- Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
- American Trucking Associations (ATA)
- Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA)
- United States Department of Labor (DOL)
- Department of Transportation (DOT)
- US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Department of Commerce (DOC)
So, find yourself a good support team to help you look into all this before you even start. Believe me you will be so glad you did. Just imagine if you bought or were buying a trucking company and found out they were under civil, or even worse criminal, investigations! Or that they have a ton of debt concealed in another department that you didn’t realize was part of the same company you bought! Perhaps I am exaggerating a bit, but the point is there. The last thing you want is some hidden issue to pop up after the sale when you actually have the company on your name.
So remember to check with the company’s credit rating, check their standing with the Better Business Bureau (BBB), the Secretary of State in the state they are based in, and even look into the various trucking associations and forums. Ask around, speak with truckers who work or have been working with them in the past, talk with brokers, and even check in with customers. If the experience was bad they will usually be quick to report that.
