Safety ratings for motor carriers

What are the three safety ratings a motor carrier can get?

Motor carriers are subject to a lot of regulations, something that anyone who’s spent in the trucking world knows all too well. The FMCSA regulates commercial motor vehicles, and motor carriers have to comply with relevant laws and regulations. A lot of questions can come out of these regulations, and one question motor carriers might be is what safety ratings from on-site investigations are and what they mean. We’ll explain.

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Landscaper insurance

How to get landscaper insurance

Being a landscaper can mean days full of surprises and risks. Between the various sizes of equipment and wide scopes of work, you know that there’s more to keeping a green space prim and proper than just handling some shears. You’ll also need to keep your professional materials properly protected. Yet, it can be tough to know where to start your landscaper insurance search. So, here’s a quick guide to getting the right insurance for your landscaping business.

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Hazardous Materials Compliance BASIC

What’s the Hazardous Materials Compliance BASIC?

The FMCSA’s goal is to make the roads safer – they regulate the trucking industry with safety as a top priority. Trucks are subject to many different laws, regulations, and requirements. Inspections can be stressful, but they are inevitable. Trucking safety is important, and that includes the proper handling of hazardous materials. That’s why there’s an entire BASIC (Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category) about it, and it’s called, unsurprisingly, the Hazardous Materials Compliance BASIC. We’ll go over what you need to know about this particular BASIC.

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Owner-operators

Working with owner-operators as a motor carrier

If you’re a motor carrier, you probably work with owner-operators. They’re an essential part of the trucking world. (You could even say that they’re a cog in the machine that keeps the transportation industry running smoothly.) But though they make the world go round, owner-operators can be an issue for you as a motor carrier if they start affecting your insurance rates. The questions are why they can negatively impact your rates and what you should consider when you partner with owner-operators. 

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Unsafe Driving BASIC

What is the Unsafe Driving BASIC?

When it comes to driving a commercial motor vehicle, it’s important to operate the vehicle in the safest manner possible. Drivers need to be very careful as they drive, as the FMCSA takes safety seriously. There are seven categories called the BASICs (Behavioral Analysis and Safety Improvement Category). One of those BASICs is called the Unsafe Driving BASIC, and it’s definitely a very important one. We’ll explain what this BASIC covers and how you can improve.

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Get contractor insurance

How to get contractor insurance

Whether you’re a 1099 worker or you own your own contracting company, you know that there are tons of risks to worry about in your industry. There are also tons of regulations and expectations from your customers that you have to follow. One way you can put regulators and customers at ease is with the right insurance. But navigating contractors’ insurance can be tough and time-consuming, especially with such a busy schedule. So, here are some tips on how to get the best contractor insurance for your business.

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How to improve in the Vehicle Maintenance BASIC

How to improve in the Vehicle Maintenance BASIC

The trucking world comes with a lot of regulations, especially when it comes to maintaining the truck itself. You and your drivers need to make sure you’re taking care of your vehicles and following all relevant federal regulations. There is even an FMCSA BASIC Category (Behavioral Analysis and Safety Improvement Category) called Vehicle Maintenance. We’re going to go over what the Vehicle Maintenance BASIC is and how you can improve in this category.

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US DOT Number

Your DOT Number matters

Truck businesses with clean loss records might wonder why their insurance costs so much. Maybe there aren’t any speeding tickets accidents on your record, but you’re still seeing rates that are higher than what they could be. Your DOT Number might be the reason why. Your business’s DOT Number keeps track of violations you have received, which can hurt your insurance situation. Your DOT Number has a big effect on your insurance rates.

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Alabama Slow Down, Move Over rally

Attending the Slow Down, Move Over rally in Alabama

At the invitation of Wes Passmore, operator of Classic Towing and Recovery, I attended the Slow Down, Move Over rally in Hueytown, Alabama. The rally was held to bring awareness to the dangers of being a tow operator on the side of the road in traffic. Though there are state laws requiring drivers to slow down and move over for emergency vehicles, plenty of drivers don’t. That results in tow operators getting injured and even killed while they’re working on the side of the road.

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Women in trucking

Women in trucking: How can you hire more women truck drivers?

The trucking industry has been facing a truck driver shortage, and some have proposed that hiring more women could be part of the solution to the problem. But despite the fact that there’s definitely room for more women in trucking, it can be difficult to persuade more women to become truck drivers. We’ll go over some of the obstacles that prevent women from entering the industry, and we’ll also go over some tips for truck companies to keep in mind if they want to hire more women.

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