MVR Monitoring and CAT: Addressing Violations Before They Become Serious

It’s the surprise no motor carrier wants – discovering that over the past few months one of the carrier’s drivers received several citations for traffic violations and is close to having their commercial driver’s license (CDL) suspended.

This type of discovery puts the motor carrier into a situation that cannot be ignored. It must be addressed.

How the motor carrier addresses this issue is critical, as it could be the difference when it comes to preventing violations, incidents, accidents, increases in insurance premiums, and potential litigation.

Though the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) only require a yearly review of a driver’s a motor vehicle record (MVR), the motor carrier should be reviewing their drivers’ MVRs on a more frequent basis.

In addition to frequent MVR reviews, the carrier should have a policy that requires drivers to report driving violations when they occur. 

When violations happen or are discovered, the motor carrier should provide corrective action training (CAT).

Sometimes referred to as remedial training, CAT is a brief, targeted training session focused on an individual driver in response to an accident, violation, or complaint.

The goal of CAT is to address and correct a minor issue, problem, or bad habit when it first occurs – before it escalates into something major that could lead to a serious situation.

Total time of instruction should be no more that 5 to 10 minutes in duration and instruction should be focused on the specific problem area. Instruction should occur as soon as possible following the incident that triggered the need for training.

The goal is to send a message to drivers that the motor carrier is serious about safety and compliance and that correction of incorrect or unsafe practices is necessary.

Once training is completed, the driver should continue to be monitored to verify that CAT is working. This lets the driver know the company is serious about safety and provides proof that there is a change in driver behavior. This could prove vital if the driver is involved in a related accident or incident later on.