Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Everything You Need to Know About DOT Compliance & Fleet Safety Services
Prime Fleet Management is an outsourced DOT compliance services company. We serve as your dedicated compliance department, giving any business that operates commercial motor vehicles access to a full four-person team including a
- Compliance Manager
- HOS Specialist
- Safety Specialist
- Compliance Admin
We handle everything from ELD monitoring and driver qualification files to CSA score management, drug and alcohol programs, and audit readiness at a fraction of the cost of hiring in-house.
We work with any business that operates commercial motor vehicles and has FMCSA obligations. That includes traditional trucking companies, construction fleets, excavation and demolition companies, crane and rigging operators, dump truck fleets, waste management companies, landscaping companies, utility contractors, flatbed haulers, and more.
If your business puts commercial vehicles on the road, DOT compliance applies to you — and PFM was built to handle it.
If your business operates commercial motor vehicles, regardless of your industry, you have FMCSA obligations.
Construction companies, excavation fleets, crane and rigging operators, waste management companies, landscapers, utility contractors, and many others are all subject to the same DOT regulations as traditional trucking companies.
The rules don’t change based on what your primary business does.
They apply based on the vehicles you operate.
PFM works with any business that has CMV obligations and needs a compliance program in place.
PFM works with fleets ranging from 1 truck to 65 trucks. Our primary sweet spot is 6 to 65 vehicles, but we do accept smaller fleets on a case by case basis. If you operate commercial motor vehicles and have FMCSA obligations, we want to talk. The right time to get compliance in place is before a violation, an audit, or an out-of-service order — not after.
PFM pricing is based on fleet size and service tier.
Core Compliance starts at $500 per month for a single truck and scales down on a per-truck basis as your fleet grows.
Core + Operations, which adds our Compliance Admin for full back-office support, starts at $750 per month. For a fleet of 15 trucks, full compliance coverage runs $6,000 per month. For 20 trucks, $8,000 per month.
New carriers can also add our one-time Operational Setup Service starting at $750 with an annual agreement.
Visit our Services page for full pricing details or schedule a free DOT Assessment to get a quote for your specific fleet.
PFM requires all clients to operate on either Samsara (recommended for fleets of 10 or more vehicles) or Motive (recommended for fleets of 1 to 9 vehicles). Our HOS Specialist is certified on both platforms and works directly inside your ELD system daily — not through a third-party dashboard.
If you are currently on a different platform, we will assist with the migration as part of onboarding.
Platform standardization is essential to the quality of service we provide and ensures our specialists can monitor your account in real time.
For existing carriers, we can typically begin active compliance monitoring within a few business days of signing your agreement and completing ELD platform access setup.
For new carriers or businesses launching CMV operations for the first time, we offer an Operational Setup Service that gets your entire compliance infrastructure built before your first truck rolls — DOT/MC authority, ELD onboarding, driver qualification files, drug and alcohol consortium enrollment, and more.
Setup timelines vary based on complexity but most clients are fully onboarded within two to three weeks.
Hiring a single safety manager in-house means one person covering everything — and one person’s knowledge, bandwidth, and availability limits your entire compliance program. When that person quits, takes vacation, or gets sick, your compliance gaps.
With PFM, you get four specialists working your account simultaneously: a Compliance Manager, HOS Specialist, Safety Specialist, and Compliance Admin. Each one is an expert in their lane.
The combined cost of hiring those four roles in-house runs $180,000 to $350,000 or more per year. PFM delivers the same coverage starting at $500 per month.
Our Core Compliance tier includes:
- DQF management
- HOS and ELD monitoring
- CSA score monitoring
- Clearinghouse enrollment and queries
- quarterly mock audits
- safety BASIC monitoring
- DataQ challenge filing
- drug and alcohol program management through the TADTS consortium
- post-accident protocol support
- monthly compliance reports.
Our Core + Operations tier adds:
- full back-office support including document management
- IFTA and IRP filings
- 2290 and UCR renewals
- driver onboarding paperwork
- insurance broker liaison
- permit and licensing renewals
Visit our Services page for a full breakdown.
The core documents FMCSA requires include a complete driver qualification file for every CDL driver, ELD logs and supporting documents for the past six months, drug and alcohol testing records, vehicle maintenance files and DVIRs, an accident register going back three years, proof of insurance and BOC-3 filing, and current IRP and IFTA registrations.
Keeping all of these current, complete, and organized is exactly what PFM manages on your behalf.
Missing or expired documents are automatic violations during an audit — there is no grace period.
CSA stands for Compliance, Safety, Accountability – FMCSA’s system for measuring carrier safety performance.
Your CSA score is calculated from roadside inspection results, crash reports, and violations across seven categories called BASICs.
