When I first arrived to the pressure washing business, I was leaving more than 20 many years as a industrial driver. I was pondering how wonderful it would be to be absolutely free of all all those motor provider polices that had been such a grinding part of my job.
I could not have been additional mistaken. Not extended after beginning, I was doing a residential cleaning for a law enforcement officer. As I was rolling hose soon after ending, he questioned me how substantially my truck and trailer weighed.
“I you should not know, I accredited for added tonnage so I would not be over weight,” was my quick response. I was absurdly proud of getting taken the time and designed the hard work not to cheat on my licensing and predicted body weight limitations.
“Exactly where is your DOT quantity?” was his next easy concern.
I, like so numerous other tension washing company companies in my spot, experienced not even specified a assumed to this fundamental prerequisite for operating commercial vehicles. Just after a $100 wonderful, I built positive to rectify the situation. I received my DOT range.
Hoping to make your mind up no matter if or not you involve a DOT range can be a hard question, and there are some state precise needs of which to be informed, but my buyer reported it is fairly essential, “If you have a truck or trailer with corporation indications, and/or a trailer with extra than one particular axle, I will be creating you a ticket if you do not have a USDOT selection.”
The genuine specifications can be identified on the United States Division of Transportation web site. There is a large body of details there, and sources to enable recognize it all. There is even an on-line questionnaire to guide you as you check out to determine no matter if or not you are required to have the DOT number in the initially position.
The specifications are very essential, and are as follows. You will need a USDOT variety if you:
o Operate motor vehicles that are around 10,000 lbs,
o Transportation in between 9 and 15 passengers (including the driver) for payment,
o Transportation 16 or additional travellers, or
o Haul hazardous resources in interstate commerce.
You really should be informed that at the time you have a USDOT variety, there are some history-trying to keep demands that go along with it. For occasion, if you have hazmat, these types of as sodium hypochlorite in large amounts, or flammable liquids like your machine’s fuel and a spare gas tank or two, you will need to have to take note that. You will also have to sign-up as a HAZMAT provider and keep records of supplies and quantities carried. You will have to put into practice a security application and a driver qualification record, as very well as data of your driver’s hrs of service data.
This sounds like a excellent offer of red tape, but it is what is demanded to be a genuine force washing company that operates equipment that falls underneath the Section of Transportation’s regulated rules. It is a price tag of executing small business, and demands to be portion of your business enterprise prepare. It is useful to don’t forget that these data are somewhat very simple, and can be dependent on data you currently maintain.
In my encounter, motor provider basic safety regulations are open to several interpretations, so it is in all probability a excellent idea to check out with your condition DOT as very well as with the local Carrier Enforcement office in your point out. They are meant to have the current info required to guide you in remaining compliant. The USDOT website has links to all the point out DOT internet sites.
All over again, the details can be contradictory, so obtain the most educated people today you can, the fines ramp up steeply from my paltry hundred bucks. Don’t guess the firm on the term of some functionary, question the questions you will need to, in order to get the clearest solutions feasible.
