FleetCare Group Inc

PART 1
When deciding which type of haulage is right for you, there are a lot of things to think about. As a driver, you are probably looking for good pay, home time and job availability 🤔
Types of Freight to Consider:
1. Dry Van
Many truck drivers are starting to learn how to drive a dry van. Dry van drivers typically carry dry freight and a variety of non-perishable goods in 53ft trailers.
Endorsements: many dry van positions do not require endorsement but some specialized loads may require Hazmat or Doubles and Triples endorsement.
Lifestyle Fit: The dry van is a popular choice for many drivers. It's great for novice drivers because there aren't as many special considerations as for some other types of cargo. Many experienced drivers prefer the Dry Van for the same reasons - there are often many different types of freight drivers and it's a refreshing level of simplicity.

Rates per mile:
National spot rate - $2.37
Fleet Care RPM - $3.2

2. Refrigerated Freight
Refrigerated Freight, better known as re**er freight, is particularly good for drivers who already have some experience and pride themselves on their attention to detail.
Endorsements: Most refrigerated vehicle positions do not require endorsements.
Lifestyle: Refrigerated trucking is hard work, but it also pays well. Most people consider refrigerated haulage after they have a few years' experiences and are looking to diversify. Most of these jobs are regional or OTR and you will have a choice of many companies to choose from. Refrigerated truck drivers tend to work after hours, and they regularly load and drive at night.

Rates per mile:
National spot rate - $2.76
Fleet Care RPM - $3.51

New Jersey police say a tanker truck accident caused an explosion and fire early Wednesday morning.

The accident happened around 3 a.m. Nov. 3 in Manchester Township, New Jersey, according to a Manchester Police press release.

The incident began when 18-year-old Marissa Patterson was driving a 2017 Honda Civic eastbound on State Highway 37.

Around the 1.5 mile marker, the Honda hit a deer and entered the active lane of traffic.

Patterson got out of the faulty vehicle and pulled back to the curb to call police.

At that moment, a tanker truck carrying gasoline driven by Svilen Ivanov, 46, struck the Honda and then swerved into the center concrete barrier.

The truck separated from the trailer, flew over the concrete barrier and came to a stop on the west side of SH 37.

The tanker trailer overturned in the eastbound lane of SH 37, causing gasoline to spill and explode.

According to police, the explosion ignited both lanes of the roadway, compromised its integrity, and damaged nearby businesses and an adjacent wooded area.

Although no one was injured, Ivanov was taken to the hospital as a precaution.

Manchester police continue to investigate the accident.

Source: cdllife.com

📑 Broker-carrier agreements

Once you have a driver to haul the shipper's freight and agree on the rate, the broker-carrier agreement is created.

Broker-carrier agreements document the obligations (requirements), consideration (rates and fees), and the capacity (qualifications and abilities of the parties).

📑 Cargo Confirmation

The shipment confirmation form includes information such as the address and hours of operation of delivery locations, as well as information about who will receive the shipment after delivery. It also includes information about the cargo and shipping equipment.

📑 Rate Confirmation

The freight rate confirmation ensures that all parties understand the financial arrangements. Shippers, carriers, and brokers can be parties to a rate confirmation agreement that lists the freight rates and any additional charges.

📑 Additional charges

Carriers may be entitled to other charges for shipping in addition to the rate confirmation. For example, if carriers perform tasks other than pickup and delivery, this is considered an additional expense and must be specified in the freight broker agreements.

📑 Bill of Lading

A bill of lading is a legally binding agreement that provides drivers and carriers with the detailed information needed to process and bill for the shipment.

📑 Contracts of Choice

When a broker, shipper or carrier is given "optional" status, it can include additional terms or benefits in the contract. For example, the contract may require a commitment to a certain predetermined volume of cargo. An "opt-in" contract may also give preference to drivers, allowing them to skip ahead of others when they arrive at their destination.

1. Presenting evidence in truck accidents
Truck accidents are one of the most common reasons why trucking companies purchase surveillance cameras for their commercial vehicles.

If your trucks or semi-trucks are involved in accidents, one of the first things you want to determine is whether your vehicle was completely, partially or not at fault.
With surveillance footage, you can easily identify the responsible party.

2. use them for training and practice
Use dash cameras to better train your drivers and improve the safety of your fleet.

Dash cameras can help you monitor rookie drivers or those you are training to drive. It makes driver training much easier.

You can see exactly what your driver sees behind the wheel - even when you're not physically present in the truck next to him or her. From the recorded session, you can identify the driver's erroneous habits.

Truck surveillance videos will ensure that your driver training sessions are based on real footage and reliable data, not assumptions.

3. motivation and incentives for safe driving
Dash cams can also motivate truck drivers to drive safer.

