Stay informed with our Frequently Asked Questions

DOT compliance means adhering to the safety regulations set by the U.S. Department of Transportation, primarily through the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) for trucking companies. It's crucial because it ensures the safety of your drivers, your vehicles, and the public. Maintaining compliance also helps you avoid significant fines, operational suspensions, and legal issues, ensuring your business runs smoothly and efficiently.

Many states have not only adopted FMCSA requirements for intrastate-only operators, they also have set forth their own permits and filings that carriers must abide by to operate within their borders. Similarly, failure to be aware of or be compliant with these requirements can be met with significant fines or interruptions in your ability to run your business.

Non-compliance with DOT regulations can lead to severe penalties. These can include substantial fines for both drivers and the company which are regularly in the range of thousands of dollars, suspension of your operating authority, increased insurance costs, and even criminal charges in serious cases. It can also negatively impact your safety rating (CSA scores), leading to more frequent inspections and audits.

Furthermore, especially for for-hire motor carriers, failing to comply with requirements significantly affects your ability to acquire new business opportunities including working with certain brokers, shippers, or obtaining lane contracts.

Both Federal & State regulations are subject to ongoing updates and revisions, with major changes potentially introduced every few years. We’re currently seeing significant changes to the trucking compliance landscape just in the last few years. To avoid being caught off guard during an audit, inspection, or routine traffic stop, staying informed is key.

At TIPS we monitor these regulatory shifts and can help ensure your operations adapt accordingly through our combined and extensive experience, expert guidance, and client-first approach. We aim to keep you ahead of the curve so you can focus on your core business.

Relying on google searches, word of mouth, or employment in previous trucking organizations are no substitute for thorough research and verification with regulatory bodies. In the nuanced world of transportation compliance, the only way to know for sure what is required for your business is to do the footwork yourself, or to work with a professional who does the heavy lifting for you.

Reading through lengthy code of federal regulation documents, crawling government regulatory update pages, and staying in tune with pending legislation are all essential to ensuring you have the most up to date information possible. The good news is— that’s our specialty.

It depends on the State. Nearly every state has adopted the federal regulations for intrastate-only operators, and they are enforced just the same as if you were crossing state lines. Some states have made amendments during adoption that change the applicability depending on your operation. For example, the FMCSA requires anyone operating Interstate over 10,00lbs GVWR to obtain a USDOT number, where states like Louisiana have raised the threshold to 26,001 or greater.

A few states have done well to make sure this information is clear and apparent on their official website, while most of them require you to review the legislation adopting the regulations to determine what their intrastate requirements are. For questions about your state’s requirements, give us a call.

We have helped thousands of carriers prepare for and pass their audit during our time in the transportation industry; we can help you too. With one conversation we can review your operation, applicable requirements, outline risk areas, and provide actionable solutions. While working with TIPS from day one helps ensure the audit process is seamless, we’re well versed in quickly aligning with new organizations to prepare them for an audit and help ensure a satisfactory rating.

If your audit has already passed and you’re left confused with an out-of-service order in hand - don’t worry, we’ve got you there too. TIPS offers Corrective Action Plan (CAP) services to rectify gaps in compliance, detail plans for ensuring future compliance, and handle the submission and review process. With experience from hundreds of approved CAPs, we get you back on the road with as little downtime as possible.

While some states specifically define an “intrastate authority”, it is often used as a blanket term to define a permit, filing, or other registration that a state requires you to obtain before you are authorized to operate within their borders. Hence, intrastate authority. While not specifically called an intrastate authority, requirements such as a California Motor Carrier Permit, Michigan CVED, Ohio PUCO CPCN, and TxDMV number are all examples of these types of permits.

Often these authorities are not just limited to carriers or other entities based within the state, but also any entities who perform “point-to-point” operations with the state’s borders. As in, even if you are travelling from Oregon into California, if both the pickup and destination are within the state, and the load never leaves the state, you may still be subject to California’s MCP.

Total Insight Professional Services offers a comprehensive suite of DOT/FMCSA & State compliance solutions designed to keep your trucking operations safe, legal, and efficient. Our core services include assistance with: USDOT number management including new filings, amendments, and updates; Driver Qualification (DQ) file creation; FMCSA Clearinghouse queries; IFTA & IRP registration including IFTA quarterly filings & more.

For a detailed list of our offerings, please visit our compliance solutions page.

Absolutely. Whether you need a new USDOT Number, need help getting an existing one back into an active status, or want to ensure it remains active through biennial update management, we can help. With our free USDOT number filing, application amendments, operating authority filings, and various biennial update solutions designed to fit your needs, you’ll never have to worry about making a clerical error that puts your trucks at the roadside for days or weeks.

The FMCSA Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse is a secure federal database that tracks drug and alcohol program violations for all CDL drivers. Compliance is mandatory. Employers are legally required to register and use the Clearinghouse to conduct two critical checks: a detailed pre-employment query before hiring, and an annual query for every cdl driver on their roster.

We simplify this entire process. Our services include initial account registration for employers, owner-operators, and drivers, as well as complete management of your mandatory queries. We ensure you meet all requirements, keeping your drivers safe and qualified while protecting you from significant non-compliance fines.

