Rules & regulations
The pre-trip inspection, the way the examiner hears it
How the vehicle inspection segment of the CDL skills test is scored, what you say out loud for each component group, and where candidates actually fail.
7 min read
Rules & regulations
Hours of service, the Clearinghouse, inspections — the federal rules that decide whether you keep driving.
Rules & regulations
The violations that take your CDL away
49 CFR 383.51 in plain language: the one-year, three-year and lifetime offenses, the two-in-three-years rule, and why a ticket in your personal car still counts.
7 min read
Rules & regulations
CSA scores: what follows you between carriers
Drivers do not have a CSA score — carriers do. What the Safety Measurement System measures, what a PSP report shows a hiring carrier, and how to fix an error.
6 min read
Rules & regulations
The six inspection levels
What each CVSA inspection level covers, which ones earn a decal, what an out-of-service order does to a driver and a carrier, and how to handle your first stop.
6 min read
Rules & regulations
The English proficiency rule and roadside enforcement
What 49 CFR 391.11(b)(2) requires, how the two-step roadside assessment works, what happens if you fail, and what to practice if English is your second language.
6 min read
Rules & regulations
The Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse
How the federal drug and alcohol database works: registration, the queries employers run, what prohibited status does to you, and how a state downgrades your CDL.
6 min read
Rules & regulations
The ELD: what the box in the cab records
What an electronic logging device actually captures, what it cannot capture, what you are responsible for editing and certifying, and what changed in 2026.
5 min read
Rules & regulations
Hours of service, explained for a new driver
The 11-hour, 14-hour and 60/70-hour limits in plain language, plus the 30-minute break, the sleeper berth split and the short-haul exception.
5 min read