What does OOS mean in trucking? Out-of-Service (OOS) orders immediately impact your carrier's ability to do business, so it is certainly something you’ll want to avoid.
Service providers like FMCA Filings help trucking businesses comply with the various government filing regulations, including Unified Carrier Registration. Here’s more about inspections, how you might deal with a potential violation, and the OOS orders themselves.
Generally, receiving an OOS directive refers to a temporary or permanent violation status for your commercial vehicle or driver. It effectively prohibits operation due to safety violations, as described by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
FMCSA enforces these federal safety regulations with certified inspectors who have the authority to issue OOS orders immediately upon a failed inspection. Your OOS orders will usually arise due to vehicle maintenance issues or even driver compliance problems.
The FMCSA’s enforcement officers issue OOS orders based on various levels of DOT inspections. Typically, the inspections that may lead to OOS orders include the following:
What are the most commonly cited vehicle violations that lead to OOS orders?
It’s understandable that multiple major mechanical or safety issues can lead to vehicular OOS orders. However, routine maintenance issues like those mentioned above often cause costly and inconvenient orders for non-compliant drivers or vehicles.
Whatever triggers them, OOS orders against a driver will prohibit them from operating a commercial vehicle. Usually, this situation involves excess driving hours, incomplete licensing, or a failed drug or alcohol test.
What does OOS mean in trucking? If you have received an OOS order, there are some critical steps you should take to seek reinstatement; and the sooner, the better.
In general, here are some things to do after OOS orders arrive:
When it is time to file for reinstatement, service providers like FMCA Filings can assist you.
In this industry, preventive maintenance serves as your business’s best defense against OOS orders and DOT violations. To that end, the most important considerations include:
What does OOS mean in trucking? DOT violations always disrupt operations and have significant legal and financial implications. Driver-related violations also affect an individual's employability and necessitate increased monitoring from your company.
Serious violations may lead to the OOS orders described above, but repeated violations also increase insurance premiums and damage your reputation. Poor compliance will cost you lucrative contracts, especially those with strict safety requirements.
FMCA Filings manages DOT and all filing compliance, as well as OOS reinstatements. The online system simplifies the paperwork and filing process, giving our clients the power to focus on managing operations instead of worrying about the complexities of FMCSA regulations. The streamlined user experience makes compliance a one-stop process, including being able to understand the causes of a DOT Out-of-Service order to avoid unexpected downtime and expense.
What does OOS mean in trucking? Essentially, it will mean unnecessary downtime and lost revenue for your trucking business, so prompt reinstatement is crucial. If you’d like some assistance in getting back on the road as soon as possible, contact FMCA Filings for help with consistent compliance and more.