Non DOT Drivers Put On The Road
Topic 33888 | Page 1
What do you mean by "DOT Driver"? Are these drivers driving commercial vehicles without a current CDL license?
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
We are a Portable Lighting company. Us drivers drive company pickup trucks pulling light tower trailers all over the country. We aren’t required to have CDL’s for what we pull but do have to be registered with DOT and mandatory random drug tests. I may not be using all the correct terminology, but that’s how it was explained to me. Both I and our other driver are registered and have to take these drug tests, as i said ive been called in for one every month for 4 months straight. We have another employee who used to drive for us (moved to a different position) and was never registered with DOT, yet he still keeps getting put on the road, i can always smell weed on him and i know for a fact he smokes and drives. Is there anything I can do? If i fail a drug test i lose my job, yet he can blow down on the road like it’s the 60’s
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
This is an issue that you could report to the Human Resources dept., or Safety dept. of your company.
What are you mad about? Getting tested or that he is high?
Getting tested.... get used to it. There are plenty of us who get tested constantly. Welcome to trucking.
Anger at his high?
Tell HR. Or mind your own business and wait for him to screw up. Call police with his info?
You just sound petty as if you have "Marsha Marsha marsha" syndrome.
Be safe
So Kearsey first off you dont know me so you could always start off by not being a you know what, im simply asking for advice not your attitude. I am not concerned with taking drug tests myself as ive been doing it that’s not the problem. The problem is we are expected to do this but he is not? We are required to register with DOT but he is not and pulls the exact same stuff as us, that seems right to you, Kearsey? I’ve been doing this type of work for over a decade now, so i dont need your sarcastic welcome to the trucking community. Next time try being more cordial with your response. It costs zero cents a day for you to be cordial with people you dont know simply asking for advice.
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
Justin I have read your posts a few times and still a little confussed what you mean when you say you have to register with DOT.
I own my own company with a for hire DOT authorization. I have never had to register any driver with DOT. I only have to report how many drivers I have.
As far as drug testing goes that is through the drug clearing house. I am required to run drivers through it to ensure they are not prohibited.
The company has to belong to a drug/alcohol consortimum and names are provided to them. They are not DOT or FMCSA. They are the ones who take care of the clearinghouse stuff and also do the random’s.
It may be your company belongs to a very small consortium is why you come up so often. Random’s are always luck of the draw.
I don’t understand how you would have any knowledge of if your boss is following the rules or not on some drivers because those are personnel matters that should not be shared with anyone not in management of the company and the effected employee.
As far as smelling weed on another employee. You have a duty to report that to a supervisor on the spot. Then it is the supervisor’s responsibility to do something about it.
CSA:
Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA)
The CSA is a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) initiative to improve large truck and bus safety and ultimately reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities that are related to commercial motor vehicle
FMCSA:
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
The FMCSA was established within the Department of Transportation on January 1, 2000. Their primary mission is to prevent commercial motor vehicle-related fatalities and injuries.
What Does The FMCSA Do?
- Commercial Drivers' Licenses
- Data and Analysis
- Regulatory Compliance and Enforcement
- Research and Technology
- Safety Assistance
- Support and Information Sharing
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
Fm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
Justin, you are right that no one here "knows" you. On the flip side, you don't know the people on this forum.
Let me give you a short introduction to Kearsey. Kearsey is a Mod here, an Experienced Driver, not just with her avatar, but on the road. I was here when she bailed from a Post Office job and signed in here looking to try this trucking thing.
Over the last few years she has learned enough to be successfull with a YouTube channel and is (I think) a mentor to rookie drivers at Prime.
I'll admit Kearsey showed a bit of 'tude, but everything in her post applies.
Testing? Fact of trucker life. I have been randomly tested twice in two weeks, and I test as clean as can be.
Do you know of drug use, including weed, by other drivers? You could bring it up with management, if is verified they'll do what they have to do.
The FMCSA uses a Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) system that makes every CDL operating company pay special attention to their drivers' fitness to drive.
So if you see a problem, your company should know. If you feel they don't care and you do, either 1) follow the Whistleblower program or 2) look for a new job.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
CSA:
Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA)
The CSA is a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) initiative to improve large truck and bus safety and ultimately reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities that are related to commercial motor vehicle
FMCSA:
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
The FMCSA was established within the Department of Transportation on January 1, 2000. Their primary mission is to prevent commercial motor vehicle-related fatalities and injuries.
What Does The FMCSA Do?
- Commercial Drivers' Licenses
- Data and Analysis
- Regulatory Compliance and Enforcement
- Research and Technology
- Safety Assistance
- Support and Information Sharing
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.Fm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
I almost had no words.
First off, there wasn't anything in Kearseys' post that was in any way nasty or even snarky to you. She shared FACTS. FACTS don't care about your feelings.
Errol has also stated facts. Very explicitly. Now the ball is in your court. Lace up your big boy boots and get on with it.
I almost had no words.
First off, there wasn't anything in Kearseys' post that was in any way nasty or even snarky to you. She shared FACTS. FACTS don't care about your feelings.
Errol has also stated facts. Very explicitly. Now the ball is in your court. Lace up your big boy boots and get on with it.
Nah she was rude for literally no reason. Not a huge deal, the guy asking a question was a little sensitive about it but I definitely wouldn’t talk like that to someone in real life if I didn’t know them and I’m not exactly the nicest guy either. It’s possible to be truthful without being a prick
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Including myself, my company has 2 actual drivers who are DOT certified and have to take random drug tests. I have been called every month for 4 months. Meanwhile my company is putting other employees on the road that are not DOT, what can I do?
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.