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4. The 16 automatic-failure items
FMCSA lists 16 violations that fail the audit by themselves. They fall into five areas:
- Drug and alcohol (5): no testing program, no random testing, or using a driver who tested positive, refused a test, or had 0.04 alcohol or higher.
- Drivers (6): using a driver without a valid CDL, with a disqualified license, who is disqualified, or who has no valid medical card.
- Insurance (2): running without the minimum coverage.
- Hours of service (1): drivers not keeping logs (fails when most records checked are missing).
- Vehicles (3): running a truck placed out of service, not fixing defects drivers reported, or no annual inspection (fails when most records are missing).
Almost every failure is a missing program or a missing record, not unsafe driving. That's why our free check works.