5 Safety Practices That Matter

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Treat Fatigue Management Like a Policy, Not a Reminder

The numbers on driver fatigue are hard to ignore. FMCSA data shows driver fatigue plays a role in at least 13% of all commercial truck crashes. That figure is widely considered an undercount, since fatigue often goes unclassified at the scene. Some research puts the true contribution closer to 40%. What’s not in dispute: fatigue dramatically slows reaction times, impairs judgment, and increases the likelihood of a fatal outcome when something goes wrong.

For drivers, this means actually using your off-duty hours rather than pushing through fatigue to hit a delivery window. The long-term cost of a crash far exceeds any short-term gain from running tired. For fleets, this means building systems, not just policies. Use your ELD data to monitor hours proactively and flag drivers approaching their limits before they get there. If your dispatchers are routinely scheduling loads that require drivers to run close to 11-hour limit, that’s a systemic problem, not a driver problem.

FMCSA’s new HOS pilot programs signal that even the regulator acknowledges rigid scheduling can work against safety. Pay attention to how those pilots develop; they may create new flexibility you can use to structure safer schedules for your drivers.

• Flag driver approaching HOS limits before they hit them, not after
• Build buffer time into load planning, especially for overnight routes
• Treat fatigue-related close calls the same way you’d treat an actual incident 

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Verify Your ELD is Still on the Approved List

In February 2026, FMCSA removed nine ELDs from its registered device list. Carriers using those units had until April 14 to switch, a 60-day grace period that’s now expired. If you missed it, you’re operating as though you have no ELD at all, which opens you up to out-of-service orders at the roadside and civil penalties that can reach up to $15,846 per violation depending on the circumstances.

This isn’t a one-time concern. FMCSA has been removing devices at an increasing pace in 2026 and doesn’t always send direct notice to individual carriers. The registered ELD list at fmcsa.dot.gov is the authoritative source; check your device against it monthly, not annually. If your device is removed, don’t wait for a roadside inspection to find out.

It’s also worth noting that this year’s CVSA Roadcheck specifically targeted ELD tampering and falsification. Falsification of records of duty status was the second most-cited driver violation in the entire 2025 FMCSA enforcement dataset, with 58,382 violations logged. Inspectors are trained to look for altered or inaccurate entries; this is not the place to cut corners.

• Check your device at eld.fmcsa.dot.gov monthly 
• If your device is removed, switch to paper logs immediately and source a replacement 
• Train drivers on accurate log entry, data errors, and intentional falsification are treated similarly by inspectors

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Don’t Get Caught Off Guard by CVSA Roadcheck

The 2025 CVSA International Roadcheck produced 56,178 inspections across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. The result: 18.1% of vehicles inspected were placed out of service on the spot. That’s nearly one in five trucks. Brake system issues alone accounted for more than 40% of vehicle out-of-service violations. Tires were the second most-cited category at 21.4%.

An out-of-service order doesn’t just mean a fine. It means your truck can’t move until the violation is corrected. This means delayed freight, roadside service costs, and the violation sitting on your safety record affecting your CSA scores for the next 24 months. The math on not preparing doesn’t work in your favor.

The focus areas for Roadcheck are published months in advance. This year, it was ELD tampering and cargo securement. In 2025, it was tires and false records of duty status. Use those published focus areas to run targeted audits of your fleet before the window opens each May. And don’t stop there: brakes, lights, and coupling devices are flagged at nearly every event, regardless of the stated focus.

• Run pre-trip and post-trip inspections daily, not just before Roadcheck
• Use the annual CVSA focus areas to prioritize your fleet audit schedule
• Address brake and tire wear proactively; they top the violation list every single year
• Violations from Roadcheck carry the same weight as any other DOT inspection in your CSA scores

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Build Driver Coaching into Your Culture

Onboarding training is table stakes. What separates fleets with strong safety records from those that struggle isn’t what they teach drivers on day one; it’s what they do on day 90, day 180, and day 365. ATRI has made structured driver coaching a core research area for 2026, and the evidence increasingly points to continuous, feedback-driven coaching as a meaningful lever for reducing incidents.

The most effective programs share a few traits: they’re tied to real data (dashcam footage, telematics events, inspection results), they happen regularly rather than reactively, and they treat safety conversation as a normal part of the driver-fleet relationship rather than a disciplinary event. Drivers who feel coached rather than monitored are more likely to internalize safe behaviors rather than game the system.

If you’re running dashcams, use the footage. If your ELD system flags harsh braking or speeding events, review them. If a driver had a close call at inspection, debrief it. The goal is to create a feedback loop where your drivers are improving continuously, not just avoiding getting caught.

• Tie coaching sessions to real telematics data and dashcam events, not generic checklists 
• Schedule recurring one-on-ones with drivers to review their safety data
• Treat near-misses and inspection flags as coaching opportunities, not disciplinary triggers 
• Recognize drivers with strong safety records, and positive reinforcement works

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Check Your Safety Score Before Someone Else Does

Your CSA scores are visible to shippers, brokers, and insurers, not just regulators. A score that’s trending in the wrong direction affects who will work with you and at what cost. Errors in your safety record make that worse, and they happen more often than most carriers realize. A crash or inspection that was incorrectly recorded, attributed to the wrong carrier, or never corrected after a challenge can sit in your record, dragging your score down indefinitely.

FMCSA’s updated DataQs program now requires states to meet strict turnaround deadlines and go through a three-step independent review when a carrier disputes a record. That’s a real improvement, but it only helps you if you’re actually monitoring your record and initiating challenges when you find errors. A quarterly review of your CSA BASICs and DATAQs history should be standard operating procedure for any carrier that cares about their profile.

Beyond corrections, understand how your violations are weighted. Out-of-service violations carry significantly higher severity scores than non-OOS findings. Multiple violations carry significantly higher severity scores than non-OOS findings. Multiple violations from a single inspection are assessed separately and combined. Knowing which violations are hurting you the most helps you prioritize where to focus your compliance efforts.

• Review your CSA BASIC scores quarterly at safer.fmcsa.dot.gov
• Check for data errors and initiate DataQs challenges promptly; disputes have deadlines
• Understand the severity weighting of your violations so you know where to focus
• Keep documentation of corrected violations in case a challenge is needed later

Why This Matters for Your Insurance 

Your safety record isn’t just a compliance issue; it directly shapes your premiums, your coverage options, and your ability to find capacity in a tightening market. Carriers with strong CSA scores and clean inspection histories are better positioned at renewal, in claims situations, and when shopping for coverage after a change in operations.

The inverse is also true. Carriers with deteriorating safety profiles face higher premiums, the most restrictive policy terms, and, in some cases, difficulty finding coverage at all. The work you put into safety and compliance is, in a very direct sense, work you’re putting into the financial health of your business.

At Marquee Insurance Group, we work with trucking operations of all sizes to make sure your coverage reflects that work, and to help you understand how your safety profiles affect your options before renewal season forces the conversation. Questions about your safety profile affect your coverage? Talk to MIG today.