inspection Levels
What each level covers and which ones can put you out of service.
8 min
CSA Scores and the Seven BASICs
How the percentiles are built, how long violations count, and what to fix first.
9 min