Safety, without the fleet-safety-manager budget

Small carriers do not have a safety director on payroll. The owner-operator is the safety director, the dispatcher, and the driver. The trade-off is that a 1-5 truck operation cannot afford the bureaucracy of fleet-safety-team policies, and most off-the-shelf safety programs assume a fleet that does. The materials here are scoped to the operator who has to do the safety job alongside everything else.

Two things drive the most preventable losses on a small fleet: cargo securement violations at roadside inspections, and load-evaluation mistakes that put the driver in unsafe situations to begin with. The articles and references in this category address both.

Coming soon

Coming Soon

Cargo Securement Quick Reference

The 49 CFR 393 securement rules condensed onto one card per cargo type. Print, laminate, ride along.

Coming Soon

Monthly Safety Meeting Outline

Twelve agenda templates, one per month, covering the topics inspectors and insurers expect documented.

Coming Soon

Post-Trip Inspection Routine

The five-minute walkaround that catches issues before the next pre-trip and keeps DVIR records honest.

Related articles

Operations

The Load You Should NOT Take

Reading rate sheets like a veteran. The math behind passing on cheap freight without losing your dispatch.

Drafting
Compliance

Why Your First DOT Audit Will Not Go Well

The three findings that fail audits, the binder structure auditors expect, and how to prep without panic.

Drafting
Operations

What Goes in a Post-Accident Reporting File

The documents your insurer, attorney, and DOT post-accident investigator will all ask for.

Drafting

Related categories

Accident & Incident Response

Field checklists and forms for the first hour after a CMV accident or roadside incident.

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DOT/FMCSA Compliance

Audit prep binders, DQ files, hours of service references, and new entrant audit guidance.

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Maintenance Records

PM schedules, DVIR templates, repair logs, and tire and brake tracking spreadsheets.

View Resources →