The Importance of a Pre-Trip Inspection
Planning a safe trip as a professional truck driver requires thoughtful preparation before every journey. These are key practices to keep in mind throughout each stage of your trip.
Carriers who took early advantage of ICSA’s First Gear™ training courses, tell us this FREE valuable training has helped them recognize safety improvements they can make at no cost. Any carrier or drivers can use First Gear and see immediate safety benefits. We are now offering members a $100 credit on their annual ICSA dues if they complete at least half the segments of the 22-segment training. (If you’re a single-truck operator, your dues are completely paid for one year upon completion of the training!)
First Gear is designed for everyone to learn something new or to refresh their knowledge, even if they’ve been behind the wheel for a while. Most importantly, the training can be easily accessed from a mobile phone or tablet – no computer necessary! Simply log in to safecarriers.org, click on the First Gear logo in your member dashboard and follow the prompts.
If you are a fleet owner, you may assign drivers the entire curriculum or customize assignments to those topics where you believe your drivers need additional training. Questions about First Gear training? Shoot us an email to contact@safecarriers.org and we will reach out with assistance.
Planning a safe trip as a professional truck driver requires thoughtful preparation before every journey. These are key practices to keep in mind throughout each stage of your trip.
English-language proficiency, non-domiciled truck driver licensing, enforcement of cabotage rules, thorough commercial driver’s license (CDL) training… actions in all of these areas made trucking headlines in the first year of the Trump Administration.
On December 18, 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order directing the federal government to conduct rulemaking to move marijuana from a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to Schedule III.