With more than 250 million motorists sharing the road, safety is essential. As a result, the commercial driving industry has lots of rules and regulations designed to protect employers, drivers, and most importantly, everyone else using the roadways. In 2010, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, or FMCSA, created the Compliance, Safety, Accountability program, also known as CSA. It's a data-driven compliance and enforcement program tasked with preventing crashes, injuries, and fatalities associated with the commercial driving industry. In this course, we'll provide an overview of this program. We'll also take a deeper look at the Safety Measurement System, or SMS, which plays a large role in CSA and greatly impacts commercial drivers.

The general knowledge section of the commercial driver's license exam includes a thorough assessment of your driving skills. The test will cover everything from how to accelerate to the importance of staying alert behind the wheel. In this program, we'll talk about the basic vehicle control portion of the exam. Before you take the CDL exam, make sure you've thoroughly studied your state's CDL manual - particularly the sections on driving safety. We'll cover the basics here, which should help build a solid foundation, as you begin your studying.

As an employee, your safety performance directly impacts both your employer's SMS and your own record. It also has a direct impact on your ability to keep driving and could be a factor in your next job search. So clearly, this stuff is important for you to know and to follow. In this course, we'll discuss how exactly your safety performance impacts you personally and professionally, as well as how it impacts your employers. We'll go over the records included in your personal safety information and how to check to ensure that they're accurate.

As a manager, it's imperative that you keep your drivers safe on the road. Quality training is essential to ensure every one of your drivers is competent behind the wheel. Your company's culture should always emphasize safety. In this program, we'll take a more in-depth look at the main elements of CSA and what those mean to your company. We'll take a look at the interventions process and cover the types of interventions and investigations. We'll also go over the Safety Fitness Determination program, how to handle inaccurate records, and third-party entities.

Earning a commercial driver's license, or CDL, can be the first step in a rewarding career, and once you obtain your CDL, you'll be eligible to apply for a wide variety of jobs. In this program, we'll talk about how to earn your commercial driver's license, and the tests you'll be required to take. You'll learn about commercial vehicles and licensing requirements. We'll discuss commercial learner's permits, or CLPs, and what those allow, versus what they restrict. We'll also cover CDL endorsements/restrictions and ways that a CDL can be revoked.

Trucks are one of the most crucial forms of transportation to the American economy. That's because 70% of all freight moved in the United States is carried on trucks. It makes sense then, that part of earning your commercial driver's license is learning how to safely load and transport cargo. In this program, we'll talk about the importance of properly loading your cargo and how to safely secure it. We'll touch on hazardous materials and oversized loads. We'll also go over the cargo inspection process and what you need to know about your gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) and gross combination weight rating (GCWR).

As every motorist knows, driving conditions make all the difference, whether it's driving in the pouring rain, or driving through clear skies and warm weather. As a commercial driver, you've got to know how to operate a larger vehicle in all conditions, no matter what's going on outside. In this course, we'll go over driving at night and the safety checks that requires. We'll talk about driving in fog, and we'll also go over what you need to do when heading into snowy or icy conditions. We'll discuss mountain driving, railroad crossings, equipment failures, and more.

Hazardous materials are products that pose a safety risk during transport. As a result, transportation of hazardous materials is highly regulated. Not only do you need to be educated on how to safely move these materials, but you also need an endorsement on your commercial driver's license. In this program, we'll give you a general overview of transporting hazardous materials, including training requirements, shipper/carrier/driver responsibilities, and hazmat labels and placards. We'll also discuss loading and unloading procedures, as well as some critical accident safety protocols.

As you prepare for your CDL exam, you'll notice that a lot of your education is focused on accident prevention. In this course, we'll talk about what to do if an accident or fire does occur. We'll go over keeping the accident area safe for other motorists and discuss the ABCs of universal first aid. We'll cover vehicle fire procedures, which will include the different classes of fires and how to extinguish them properly.

Any time you drive, federal and state laws require you to inspect your vehicle before turning on the ignition. Inspection laws are critically important, because inspectors can put your vehicle out of service if you fail an inspection, so you can bet you'll be tested on this process. You'll also be tested on whether you can determine a vehicle's safety in the field. This skills test is part of your CDL exam. During the assessment, you'll be asked to do a vehicle inspection and to explain to your examiner what you would inspect, and why. This course is designed to get you prepared.

Have you ever gotten to work and realized you don't really remember driving in? You know you got there, but you went on autopilot. That's a scary thought, isn't it? Driving Distractions Course, we'll talk about distracted driving: common distractions, how to avoid them, and safe driving tips.

Have you ever been driving along, minding your own business, and someone starts riding your bumper? Or have you ever watched someone drive down an exit lane, bypassing all the backed-up traffic, only to cut back in near the end of the lane? It makes you crazy, doesn't it? These are examples of aggressive driving. Today, we'll talk about what aggressive driving is, why people do it, how to keep yourself from doing it, and what to do when you're confronted with it.

Driving in extreme weather conditions can be stressful, and it's dangerous if you're not careful. Maybe you've even experienced a moment when you realize your tires aren't getting traction and you start to skid. Your stomach sinks, your heart skips a beat, and you clench your hands around the steering wheel. Losing control of your vehicle, even just for a moment, is a scary thing. So today, we'll talk about driving safely in the rain, snow, and ice.