It’s Time for a Mid-Year Safety and Compliance Check
Now that the first half of 2025 is behind us, it’s the right moment for a mid-year safety and compliance check. While the pace of the industry rarely slows, stopping to evaluate your compliance process can prevent costly problems down the road.
With regulations evolving and driver shortages continuing, staying audit-ready and safe is more important than ever. Fortunately, with the right tools and strategy, you can fix common issues before they spiral into violations.
Let’s break down five compliance gaps you should address immediately.
1. Driver Qualification Files: A Core Part of Your Check
Your mid-year safety and compliance check should begin here. These files are often the first thing inspectors request. If they’re incomplete, outdated, or disorganized, your risk skyrockets.
Too many fleets still rely on spreadsheets or expect drivers to manage their own renewals. Unfortunately, that leads to overlooked expirations and missing documents.
Instead, take these steps:
- Automate renewal alerts for licenses and medical cards
- Use a centralized system like DQM Connect to track all driver files
- Set team-wide visibility to prevent miscommunication
By simplifying access and notifications, you reduce risk significantly.
2. Drug and Alcohol Testing: Don’t Make Assumptions
This area needs close attention during your mid-year safety and compliance check. Although many fleets believe their third-party administrator handles everything, that’s not always the case.
Surprises happen when no one verifies who’s generating randoms or whether return-to-duty processes are complete.
Here’s how to get on track:
- Confirm roles and responsibilities with your TPA
- Build workflows for each type of test (pre-employment, random, RTD)
- Integrate your testing data into your file management system
Clear processes now prevent scrambling later.
3. Vehicle Maintenance and DVIRs: A Hidden Risk Area
Inspections and maintenance logs deserve just as much focus. During your mid-year safety and compliance check, ask: Are drivers completing DVIRs correctly? Are repairs being tracked and addressed?
Often, issues stem from paper-based reporting or communication breakdowns. Drivers might report problems, yet never see them resolved. When that happens, participation drops.
To improve this:
- Use digital tools to simplify DVIR submissions
- Set automated alerts between drivers and maintenance teams
- Conduct regular internal audits of maintenance logs
When drivers see action, they stay engaged—and your fleet stays safer.
4. Behavioral Monitoring: Small Patterns Lead to Big Problems
Monitoring driver behavior is essential. However, many fleets only act after violations occur. That’s why your mid-year safety and compliance check should include a proactive review of driver trends.
Check for repeated harsh braking, speeding, or complaints. While these may seem minor, they often point to larger risks.
To strengthen this area:
- Use safety analytics to identify risky patterns early
- Assign follow-up training after minor incidents
- Track completion and progress for all training sessions
Proactive action reduces major accidents and long-term liability.
5. Document Readiness: Could You Survive an Audit Today?
If the DOT arrived tomorrow, would you be ready? As part of your mid-year safety and compliance check, you need to ensure your documents are centralized, complete, and accessible.
When files are stored in disconnected systems—or worse, buried in email threads—your team struggles to respond quickly.
Here’s what to change:
- Store all documents in one searchable, secure platform
- Develop a clear audit response workflow with assigned steps
- Keep your teams aligned on responsibilities and storage systems
With the right structure, audits become far less stressful.
Bonus: Medical Card Changes Are Coming—Are You Prepared?
This year’s mid-year safety and compliance check wouldn’t be complete without addressing the upcoming FMCSA medical card changes.
Starting June 23, CDL driver med cards go digital. Medical examiners will upload results directly to the national database within 24 hours. Because of that, you’ll need to run a new MVR to verify updated medical status.
Important reminders:
- Drivers should still request a paper copy as backup
- Only CDL-regulated drivers are affected by this change
- Not all states are compliant yet—check the FMCSA registry
Stay ahead by integrating your MVR provider with your driver file system and contacting your medical partners to confirm protocols.
Your Mid-Year Safety and Compliance Check Action Plan
To wrap things up, here are three quick wins you can act on today:
- ✅ Automate renewals and expiration alerts
- ✅ Confirm drug and alcohol testing responsibilities
- ✅ Assign and track DVIR maintenance follow-ups
Each of these steps helps reduce risk and improve visibility before Q3 begins.
DQM Connect Makes Compliance Easier
A solid mid-year safety and compliance check is the first step toward a stronger operation. But staying on top of safety doesn’t need to add stress.
DQM Connect automates file tracking, simplifies audits, and brings your safety, HR, and compliance teams into one streamlined system.
Schedule a Demo and make the second half of your year smoother, safer, and fully compliant.