CPO Consulting, LLC

09/02/2026

FMCSA has intensified its enforcement of entry-level driver training and CDL testing requirements.

More than 110 training providers are being removed from the Training Provider Registry, with over 160 additional removals proposed following nationwide investigations.

This is not a new regulation, and provider removal does not automatically invalidate every former student’s training certification or CDL. However, carriers should act now:

• Confirm that any ELDT provider currently used remains registered.
• Review training documentation for recently hired drivers.
• Investigate inconsistencies involving CDLs, medical certificates, or training records.
• Do not automatically disqualify drivers without an official licensing or FMCSA action.

Carriers must also watch for further FMCSA action. If the agency identifies affected drivers, invalidates training certifications, removes additional providers, or directs state licensing agencies to review CDL issuances, carriers may need to conduct immediate qualification reviews. A driver whose CDL is cancelled, downgraded, or otherwise invalid cannot continue operating a commercial motor vehicle requiring that license.

The message is straightforward: training-provider due diligence is now an important part of fraud-resistant driver onboarding.

FMCSA announcement: https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/newsroom/us-transportation-secretary-duffy-us-homeland-security-secretary-mullin-white-house-fraud

CPO Consulting™ | Ask the Chief™

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean P. Duffy and U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin today joined Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Administrator Derek Barrs, White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud Vice Chairman Andrew Ferguson, and U.S. Attorneys Jerome Gorgon (Eastern....

08/31/2026

😱 Does this affect anyone you know?

Stay tuned, as I plan to share my thoughts on this in a future post!

08/31/2026

When does driver onboarding really begin?

The first day of orientation?

When the paperwork is signed?

When the driver gets the keys?

I believe it begins much earlier.

From the first meaningful conversation with a prospective driver, expectations are being created. The company is making representations about the job, and the driver is making representations about the professional performance the company can expect.

Those promises then have to survive a series of organizational handoffs.

My father taught me this lesson years ago through his career in sales. He viewed the customer relationship as moving through three sets of hands: the person who made the promise, the person responsible for delivering it, and the person who had to live with it afterward.

The weakness was often in the handoff.

Driver employment works remarkably the same way.

That idea is at the heart of my new CPO Consulting™ series, Promises of Performance™ — From the First Mile to the Last.

Throughout the series, we'll examine the employment relationship through a simple framework:

THE PROMISE → THE PROCESS → THE PRACTICE

What was communicated?

How did the organization translate it into expectations and preparation?

And what actually happens when the driver goes to work?

Because every handoff is a point where expectations can be preserved, clarified, or lost.

Article 1, “From Candidate to Driver: Where Successful Onboarding Really Begins,” introduces that discussion.

The goal isn't perfection. It's alignment.

Make realistic promises. Build processes capable of supporting them. Then make sure everyday practice reflects what both sides agreed to do.

Brad Redden
Founder and Chief Compliance Advisor
CPO Consulting™ | Ask the Chief™

Successful driver onboarding begins long before orientation. Article 1 of Promises of Performance™ examines how expectations move from recruiting and hiring into onboarding and daily operations, an…

08/26/2026

Thoughts? He’s got a point or two that I have to admit, I do not disagree with; however, I do not agree with his approach to the solution…

08/24/2026

A complete Driver Qualification File is important.

But a file is not a program.

Over the past eight DQ360™ articles, we have worked through the individual pieces of Driver Qualification, from the employment application and MVR to annual reviews, medical qualification, supporting records, drug and alcohol testing, and the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse.

Now we are bringing everything together.

In the ninth and final DQ360™ article — Building a Driver Qualification Program That Stands Up to Scrutiny — I look beyond individual documents and focus on the management system that produces them.

A defensible DQ program depends on leadership, written procedures, clear responsibilities, knowledgeable people, controlled workflows, reliable technology, quality review, corrective action, and evidence that explains why each qualification decision was made.

The companion DQ360™ Executive Field Guide No. 9 includes a 16-point leadership self-assessment to help carriers evaluate whether their Driver Qualification program is truly operating as a system.

Because the real test is not whether you can assemble a clean file before an audit.

It's whether your normal process produces a defensible file every day.

Not just documents. A system. Defensible. Sustainable. Audit-ready.

A compliant DQ file is only one part of a strong Driver Qualification program. The final DQ360™ article brings the entire series together into a defensible management system built around leadership…

08/23/2026

Interesting. PSP now offers updates on changes in your record once subscribed to the monitoring service.

