Mock DOT Audit Help in Nebraska

Farm, grain and livestock hauling

Grain, feed and hay and livestock are both among the top cargo types in the Nebraska records, next to general freight, construction and building materials. Our carrier directory lists about 29,140 carrier records with a Nebraska address. About 19,140 are marked as private carriers and about 12,460 as for-hire, with some records capable of reflecting more than one operating classification.

Agricultural trucking can involve exemptions that deserve close review rather than assumptions. Under the federal agricultural commodity hours-of-service provisions, qualifying transportation can be exempt from HOS requirements within a 150 air-mile radius from the source during planting and harvesting periods determined by the state. When an operation extends beyond the exempt area, the applicable HOS rules come back into play outside that area.

A mock audit should verify the source point, commodity, distance, time period and other facts supporting any agricultural exemption being used. Covered farm vehicle and other agricultural exceptions have their own conditions, so the file should show why an exemption applies rather than simply labeling a driver or trip “farm exempt.”

Where Nebraska fleets should look closely

About 14,570 of the Nebraska records show a single power unit, and only about 1,190 show ten or more. In a small operation, compliance may sit with the owner, dispatcher or office manager rather than a dedicated safety department. A useful mock audit should therefore test areas such as:

• Driver qualification files for regular, seasonal and family-member drivers, including required applications, driving-record inquiries and qualification documentation
• Part 382 drug and alcohol testing for covered CDL drivers, including random testing and Clearinghouse compliance
• Periodic inspections, maintenance and repair records for trucks and trailers, including equipment used only during part of the year
• Hours-of-service records and any claimed short-haul, agricultural or ELD exceptions
• Hazardous-materials requirements where applicable, particularly for the roughly 1,890 Nebraska records flagged for hazmat

A mock audit is not an FMCSA audit. It does not issue a federal safety rating, satisfy a New Entrant Safety Audit or replace a compliance investigation. The useful product is a written list of findings that identifies the record or practice involved, the applicable requirement and the corrective action needed.

Getting the most from the review

For an agricultural operation, it can make sense to conduct the review when staff have time to produce records while still sampling documents from planting or harvest. Ask the reviewer to test the period when the operation was busiest, because that is often when exemptions were being used and recordkeeping was under the most pressure.

Have the driver roster, vehicle list, driver qualification records, HOS records or exemption support, Part 382 files, maintenance records and other applicable registration or insurance documents available. Ask whether the provider has reviewed agricultural or livestock operations, whether the work is remote or onsite, what period will be sampled and whether findings will identify the applicable regulation.

Omaha carriers can go to mock DOT audit help in Omaha. If testing and queries are the weak point, see DOT Clearinghouse compliance help in Nebraska. You can also read about the mock DOT audit service nationally or browse all DOT compliance services in Nebraska.