The top violations discovered during reviews are included in A & I Online’s yearly summaries.

The top five acute regulations in CY 2020 reflected DOT testing and CDL license violations:

Rank Violation
1. Allowing driver to drive with suspended/revoked/etc. CDL (383.37A)
2. Failing to implement an alcohol and/or drug testing program (382.115A)
3. Failing to implement random controlled substance or alcohol testing program (382.305)
4. Allowing driver with more than one CDL to drive a CMV (383.37B)
5. Failing to randomly test for drugs and/or alcohol (382.3052)

Noncompliance with a single acute regulation is considered a serious violation. Noncompliance is so severe that it requires immediate corrective actions by a motor carrier.

The top five critical regulations in CY 2020 included several violation types, with the top two violations falling under hours of service:

Rank Violation
1. Not using the appropriate method to record hours of service (395.8A1)
2. False reports of records-of-duty status (395.8E1)
3. Inquiries into driving record are not kept in DQ file (391.51B2)
4. Using a CMV that is not periodically inspected (396.17A)
5. Using a driver before receiving a pre-employment result (382.301A)

Critical regulations are identified as those where noncompliance relates to a breakdown in a carrier’s management controls. A pattern of noncompliance will affect a carrier’s safety rating.

A pattern of noncompliance is considered more than one violation. When several documents are reviewed, the number of violations required to meet a pattern of noncompliance is equal to at least ten percent of those examined.