Crisis Management Plan Checklist

Capture driver name, truck and trailer numbers, location, time, and a one-line description of what happened. Pull the active load BOL, rate confirmation, and current ELD status (driving, on-duty, sleeper) into the incident file before the scene gets noisy.

The response path forks here. DOT-recordable accidents trigger post-accident drug and alcohol testing under Part 382.303; hazmat releases trigger CHEMTREC and the National Response Center; cargo theft triggers law enforcement and the broker or shipper claim path. Misclassifying a hazmat release as a fender-bender is the most expensive mistake at this stage.

Level 1 covers fatality, injury requiring transport, vehicle towed from scene, or any hazmat release — these are DOT-recordable. Level 2 covers significant property damage, cargo claim over $25K, or driver OOS. Level 3 covers contained incidents handled by dispatch alone. The severity level drives who gets paged in the next step.

Dispatcher stays on the phone with the driver. Confirm 911 is called if injuries are involved, driver is in a safe position, hazard triangles are deployed at 10/100/200 feet, and the driver is photographing the scene from four corners before vehicles move. Get witness names and plate numbers — they walk away fast.

Page the safety director, operations manager, and on-call executive via the crisis call tree. For Level 1 events also notify the insurance carrier's 24-hour claims line and the company attorney before any non-required statements are made to law enforcement.

For hazmat releases meeting 49 CFR 171.15 reporting criteria, call the National Response Center at 1-800-424-8802 immediately and CHEMTREC at 1-800-424-9300 for shipper response support. File the DOT Hazmat Incident Report (Form 5800.1) within 30 days. Pull the shipping papers and product UN number before calling.

Part 382.303 requires alcohol testing within 8 hours and drug testing within 32 hours of any qualifying accident. Send the driver to the nearest TPA collection site or dispatch a mobile collector. Document every reason if a test is not performed — the audit defense is in the paperwork.

When McLeod, Aljex, or the ELD platform is down, dispatch reverts to the printed load board and driver phone tree. ELD malfunction allows up to 8 days of paper logs under Part 395.34 before repair or replacement. Notify drivers in transit and confirm each one has blank paper log grids in the cab.

Only the spokesperson speaks to media. Drivers, dispatchers, and shop staff get a one-line referral script: "Please contact our communications lead at [number]." An off-script comment to a local reporter at the scene becomes a deposition exhibit two years later.

Pull the pre-approved template for the crisis type (accident, hazmat, theft, cyber). Fill in only confirmed facts — location, equipment type, the carrier's cooperation with authorities. Do not name the driver, speculate on cause, or admit fault. Route through legal counsel before release.

Pull the rate confirmation and BOL for the active load. Notify the broker's after-hours contact, the shipper, and the consignee with revised ETA or load-recovery plan. Document the notification time — Carmack Amendment claim defense depends on the timeliness of notice.

Push a short message through the driver app, Slack, or radio. Confirm the referral script for media inquiries and remind staff that social media posts about the incident are prohibited until the all-clear. Rumor control inside the fleet is as important as external messaging.

Submit the FNOL through the carrier portal (Great West, Progressive Commercial, Sentry, Northland, or equivalent) within 24 hours. Attach the police report number, driver statement, photos, dashcam clip, and BOL. Late FNOL is the single fastest way to give an insurer grounds to reserve rights.

Part 390.15 requires the accident register entry within the reporting period — date, city, state, driver name, number of injuries and fatalities, hazmat indicator, vehicle towed indicator. The register must be retained for 3 years and produced on demand during a compliance review.

Pull and lock the dashcam clip (Motive, Samsara, Lytx) and download the prior 7 days of ELD logs before they roll off. Plaintiff counsel will issue a spoliation letter within weeks. Store in the claim folder with a chain-of-custody note showing who pulled what, when.

Use the preferred heavy-tow vendor list, not the wrecker called by the responding officer — rotation tows routinely run 3-5x the negotiated rate and hold equipment hostage. Confirm storage yard, daily storage fee, and access for the insurance adjuster.

If freight is salvageable, dispatch a recovery tractor with a clean trailer; if not, work with the shipper on disposition before any product is destroyed. Document weight, seal numbers, and temperature for reefer loads. Cargo claim defense lives or dies on this paperwork.

Confirm negative post-accident test results, completed driver statement, and any medical clearance if injured. For positive tests, route through a DOT-qualified SAP and the Clearinghouse RTD process before the driver touches a CMV again.

Walk through the timeline minute-by-minute with the safety director, ops manager, dispatcher on duty, and (when appropriate) the driver. Focus on decisions made under uncertainty, not blame. Capture what worked, what failed, and what the team didn't have at hand.

Pull the updated CSA BASICs after the SMS refresh and track expected score movement in Crash Indicator and Unsafe Driving. If the score change risks an insurance renewal threshold or shipper qualification, flag it now rather than at renewal.

Update the call tree with new phone numbers, swap any vendor that underperformed (tow, mobile collector, PR counsel), and refresh template statements with phrasing that survived legal review. Re-publish the printed copy to every terminal and the in-cab accident packet.

Rotate scenarios across quarters: rollover with hazmat, driver fatality, cargo theft at a truck stop, ransomware against the TMS. Time the call tree, measure how long until a holding statement is approved, and stress-test backup dispatch.

Each tractor should carry the post-accident drug-test info card, witness cards, disposable camera or charged phone backup, hazard triangles, registration, insurance card, and the dispatch emergency number. Spot-check 10% of the fleet during the next safety meeting.

Confirm the printed load board template, manual BOL stock, and paper log grids are in the dispatch office. Test failover login to the ELD vendor's backup portal. Confirm cell-coverage maps for primary lanes so the team knows where drivers go dark.

Verify direct lines for the insurance 24-hour claims desk, preferred heavy-tow vendors by region, mobile drug-test collectors, CHEMTREC account credentials, PR counsel, and outside transportation counsel. A 3 a.m. rollover is the wrong time to discover a vendor went out of business.