Effective April 24 2017, the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) has increased fines for violating trucking regulations. Read on to learn more about these new adjustments, and get a detailed overview of each violation fine increase.
When Were the New Fines Announced? How Much Were They Increased By?
The increase to fines for violations were announced in early April, going against the 2015 Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act. This act requires the DOT to announce fine increases by January 15th of each year. This means the announcement came nearly three months late. Each fine has been increased in keeping with cost of living increases (which is by 1.01636, or approximately 0.16%).
This is the first year that fines have been adjusted across the board in line with inflation rates. Prior to 2016, fines were rounded up to the nearest $1,000. The 2016 rule eliminated the rounding rule, resulting in some fines increasing while others decreased. This was done so that going forward, the DOT could ensure penalties were consistently and accurately increased with inflation.
Here are some examples of increases to fines for common violations:
Knowing falsification of records
Previous fine: $11,940
Current fine: $12,135
Commercial driver’s license violations
Previous fine: $5,391
Current fine: $5,479
Loading and unloading violations
Previous fine: $15,474
Current fine: $15,727
The chart below details a comparison between last year’s violations fines and the new fines. For full details on new fines for violations of motor carrier regulations, click here.
How BigRoad Can Help
BigRoad’s DashLink ELD makes compliance easy. With real-time risk notifications and easy hours-of-service management, you can improve your fleet’s safety score, breeze through inspections, and virtually eliminate costly violations. To learn more about how BigRoad can help you run in compliance with federal regulations, request a demo!
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