High Safer, Little Company?

Hello all,
I'm looking for some information, advice, opinions or whatever I can muster in regards to lowering a safer score that now seems to be a concern for potential customers. Let me offer you a little background:

I'm relatively new to the trucking industry and only recently became a dispatcher for a small flatbed trucking company. When I started, we initially had 6 trucks on the road (5 of ours, 1 O/O) and since then have grown to a fleet of 15 (10 of ours, 5 O/O). We intend to grow a FEW more trucks and then level off.

Of course, as we grow, we end up doing more and more business with new customers. As we have yet to **knock on wood** have any incident occur with the freight we carry (no claims, nothing to the nature), we still struggle from a high safer score. Currently at 92 due to log book violations and the resulting speeding fines. They put us OOS due to it and increase my rating!

So, my question is simply. Other than tightening down on our guys for logbook maintenance and truck operations (which have done and thus far, we have seen only perfect level 1 & 3 inspections with the US DOT), is there any way that I can get this down at a faster rate?

Thanks in advance, all.
 

ralphthetrucker

Active Member
10
If you have done everything possible to make your drivers accountable to keep infractions to as close to zero as possible you have done almost everything you can do. The drivers have to buy into this also, that is a tough sell so many especially if they have been allowed to run as they please.

Have you implemented mandatory safety inspections on the equipment on 90 day terms? If you want the drivers to buy in to this the fleet must also. What about a "bonus" for violation free inspections? Some will agree, some will say it's the driver's job and he is paid to do this already. I know drivers that get $100 for a clean inspection and walk into a scale quarterly looking for an inspection.

Are you doing "real" log book audits or just matching toll receipts? Are times really checked? Are they matched to satellite tracking or check calls? Are they matched to time spent at specific locations...customers, truckstops etc? Are miles run/logged realistic?

CSA 2010 may have a negative impact on your drivers...it may be too late to salvage some of them.

Good luck to you, it's a tough sell! If you don't do something you will have the FMCSA knocking on your door...92 isn't an acceptable score in their eyes.
 
When was the last MCS-150 update done? Make sure that the current level of equipment and drivers is updated on
a regular basis. As you add equipment and drivers, your score will lower, as long as your drivers don't rack up more violations in the meantime.
 
Are you doing "real" log book audits or just matching toll receipts? Are times really checked? Are they matched to satellite tracking or check calls? Are they matched to time spent at specific locations...customers, truckstops etc? Are miles run/logged realistic?

Honestly, just matching toll receipts. Yes, that can end up costing us in the short run and I think that this is what's killing us. What I mean, and I could be wrong, but if I were to be audited, the only receipts that I HAVE to show is POE tolls and fuel receipts so when I match 'em, this is what I match to. This will save us in an audit, but yea, we get screwed in short term log book checks. :(

I think I got the driver's buy-in. That's not the concern. The MCS-150 is updated on our end. We do it monthly.
 

Kelly Money

New Member
1
I know this is an old thread, however, on the "doing everything possible" front, today's driver safety monitoring equipment is very good at keeping you in the loop. Being alerted at the exact moment something isn't quite right - and inquiring about it - goes a long way to creating a culture of safety and keeping costs down.

Hello all,
I'm looking for some information, advice, opinions or whatever I can muster in regards to lowering a safer score that now seems to be a concern for potential customers...
 
Last edited:

Michael Ludwig

Well-Known Member
20
Something else you will need to check on is each driver's CSA score. You inherit all of their past propblems. Example: Driver gets two log book fines in the U.S. from a previous employer 1 month before he comes to work for you. You automatically inherit those points. You will have to enrol in the PSP program to check out your drivers.
www.psp.fmcsa.dot.gov
 
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