Brake Lining: The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) regulates the thickness of brake liking and pads in trucks pursuant to Title 49 CFR § 393.47 (Brake actuators, slack adjusters, linings/pads and drums/rotors.) These regulations are located in Subpart C of the parts…
Safety Audit: The U.S. Department of Transportation regularly audits commercial vehicle operators to ensure they comply with regulations. Attention to detail and thorough record keeping, are the keys to making sure that your business passes each and every safety audit by the DOT. The best way to prepare for a…
[box type=”shadow”]In simple terms, logistics is the process of the product being sent from its origin to the point of consumption. Reverse logistics is exactly the opposite. Anything that involves products being transferred from the point of consumption to the point of origin is known as reverse logistics. This most…
[box type=”shadow”]Banks and brokerage firms assign a brokerage account number code for each of your brokerage accounts. This number functions much like a user name, and it allows the electronic as well as human interface within your brokerage firm to identify you. If you have multiple accounts with the same…
Car Mode: Few things are as ubiquitous in the modern world as the automobile. It was invented in Germany by Karl Friedrich Benz in 1886, but was eventually popularized in America as an icon of independence, mobility and the power of industrial capitalism. Negative Factors Having developed from a simple…
[box type=”shadow”]Typically, transportation modes include truck, railroad and steamship. Although transportation by air also is possible, the method is costly. Intermodal freight transportation positively influences our global economy by controlling the way we move our goods. Nevertheless, some factors need to be kept in consideration to avoid restricting the value…
Logistics Cost: Pricing in logistics is a combination of understanding the traditions of the routing used, the research put into the negotiations, and the timing of the negotiations. In order to obtain the best logistics costs, take into account the good faith of a long term agreement, the scale of…
[box type=”shadow”]They may move too fast to read, but evry rim on every tire on the road must comply with U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations. Certain information must be included on each tire rim for the convenience of tire dealers, manufacturers and consumers. The DOT states that these regulations…
MC Number: The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is a division of the U.S. DOT. Every commercial driver, private or public, must register with the FMCSA. The goal is to ensure that the highways and roads in the United States are safe for travel by everyone. Should your motor…
Tow Truck Driving: Tow trucks move vehicles from one place to another for necessary repairs, disposal after a serious accident, impounding by law enforcement or repossession by a lender. Tow truck drivers operate tow trucks. Types A career in tow truck driving may involve working for a service station, the…
Education Requirements: Earning your CDL is not the same as earning a driver’s license to drive a private vehicle. Because of the size of the vehicle, you are expected to take specialized driving education classes. The sizes of the commercial vehicles driven make this necessary. Prospective truck drivers must have…
DOT Logs: Logging is the term drivers use to describe their time record entries in a log book. To ensure compliance, DOT officials have the right to request to see a driver’s log book at any time. These laws help ensure the safety of others on the road by regulating…
Transporting Fuel: The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMSCA) under the Department of Transportation regulates the transportation of hazardous materials, including fuel, on the nation’s highways. Transporters of fuel are required to follow specific registration, training, communication, packaging, emergency response and security regulations to maintain public safety.[/box] [box type=”shadow”]Registration &…
The U.S. DOT heavily regulates the commercial trucking industry. Inspections are one ways that the agency ensures that the trucks on the road are safe and are driven by a safe drivers. The state DOT agents perform the random inspections. Despite the dislike surrounding random inspections, they do have advantages…
Car window tint: A global provider of online legal information, the laws and requirements for car window tinting in the United States vary from state to state. Each state’s car window tint laws are typically found in its traffic or vehicle code. However, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)…
Inspection Regulations: Trucks weighing tens of thousands of lbs. barrel along on highways at speeds of more than 50 mph. These massive transporters have equally massive destructive capabilities. As such, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation requires operators of commercial motor vehicles to perform…
There are two common type of securement devices used to tie down flatbed loads. Chains with binders and nylon straps. Chains are used to hold down steel or machinery while straps are used on less dense freight such as lumber and palletized goods. The Department of Transportation has port of…
The U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration don’t regulate the use of moving vans for interstate travel if the van’s gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) is 10,000 lbs. or less. For larger vehicles, the agencies proscribe several requirements to which drivers and vehicle owners must…
There exists much confusion about terminology when the subject of an automatic truck transmission arises. Properly known as “automated” transmissions, these drive trains have come to prominence as the prime competition for old-style manuals. There are many different kinds of truck transmissions today. [/box] [box type=”shadow”] Automatic vs. Automated Cars…
Individual trucking companies set their own list of “allowed” violations for hiring truck drivers. Companies usually post the number of allowed moving violations in their employment ads. Many companies accept up to three moving violations in the past three years. However, aside from company regulations, there are state and federal…
Pull behind trailers are subject to the standards set forth by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Title 49 of the United States Code mandates this administration and auto manufacturers must meet the standards set forth by that administration. All the standards are written to protect the public from unreasonable…
Regulations regarding what types of brake fluid can be used in the United States are specified by the Department of Transportation in regulation part 571.116. This regulation specifies the legal required boiling point of brake fluids. DOT 3 is one of the approved brake fluids that falls underneath this regulation….
When a person has a medical condition such as diabetes, it can complicate his ability to get a regular driver’s license or commercial driver’s license (CDL). The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has guidelines in place for anyone in the United States, including Arkansas, to apply for a medical exemption…
DAC Report: As part of a pre-hiring screening process, most large trucking companies will dig into truckers’ employment and driving records, including any history of traffic violations, accidents or other disqualifying issues. All of this information is stored in a database maintained by a company called HireRight. This company sells…
Compressed gas is gas kept in a compressed cylinder, which allows the gas to be stored in small spaces and be released at high speed when needed. It can be very dangerous, since contents under pressure can be flammable or explosive or cause the cylinder to move in a dangerous…