A high score means:
- more inspections
- more enforcement scrutiny
- direct consequences for your business
Brokers and shippers check CSA scores before awarding freight.
Insurers use them to set premiums.
FMCSA uses them to decide who gets audited.
PFM monitors your CSA score continuously and takes action before small issues become patterns that damage your profile.
PFM runs quarterly mock audits on every client account so you are never caught off guard.
We maintain your driver qualification files, monitor your HOS and ELD data, manage your drug and alcohol program, and keep your CSA score under control year round.
If you receive notice of an upcoming compliance review or New Entrant Safety Audit, contact us immediately.
We will review every file, close any open gaps, and prepare your documentation so you walk into that audit ready.
An FMCSA compliance review is a formal examination of your safety management practices and records. An investigator will review your driver qualification files, hours of service logs, drug and alcohol program records, vehicle maintenance files, and accident register — among other items. The outcome is a safety rating: Satisfactory, Conditional, or Unsatisfactory. A Conditional or Unsatisfactory rating can trigger increased enforcement, out-of-service orders, and insurance consequences.
PFM runs quarterly mock audits on every account so you are never caught off guard. If you receive notice of an upcoming review, contact us immediately.
If FMCSA issues a Conditional or Unsatisfactory safety rating following a compliance review, you have a limited window to correct the deficiencies and request a upgrade to your rating.
An Unsatisfactory rating that is not corrected can result in an out-of-service order that shuts down your operation entirely.
Beyond that, a poor safety rating becomes public on your FMCSA profile — visible to brokers, shippers, and insurers — and can cost you freight contracts and trigger insurance non-renewal.
If you receive a Conditional or Unsatisfactory rating, contact PFM immediately. We will conduct a full gap analysis and build a corrective action plan to get your rating upgraded as quickly as possible.
PFM requires all clients to operate on either Samsara (recommended for fleets of 10 or more vehicles) or Motive (recommended for fleets of 1 to 9 vehicles). Our HOS Specialist is certified on both platforms and works directly inside your ELD system daily. We also use MyDriverFiles for driver qualification file management. If you are on a different ELD platform, we will assist with the migration as part of onboarding.
Yes. IFTA and IRP management is included in our Core + Operations tier.
We handle quarterly IFTA filings, IRP renewals, 2290 heavy vehicle use tax, and UCR registration.
If you are on the Core Compliance tier and need filing support, it is available as an add-on service.
Contact us to discuss your specific needs.
IFTA — the International Fuel Tax Agreement — requires carriers operating in multiple jurisdictions to file quarterly fuel tax returns that reconcile miles traveled and fuel purchased in each state. The filing calculates whether you owe taxes to certain states or are owed a refund. You need accurate mileage records by jurisdiction, fuel receipts for every purchase, and a reconciliation of your ELD data against your fuel card reports.
PFM handles IFTA quarterly filings for clients on our Core + Operations tier and as a standalone add-on for Core Compliance clients.
IRP — the International Registration Plan — is the apportioned registration system for commercial vehicles traveling in multiple states.
Renewal requires updated mileage data by jurisdiction from the prior year, accurate vehicle information, and timely filing to avoid operating with expired registrations. Late or missed IRP renewals can result in fines and out-of-service orders at the roadside.
PFM manages IRP renewals as part of our Core + Operations tier and tracks renewal deadlines so nothing slips through.
It depends on how your vehicles are used and what they weigh.
In general, if you operate a vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,001 pounds or more in interstate commerce, you are required to have a DOT number.
If you transport hazardous materials in quantities requiring placarding, a DOT number is required regardless of vehicle size.
State-only operations may have different thresholds.
If you are unsure whether your operation requires a DOT number, contact us — we will help you determine your registration and compliance requirements before you get caught operating without proper authority.
Yes. PFM offers advanced safety training and coaching programs for drivers and staff. We can work directly with your team on HOS compliance, driver behavior, post-accident protocols, and DOT safety policies.
If you have an internal safety manager you want to develop, we can work alongside them as well.
Contact us to discuss a training program tailored to your operation.
PFM was built by a fleet owner who lived the compliance burden firsthand. We know what it costs when compliance slips:
- the violations
- the audit risk
- the insurance increases
- the CSA score damage
We built PFM to give small and mid-size CMV operators access to the same compliance infrastructure that large carriers take for granted, without the overhead of building it in-house.
You get four specialists working your account, real-time ELD monitoring, and a compliance program that runs in the background so you can focus on running your operation.
Need Help Choosing the Right Program?
Let’s Talk.
Schedule a free compliance consultation to explore your options. We’ll assess your operation’s needs and recommend a plan that keeps you compliant and growing.
