Calm down. It's just another DOT Inspection...

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) put Vermont-based Land Air Express out of service. It is being reported as possibly the largest trucking company shut down ever conducted by the agency.

According to a statement from the FMCSA, Land Air Express received notice of an unsatisfactory safety rating in late October 2015. The FMCSA gave the company 60 days to either submit a plan to increase safety or appeal the rating. Land Air Express failed to act within the allotted 60 days, as a result the company was placed out of service on December 29, 2015.

The good news for Land Air Express is that they are back in operation as of January 7, 2016. They agreed to a safety management plan and close oversight by the FMCSA over the next two years.

Land Air Express was only out of operation just over a week. During that time they were dropped by The Reliance Network (TRNet), a consortium of regional less-than-truckload (LTL) carriers, and many shippers moved freight to rival carriers since the shutdown. Land Air Express has now closed at least two locations, parked some trucks, and laid off some employees. The company is back in operation but seeking “emergency funding” to keep the doors open. WOW, that was a costly week or so!

How comfortable are you with your company’s DOT Program?

Let’s face it; a company has to rack up a long list of violations for a DOT inspection to result in the company being shut down. However, single commercial motor vehicles and drivers are placed Out Of Service (OOS) every day. What would be the direct impact on your operation if just one of your commercial motor vehicles and/or drivers was placed OOS while in route to a customer?

For most companies, the cost of even a single vehicle being parked is HUGE!

Land Air Express’ lesson is an expensive lesson we all can learn from. If you have concerns or questions about your DOT Program contact YDE today.

[email protected] or (419) 699 – 3718

“Let’s Not Meet By Accident!”