If you’re running 3-20 trucks, you’re in the audit target zone.
The Uncomfortable Truth About Small Fleet Audits
Over half (54%) of companies that were audited had fewer than 7 power units.
This isn’t random. Auditors know that smaller fleets are more likely to:
- Use manual file management systems
- Have incomplete documentation
- Miss renewal dates
- Struggle with compliance complexity
It’s a predictable pattern. Which means it’s also predictable that you’ll be audited soon.
Why Auditors Target Small Carriers
Smaller companies often don’t have dedicated compliance staff. There’s no compliance director. There’s no team. There’s just you—trying to manage drivers, maintenance, dispatch, and paperwork.
Auditors see this as an opportunity to find violations. And unfortunately for these companies, they usually do.
What “Ready” Looks Like
The small fleet owners who pass audits with zero violations have one thing in common: They’re not reinventing compliance. They’ve adopted systems that do the work for them.
Digital file management. Automated renewals. Organized documentation. Helping them always know what’s in good standing, what’s missing, and what is expiring soon.
These companies are not special (actually everyone one of our companies are😊). They’re just prepared and taking advantage of simple solutions.
Your Audit Window
Audits are random. But they’re not if you’re not ready. For the fourth year in a row, on-site audits continue to increase. If you fail an audit there can be cumulative effects, your likelihood of additional audits go up and your CSA scores go down.
The question isn’t if you’ll be audited. The question is whether you’ll be ready when it happens.
Get ready before the knock on the door.
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ComplyDQ: Built for small fleets. Designed to help 3-50 as well as 100+ truck companies stay audit-ready every single day.
Sources:
- FMCSA 2023 & 2024 Audits Year in Review
- 2024 FMCSA audit data analysis (12,300+ investigations)