Blue Ink Tech Blog

The level 1 inspection is the one of 8 levels of inspections performed by DOT in the trucking industry. It is one of the most intensive inspections performed by the Department of Transportation (DOT) for commercial motor vehicles. The level 1 inspection involves reviewing the driver's documents as well as walking around the equipment to make sure that everything follows the FMCSA's regulations.

Trucking is one of the most competitive industries to be in. There are over 4.5 million trucks on the road in the US and they are all looking for loads to haul. With the amount of available trucks able to take loads the competition is high and the profit margins are low. New carriers have a lot working against them while trying to build a reputation for themselves and earn their way to consistent steady work.

The FMCSA uses 7 driving improvement categories to determine a carrier's safety performance relative to other carriers. The Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories or (BASICs) are used to determine a carriers CSA score and to measure how safely the carrier operates.

There isn't much worse than not getting value out of something you've paid for and are required by law to have. When the Electronic Logging Device (ELD) mandate was implemented it left truck drivers with few options and even fewer ways to deal with it. Selecting the wrong ELD provider is one of the main problems with ELD.

An ELD provider should keep the driver's best interest a priority. Those priorities include making sure their ELD is easy-to-use, there's a knowledgeable support team ready for any questions they have, and there are no hidden or extra costs to any services provided.  

There are a number of reasons carriers and drivers are ready to switch ELD providers. Some of those top stresses include:

1. Equipment malfunctions and failures

2. Poor customer service

3. Costly and lengthy contracts

So what should you do when you’re ready to drop your provider and get a better one?

First things first, plan ahead at least 60-90 days. You want to make sure that you have plenty of time to vet new ELDs before you existing contact is going to end so you can easily make the transition.