You are required to have an IFTA license and display the decals if your commercial vehicle travels through two or more member jurisdictions (U.S. states or Canadian provinces) and is considered a "qualified motor vehicle." This generally includes any vehicle with a gross weight over 26,000 pounds or one that has three or more axles. Carriers must submit a fuel tax report every quarter, which calculates the taxes owed or refunded based on the miles driven and fuel purchased in each jurisdiction. This process can be complex, and failure to file correctly can lead to significant penalties.

Managing IFTA compliance is a time-consuming burden that many carriers struggle with. TIPS offers a complete solution by handling your initial IFTA registration from start to finish, ensuring you receive your license and decals without delay. For quarterly reports, just send us your mileage and fuel records, and our team will prepare and file your returns accurately and on time. Let us handle the paperwork so you can keep your eyes on the road.

Yes, TIPS expertly manages all state-specific mileage tax or heavy use tax permits to ensure your fleet remains compliant. That includes New York HUT, KYU Number, and the Weight & Distance permits for Connecticut, New Mexico, and Oregon. TIPS handles the entire registration process, which can be both complex and time consuming.

Our comprehensive services cover every step, from initial account registration and securing the necessary permits and decals to the accurate, on-time filing of all periodic mileage tax returns. By entrusting your HUT and Weight & Distance filings to TIPS, you prevent costly penalties, eliminate complex paperwork, and ensure your vehicles can operate without interruption across all required jurisdictions.

A BOC-3 is a federal filing that designates process agents in every state where you operate. These agents are essentially your legal representatives who can receive court papers, lawsuits, and other legal documents on your behalf. Without this filing, FMCSA won't grant you operating authority. Think of it as your legal safety net - ensuring you never miss important legal notices that could affect your business.

Every driver qualification file needs to be complete with several key documents. You'll need the driver's employment application, their Motor Vehicle Record from every state where they've held a license, and verification of their previous 3 years of employment (including safety performance history from any DOT-regulated employers). Don't forget the road test certificate or a copy of their valid CDL, their medical examiner's certificate, and annual reviews of their driving record. Incomplete Driver Qualification Files are a common cause for failing a safety audit, so don’t take shortcuts - accuracy matters!

An Electronic Logging Device (ELD) is technology that automatically records a driver's driving time and other hours-of-service records. It connects to your vehicle's engine to track when the engine is running, when the vehicle is moving, miles driven, and how long the engine operates. If you're currently required to keep paper logs (records of duty status), you need an ELD. The main exceptions are drivers who keep logs no more than 8 days in any 30-day period, those driving vehicles made before 2000, driveaway-towaway drivers, and drivers using the timecard exception.

Getting started with us is easy! You can contact us through the form on our website, give us a call at (208) 278-6722, or send us a text message to (208) 398-0635 and let us know how we can help.

You’ll be contacted quickly by one of the transportation compliance experts at TIPS. We typically begin with a brief consultation to understand your specific needs and then propose a plan of action tailored to your business.

During our time in the industry, we’ve trained and ran entire teams of experts who assist thousands of transportation companies like yours every day, and at TIPS we pride ourselves on providing a distilled, expert, personalized service. We understand the complexities of DOT regulations and the challenges trucking companies face.

We aim to be your trusted partners, offering proactive solutions and dedicated support to simplify your compliance burden, reduce your risk, and allow you to focus on running a successful and safe operation.

At TIPS, we believe that expert service requires a personal relationship, not an impersonal support queue. When you partner with us, you work closely with a single, vetted expert who understands the specific needs of your business, your fleet, and your operational history.

You can be confident that when you call or email, you are reaching someone who is already familiar with your account and is empowered to provide immediate, accurate answers. We act as a true partner, proactively managing your compliance needs and offering strategic advice. This allows you to get the resolutions you need, when you need them.

At TIPS, we take a proactive approach to compliance management. We monitor all your compliance deadlines so nothing falls through the cracks. When regulations change - and they do frequently - we make sure you understand how it affects your operation. We help prepare and file required documents, conduct pre-audit reviews to catch issues before DOT does, and develop corrective action plans if problems arise. With a dedicated compliance specialist who knows your business, you get personalized support instead of generic advice. Let us handle the complex compliance requirements so you can focus on your business, not paperwork.

Once you start working with one of the experts at TIPS, the process is incredibly straightforward. Depending on the filings, registrations, or assistance you need, we’ll let you know if we need any additional information from you to proceed, then we get to work. As we make progress on getting your business into compliance with state & federal regulations, we update you every step of the way to keep you informed and let you know what you can expect next. As each service is complete, you receive confirmations and supporting documents that you may keep for your records, especially those required during the time of your Safety Audit or any inspections down the road.

We believe in transparent pricing that directly reflects the value and services your business needs. Because no two fleets are exactly alike, we create customized proposals tailored to your specific operational requirements. Our pricing is always based on the specific services you require to comply with state & federal regulations - no bogus ‘maintenance’ or ‘consultation’ fees. You only pay for what you need.

Before moving forward with TIPS, you’ll be provided with an itemized invoice that lists each service, with a clear description, price, and quantity (when applicable). While many of the services we offer are considered one-time purchases, some ongoing programs, including our Drug and Alcohol consortium, include an annual cost to maintain enrollment in the consortium. All of this information will be clearly provided and explained to you before you decide to start working with us.