Drivers & CDL
DOT Drug Test Rules for CDL Drivers: Panel, Random Rates, Refusals
The five drug classes in a DOT test, the six reasons a CDL driver gets tested, why marijuana is still a violation, and the refusal list that ends careers.
Tag: FMCSA
Owner-Operators
New Entrant Safety Audit: What FMCSA Checks in Your First 18 Months
Every new USDOT carrier goes through FMCSA's New Entrant Safety Assurance Program. One missing drug testing program or uninsured run can fail the audit on its own.
Carriers & Fleets
How to Check a Trucking Company’s Safety Record With FMCSA Tools
The free federal lookups drivers, shippers and brokers use before signing on or tendering a load, what each one shows, and the warning signs worth a second look.
Regulations
Truck Speed Limiter Rule: What Was Proposed and Why It Was Withdrawn
For almost two decades a federal speed limiter mandate for big trucks moved through petitions, proposals and comment periods. What it would have required, how it ended, and where truck speeds are governed today.
Drivers & CDL
Pre-Trip Inspection and DVIR Rules: What Drivers Must Check and Sign
The federal pre-trip and post-trip rules in 49 CFR 392.7, 396.11 and 396.13, plus an inspection order that follows the CDL skills test.
Owner-Operators
Commercial Truck Insurance Requirements: Federal Minimums by Cargo
What the federal rules require, what lenders and brokers add on top, and how FMCSA knows a carrier is covered. Plus the terms owner-operators mix up most: bobtail, non-trucking liability and occupational accident.
Freight Rates & Fuel
Truck Dispatcher Rules: When a Dispatch Service Needs Broker Authority
FMCSA does not license dispatch services, but its 2023 guidance draws a line between a carrier's agent and an unlicensed broker. Where that line falls and what owner-operators should check.
Regulations
Hours of Service Rules for Truck Drivers: 11, 14 and 60/70 Explained
The federal driving limits for property-carrying trucks in one table, with worked examples of a legal day, the sleeper berth split and the exceptions that buy extra time.
Regulations
English Proficiency Rule for Truck Drivers: Out-of-Service Checks
What 49 CFR 391.11(b)(2) requires, how inspectors run the two-step check, what an out-of-service order means for the driver and the carrier, and where the 2026 proposed rule stands.
Drivers & CDL
FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse: Queries, Violations and Your CDL
What the federal Clearinghouse holds, when employers must check it, what a prohibited status does to your license, and the return-to-duty steps that clear it.