The Safety Management Cycle (SMC) is a resource for carriers and drivers as well as enforcement to help identify and address the root cause for safety and compliance issues. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) recently released a series of SMCs tailored to each Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category (BASIC), with the end goal of helping carriers find ways to reduce or eliminate violations by establishing and improving their safety management controls.

The SMC for the Hours-of-Service (HOS) Compliance BASIC provides potential actions carriers can take to improve their HOS compliance. These actions are divided into six key process areas: roles and responsibilities, policies and procedures, qualification and hiring, training and communication, monitoring and tracking, and meaningful action. For example, during the hiring process, a carrier should make sure a driver has the necessary skills for the job, including sufficient planning skills to know when to drive and when to stop, basic mathematical skills to calculate their hours and miles, and good organizational skills to keep each Record of Duty Status up-to-date.

Explore these and other important tips in the SMC for the HOS Compliance BASIC available from the CSA Website’s SMC webpage. Also, make sure you review the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations to ensure you operate in full compliance of all current safety standards.