CDL drivers, stay on top of your Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP) record with the FREE PSP monitoring service.

When you enroll, PSP monitoring automatically checks your PSP record and notifies you when changes are identified. In addition to email notifications, you can now opt in to receive text message alerts.

It’s free, optional, and an easy way to stay informed about your PSP record. See what potential employers see!

Learn more and enroll today: https://www.psp.fmcsa.dot.gov

08/21/2026

⚠️ Brake Safety Week begins August 23. Is your fleet ready?

CVSA’s Brake Safety Week runs August 23–29, 2026, with inspectors across North America placing increased attention on commercial motor vehicle brake systems.

This year’s special focus is on brake drums and rotors. Cracked, damaged, excessively worn, or poorly maintained components can reduce braking performance and may result in a vehicle being placed out of service.

Now is the time for carriers, drivers, and maintenance personnel to take a closer look:

✅ Inspect brake drums and rotors for cracks, damage, wear, and contamination
✅ Check brake adjustment and components during pre-trip and post-trip inspections
✅ Address known defects before the vehicle is dispatched
✅ Make sure drivers know what brake defects they should be looking for
✅ Review maintenance records and recurring brake issues across the fleet

Brake Safety Week should not be the reason a carrier checks its brakes.

Proper inspection and preventive maintenance should happen every day.

A roadside inspection should confirm your maintenance program is working, not reveal that it is not.

CPO Consulting™ | Ask the Chief™

08/20/2026

If you’re a MO based carrier, I recommend attending.

Join and support your state’s Trucking Association.

Looking for ways to build your safety culture? Join us Tuesday, September 1st in St. Louis as we dive in to building your company's Safety Culture through Loss Control, Safety, and Claims Management.

This is a one-day interactive seminar, presented by Alliance Interstate Risk and the Missouri Trucking Association.

Topics to be covered include:
• Building a Safety Culture in your Company
• Safety Policies, Procedures, and Compliance
• Claims Best Practices
• Willful Misconduct and Statutory Disqualifiers/Workers’ Compensation Litigation

Last change to register at the link below.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/building-blocks-of-a-safety-culture-tickets-1992935677259?aff=oddtdtcreator

08/17/2026

A complete Driver Qualification File doesn't necessarily mean you have the complete Driver Qualification picture.

Hiring and qualifying a commercial driver involves more than an application, MVR, and medical certification.

Previous employer safety-performance inquiries matter. Road testing or an allowable equivalent matters. Drug and alcohol testing requirements continue well beyond pre-employment. FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse requirements matter. And while a PSP report is voluntary, it can provide valuable insight into a prospective driver's crash and roadside inspection history.

The challenge is that these records and requirements do not necessarily live in the same file — or even within the same compliance system.

But ultimately, they must support one decision: Is this driver qualified and ready to perform the work?

In DQ360™ Article No. 8 — Supporting Documentation: Completing the Driver Qualification Picture, I examine the records and compliance processes surrounding the traditional DQ file, including:

• Previous employer inquiries.
• Road testing and allowable equivalents
• PSP reports.
• Pre-employment, random, post-accident, and reasonable-suspicion drug and alcohol testing requirements.
• Return-to-duty and follow-up testing (if applicable).
• FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse requirements.
• CDL, licensing, and other supporting qualification records.

The companion DQ360™ Executive Field Guide No. 8 is also available as a complimentary download for transportation leaders who want a concise way to evaluate whether their organization's qualification processes are actually working together.

Separate records. One release-to-duty decision.

Is your organization managing the complete Driver Qualification picture — or just the DQ file?

A complete Driver Qualification File does not necessarily mean a CDL driver is ready for safety-sensitive work. DQ360™ Article No. 8 examines drug and alcohol testing requirements, FMCSA Clearingho…

08/14/2026

⚠️ FMCSA is proposing to formally make failure to meet the English-language proficiency requirement an out-of-service violation.

The English requirement itself is not new. Under 49 CFR 391.11(b)(2), commercial drivers must be able to read and speak English well enough to communicate with officials, understand highway signs and signals, answer questions, and complete required records.

The proposed rule would formally place the out-of-service consequence into the federal regulations and align it with current roadside enforcement criteria.

For carriers, the takeaway is straightforward:

Do not assume a driver meets the requirement simply because they hold a CDL.

Driver qualification should include a practical assessment of whether the driver can communicate effectively during a roadside inspection and understand the signs and instructions they will encounter on the road.

Could every driver in your fleet pass that test today?