The safest commercial drivers in your fleet should receive recognition and other incentives. Not only will this help increase driver happiness and retention rates, but it will also encourage other drivers to drive safer on the road.

Examples of incentives could be quarterly bonuses, awards for drivers as the best driver of the month, and other performance-based incentives.

4. Increasing the chances of lower insurance premium rates
Installing dash cameras lets insurance companies know that you care seriously about the safety of your trucks and fleet. Dash cam technology helps improve driver behavior and fleet safety, and reduces the likelihood of accidents.

As a result, some insurance companies offer discounts and lower premiums if you install dash cameras for trucks or semi-trucks.

📌 Optimize trailer tracking.

Not so long ago, trailers had to be tracked by eye and counted manually. If trailers were on the road, fleet managers had to track them via radio or phone calls. It could take days to find a missing trailer and hope it wasn't lost. Trailers in the yard had to be accounted for manually.

📌 Security and recovery of stolen property.

With a good GPS asset tracking system, the fleet manager could know where each trailer was at all times. Assets stop disappearing. Wherever they are - on the road or in the yard - they can be located instantly. This provides much greater security.

📌 Trace trailers in transit.

In addition to safety, fleets can save significant time and resources by being able to track trailers in transit.
A fleet manager can simply refer to the software and find out where a particular trailer is. The customer can be informed when their shipment is due to arrive. If a shipment is delayed, the fleet manager knows about it, can take it into account and take action to eliminate the delay if necessary.

📌 Increased efficiency in operations.

A big part of a fleet manager's job is logistics and asset optimization. The fleet manager, using the latest technology, can also be informed when a trailer is unloaded or loaded and ready to ship. This streamlines the work process.

📌 Geo-zoning your assets.

Geo-fencing allows you to create a GPS boundary around any area important to your business. These areas could include your fleet yard, customer sites, trailer storage areas, or other areas where you want to be notified every time one of your trailers moves in or out. Geo-fencing is another aspect of GPS trailer tracking that greatly reduces the risk of theft because if a trailer moves, you are notified of its movement.
Also, knowing that the trailer has entered a certain area and is ready to load or unload, you can dispatch a team to perform those tasks quickly.

💚 Apply for credentials.
Fill out Form OP-1 or
Your credentials will be reviewed by the FMCSA. You will receive a letter of approval from them, after which you will begin working on the rest of this list. After you fill out the safety certification application, you will receive the USDOT number that is required to have a vehicle used in interstate commerce to transport goods.

💚 Obtain a UCR permit.
Your permit will be reviewed by the FMCSA. You'll get a letter of approval from them, and then you'll start working on the rest of this list.

💚 Get UCR approval.
Use your USDOT number and MC number to apply to the Uniform Carrier Registration (UCR) system.

💚 Pay the HVUT.
The Heavy Vehicle Use Tax is an annual tax levied on all heavy vehicles operating on public roads.

💚 Register with the IRP.
The International Registration Plan (IRP) is an agreement between the 48 contiguous states (and Canada) to pay license fees based on the distance traveled in all jurisdictions.

💚 Create an IFTA account.
The International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) is an agreement between the 48 contiguous states (and Canada) that makes it easier to collect fuel tax. It means you can travel between jurisdictions and ensures that each state gets its share of the revenue to support roads and transportation. With an IFTA license, you only have to file one fuel tax return each quarter in your base jurisdiction.

💚 Sign up for a drug and alcohol testing program.
The FMCSA and DOT require all motor carriers to take a negative drug test before hiring drivers or driving themselves. To learn more about the rules and regulations related to drug and alcohol testing, visit the FMCSA website. All commercial driver supervisors are required to complete two hours of controlled substance training.

Here are a few of the most common hidden costs and items you should almost always avoid.

✅Balloon payments.
When you're just starting out, it's tempting to look for the lowest possible lease payments. But be careful. If the price is unusually low at the beginning of the agreement, you make up for it at the end with what's called a balloon payment. This is a huge amount you'll have to pay at the end of the lease to own the truck. Look for a lease with equal payments, or at least a very small balloon payment that you're sure you can afford.

✅Early repayment penalties.
Paying off your equipment early saves you interest in the long run. It can also be a condition for leaving the contract if you realize that you don't like working with that particular carrier. But some leases have clauses that don't allow you to pay off the contract early (or make you pay huge penalties).

✅Extra-long leases.
Avoid very long leases. A two-year lease is ideal. But you can extend it to three or four years to lower your payments. Anything longer than that doesn't make much financial sense.

✅Inflated prices.
Don't just look at individual payments. Find out what the total cost of owning a truck is. It's okay for carriers to inflate the price a little to hide the fact that they're renting it to you. But if you're going to end up paying double the real cost, run fast!

✅Lower wages.
While not uncommon, some carriers pay their operators less than their companion drivers or independent owner-operators for exactly the same loads!