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Hello companions in the transportation industry! Wishing all of you success in the administration of your business and lots of profit. Here I am with my monthly article that I gladly put together for you. I hope that you find the information helpful and insightful.
Very well, you received a notice advising you that you have been scheduled to be audited. As a result you break out in a sweat, fear and anxiety. If that's the case, that's perhaps you are unaware that audits are part of the law in the transportation industry to verify that your business is following all of the rules of the transportation department. Some of the agencies that can issue an audit are: DMV, USDOT, IRS, State Board of Equalization, CHP and also your very own insurance company. As you can see, you can have several different audits, so prepare yourself in case the day comes that you receive an audit notice from any of these departments. You will have all of your documents in order.
First are foremost, do not get scared and do not do things that may be viewed as odd. Also, try to keep it private. If you begin to tell people they may unknowingly give you bad advice and as a result, you will become even more concerned. The best thing to do is to read the letter, verify that it is your permits and call the number on the letter to verify that this letter is from a legitimate source. Or you may also call me to make an appointment and ill check the letter for you and make sure that the letter is an original or if it's a letter from a permit company because often times the letters look very similar, but have nothing to do with any of the transportation agencies. The majority of the letters from legitimate agencies do not ask for you to send money, they are just advising of the audit and possibly asking for you to get in contact with them.
Be careful if you receive a second of final notice to make a payment. Generally these letters are from permit agencies and not transportation federal agencies.
Now, when you have been issued an audit, it is a good opportunity for you to learn how to inform yourself of all of the prerequisites. Because if you remember when you first went to obtain your permits at the different agencies that you visited, the only thing that was told to you was to sign your name on the X and we'll take care of the rest. And then after a year some of the permits had to be renewed, which you were not aware of. Which is then followed by letters of cancellation, or worse, you get stopped at an inspection site and you get placed on out-of-service. All because you were not properly informed. The girl at the office that assisted you was very pretty, but she has no idea of all the problems that you will go through throughout the year. The education and information are part of your responsibility and of your business. Never sign anything until it is explained thoroughly to you. The clients that I advise on a frequent basis, bring me letters and reports and I explain the how much, how, where and why and for what they need the permits, registration and insurance. Other clients tell me, "I'm scheduled to be audited of a permit that I never requested to have issued, but was issued in case he needed the permit for future use. Please go and do what your friend, your mechanic, the guy at the yard, and what the dispatcher told you to do. They each have a specific job, but they are not fully aware of the transportation requirements.
Going back to the audit that has been scheduled for you. You need to have a good organized filing system of your documents of each department. I will now mention some of the documents that may be asked of you:
#1. Truck registration
#2. Insurance
#3. Drivers license and class
#4. Annual and quarterly inspections
#5. Medical card
#6. Your drugs and alcohol exam clearance
#7. Diesel receipts
#8. Copies of the load you just took care of
#9. Your log book (s)
#10. IFTA reports
#11. Your DMV driving record
#12. Driver application
call 562-314-5399 - Gilberto Garcia personal assessment
These are a some of the documents that you will have to provide in case of an audit with CHP and USDOT. Other agencies will most likely ask for other documents or reposts, such as, mileage per state report, mileage reported to DMV, ect.
I leave you and advice you to have a good filing system of all of your documents. If you need help, please call me and I will gladly assist you.
My monthly motivation: your success is not based on someone else, it is based on your attitude. From the time when you wake up in the morning to go to work, to how you say bye to your family. Your success arrives, depending on your preparation. Your efficient work, your daily learning techniques, having a positive mindset, in spite of daily problems that may arise. Life always offers a new day, that is called today. I invite you to have a conversation with me and I will proof to you your capacity and you will realize that you don't have that many problems, complaints or lack of information.
The majority of the communication among drivers in the industry is very negative, and they rarely help out each other. Today is the first day of the rest of your life. You can make a change. Find the best in you; your passion in your job, your efficiency, your work system, polish your mind to be more positive with the industry. Until next time.
