Can You Provide These 4 Safety Compliance Items?
If the FMCSA Asked You to Provide These Four Safety Compliance Items, Could You Even Find Them?
Since 2004, Ram Services has successfully operated a fleet of 15 trucks out of the Dallas, TX area. When they lost one of their drivers to a single-vehicle fatality in July 2014, they knew a DOT safety compliance audit was coming.
What they didn’t know was just how severely that accident, coupled with one other recordable accident in a 12-month period, was going to impact their business’ bottom line when the audit happened that November.
The Unanticipated Result of the FMCSA Formula
With the exception of the two recordable accidents, Ram Services’ safety compliance audit was one any company would be proud to brag about. In fact, if they had been a tad larger, those two accidents would not have hurt the audit much.
As a low mileage carrier however, the two recordable accidents pushed the company’s Crash Basic too high based on the FMCSA formula, and Ram Service was downgraded from a satisfactory rating to conditional. When this happened, the company began losing the ability to service their customers, all of whom required the satisfactory rating to use Ram Services as a freight provider.
The company knew they had to do something- fast. The future of their company, and the livelihoods of their drivers, depended on it. So, they began the process of appealing the ruling.
When the DOT field officer called two months earlier than expected to discuss the ruling, he asked the company to provide four things.
- Training records
- Last safety meeting agenda
- Sign-in sheet
- Accident countermeasures plan
This was the real test for Ram Services on if their efforts had been successful.
Easy Training Proof
While many companies would have required a great deal of time to pull this information together, and some may not have all the requested documentation, Ram Services was able to quickly gather everything they needed.
As users of Vertical Alliance Group’s online learning management system, Infinit-I Workforce Solutions, their training records were all in one place.
“Since we use the Infinit-I Workforce System, I was able to send him a 54 page Excel document with every training module my guys have done and passed for the last two years.
My client services representative and I had planned training for this year in December, so I was even able to easily provide him our Accident Countermeasures Plan, too,” explained Angela Klattenhoff, owner of Ram Services.
During her call with the field representative, Klattenhoff was also able to explain their company had steady improvements in all BASICS since the beginning of the CSA safety compliance guidelines.
How Online Training Can Save Your Business
Less than one week after the call, Ram Services was back doing business with all their former clients thanks to good news from the field administrator.
“After reviewing your request, the safety management plan, and the evidence submitted, the FMCSA is granting your request. Effective immediately, Ram Services’ safety rating is upgraded to satisfactory.”
The Klattenhoff’s business was saved, and all their drivers were back on the road.
“I wanted to share our story with others because it is a real-life example of how the fact that I could produce documented training, past and future, made a huge difference in our ability to get our ratings changed.”
To learn more about how your company can take advantage of all Infinit-I Workforce Solutions has to offer, schedule a demo today.
