California is one of the largest states in the US. It is a very densely populated country, which leads us to estimate the presence of a large industry as prevalent as the transport industry. It is very competitive to start a trucking business in California and keep it in the marketplace.
It’s no wonder businesses fail at the entry level because of a lack of attention to detail. For example, they failed to register their truck for a CA DOT, which is no exception for any carrier company.
If you’re newer to the business and want to know what you can do to excel at it and take your company to new heights, here’s what you should know.
Rules And Regulations For Truck Drivers
You cannot run a company in the US unless you follow the rules set by FMCSA. In order to gain credibility as a running company in California, you have to comply with some strict rules set by the government.
Violating any trucking rules may result in legal action against you, and may also damage your goods and equipment used to provide the service. The regulations regarding the management of trucks cover every little detail related to the respective business dealings.
Here are the rules you need to follow to run a successful trucking company.
- For every trucking company, there is service hours setting carried out by each driver or employee. You cannot instruct an employee to work longer hours than the FMCSA requires.
- If your driver manages a delivery filled with goods, he serves for 11 hours continuously only if he has worked ten consecutive hours.
- If your truck is available for public transportation, then the number of hours a driver has in that hour is a maximum of 10, considering he takes eight consecutive hours off before and after work.
- Hours of rest do not exceed the limit. It is impossible to take on more time while working for a carrier company in California.
- Hours of work may not exceed the fourteen to fifteen limit. It is against the law to order your driver to work extra hours past the clock to get off duty.
- There are also sleeping accommodation regulations that must be followed by every company. It states that you should give your drivers a place to rest after driving for consecutive hours. FMCSA enforces sleep breaks for trips that have been on routes for a long time.
- However, according a new law passed by California, companies no longer need to pay drivers for sleep breaks while on duty. It also gives drivers the flexibility to skip their breaks during work.
- All drivers you employ should be given access to a 10-minute break after four hours straight to unwind.
- For meal rules, each driver has the right to take a meal break after five consecutive hours of duty.
- Each company is responsible for any damage caused to their trucks while on the road.
- Each company also pays for accidents that their drivers get into while delivering goods.
- The FMCSA requires every trucking company to maintain their trucks regularly and provide the drivers they employ appropriate training before sending them with shipping.
Licenses And Permits For Trucks
It goes without saying that you cannot operate a carrier vehicle in the United States unless it has gone through full registration. The driver keeps complete registration records with him at all times.
To operate a truck in the US or, let alone the state of California, here are the permits you will need as a trucking company owner.
- Your driver will need a commercial driving license.
- You’ll need to get the MC numbers from the state for all your trucks.
- You must complete the unified carrier registration or UCR for your company.
- To drive your truck around the US, you will need an International Registration Plan or IRP.
- To comply with tax regulations, you must complete form 2209.
- For interstate operations, enter Form BOC-3 for your company.
To differentiate your trucking company from others, you need a SCAC by law.
