To ensure safe driving standards for truckers across the country, the FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Association) runs occasional risk assessments. Whether due to an increase in trucking accidents or poor employee performances, failing a DOT (Department of Transportation) safety audit means that you must create and submit a corrective action process to the FMCSA. Learn what to do if you receive an audit failure notice and how to write a corrective action plan.
When you fail a safety audit, FMCSA sends out a letter telling you the details of your failure, including:
Upon receiving a Safety Audit failure letter, your next step consists of submitting a time-bound corrective action plan. This measure can confuse many trucking companies, especially if you’ve never had this problem happen before. These three steps help describe how to write a corrective action plan and what occurs after submission.
Examine the letter you’ve received and note all violations listed. Each violation requires you to come up with a plan of correction, including the performance of a root cause analysis to understand what occurred and why. Once you discover the causes of your violations, design a program, system, or other process that allows you to correct these issues.
You’ll need to write an official CAP (Corrective Action Plan) to send to the FMCSA within their allotted time limit so you can retain your registration . Your CAP should show that:
After you have your CAP completed, you need to submit it to the FMCSA. With your CAP, you should include:
The FMCSA will let you know whether they accept your CAP or not by mail. Acceptance typically allows you to continue operations as normal, while no acceptance means you should continue working on your CAP until you get it right.
When you need help on how to write a corrective action plan, you can stay compliant by working with FMCA Filings. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you with your CAP.
