FMCSA Audit Coming? How to Be Ready Before the Notice
Preparing for an FMCSA audit should begin before the notice arrives.
Preparing for an FMCSA audit should begin before the notice arrives. An FMCSA audit or compliance investigation can put significant pressure on a transportation operation. When a notice arrives, the organization should already have a clear understanding of its records, documentation, and potential areas of risk.
An audit notice should trigger a response plan—not a scramble to discover what is missing.
What Should Your Company Be Ready to Provide?
A safety audit review can involve multiple areas of a carrier's operation. Depending on the review, important records may include:
- Driver qualification records
- Hours-of-service documentation
- Vehicle inspection records
- Drug and alcohol program records
- Accident register
These records provide important insight into the actual condition of a company's safety and compliance operation.
Don't Wait Until You Receive the Notice
One of the challenges of an audit is discovering gaps when there is already pressure to respond.
A proactive readiness review allows a carrier to examine its records before an audit or compliance investigation occurs. The goal is to understand what is available, identify potential gaps, and prioritize corrective action.
Preparation Should Reflect Reality
Preparation should reflect the actual condition of your operation, not simply what your company expects its records to show.
Identify Gaps and Prioritize Corrective Action
An effective readiness process should help your organization answer important questions:
- Are required records organized and accessible?
- Are there gaps in driver qualification documentation?
- Is hours-of-service documentation properly maintained?
- Are vehicle inspection records available?
- Are drug and alcohol program records organized?
- Is the accident register current and properly maintained?
- What corrective actions should receive priority?
Understanding these areas before an audit can help your team respond with greater organization and a clearer understanding of its current position.
New Entrant Safety Audit or Compliance Investigation?
Whether your company is preparing for a New Entrant Safety Audit or facing a compliance investigation, preparation should begin before the notice arrives.
A readiness review provides an opportunity to examine your records, identify gaps, prioritize corrective action, and organize supporting evidence.
GLD Systems: Transportation Risk Intelligence
GLD Systems helps carriers examine records, identify gaps, prioritize corrective action, and organize supporting evidence.
The objective is to understand transportation risk based on the actual condition of the operation and use that information to support a more proactive approach to safety and compliance.
Don't wait for an audit notice to find out what is missing. Start with a readiness review and understand where your operation stands today.
Schedule an Audit Readiness Review
Take a proactive approach to transportation safety and compliance. Understand your current risk, identify potential gaps, and prepare before an audit notice arrives.
START YOUR ASSESSMENTAnticipate. Mitigate. Eliminate Risk.