The new-entrant safety audit in Arkansas

When does the new-entrant audit happen for a Arkansas carrier?

After a new entrant satisfies its pre-operational requirements, it is subject to new-entrant safety monitoring for 18 months, and a safety audit is conducted once it has operated long enough to have sufficient records — generally at least 3 months (49 CFR 385.307).

What does the audit check?

The same six factors evaluated in every state: General (Parts 387, 390), Driver (Parts 382, 383, 391), Operational (Parts 392, 395), Vehicle (Parts 393, 396), Hazardous Materials (Parts 171, 177, 180, 397), and Accident (recordable rate per million miles). This grouping is defined in 49 CFR Appendix A to Part 385.

What is specific to Arkansas?

Arkansas intrastate matters are handled by the Arkansas Department of Transportation — Arkansas Intrastate Authority. These are separate from the federal new-entrant audit.

• Intrastate reg required: Yes — all for-hire motor carriers transporting property or passengers wholly within Arkansas must obtain Arkansas Intrastate Operating Authority (intrastate permit) from ArDOT's Legal Division (P.O. Box 2261, Little Rock, AR 72203). This is in addition to the federal USDOT number.
• UCR: Not required for intrastate-only carriers. UCR applies only to carriers engaged in interstate or international commerce; a carrier operating exclusively within Arkansas is not subject to UCR.
• State fee: $25.00 application/processing fee + $5.00 insurance filing fee per vehicle + $5.00 annual registration fee per truck or truck-trailer. Paid by cashier's check or money order (separate instruments for the per-vehicle fee and the processing fee), payable to Arkansas Department of Transportation.
• Notes: Application must include ownership/financial info, proof of public liability insurance, and either a DOT safety rating or a notarized compliance statement. A copy of the annual receipt must be kept in each vehicle. Household-goods and passenger carriers, and oversize/hazardous permits, follow separate ArDOT processes. FMCSA's own pages could not be fetched (Akamai bot-block), so the intrastate-USDOT-number threshold for heavier vehicles is not quoted here.