Safety Education and Vehicle Maintenance are top priorities for Northern States Transportation not only for our driver's safety but also for the safety of the motoring public.

Education:

Our full-time Safety Director is dedicated to developing a safe and well informed driver team.

Our training curriculum provides education and re-education on a variety of subjects including but not limited to:

Cargo Securement
Driver Fatigue
Hours of Service
Controlled Substances
Reasonable Suspicion
Safe Lane Changing
Run-Under and Rear-End Crash Avoidance

Training material is presented monthly in the form of literature, interactive handouts, computer based exercises and videos.

Vehicle Maintenance:

Northern States takes pride in the way our equipment is maintained.

We employ DOT certified mechanics with a commitment to ensure that all of our tractors and trailers are in top working condition when dispatched.
NST exceeds the federal requirements by re-certifying our equipment quarterly rather than annually.

Accident prevention and avoiding service delays due to mechanical failure are both crucial factors behind our daily vehicle - while in service inspection routine.

In addition to our regular weekly maintenance program, Northern States Transportation, Inc. drivers are responsible to continuously survey our units to ensure that their equipment stays in good working order.

Company Policies:

Our company policies are written and enforced to put "safety first" and to maintain compliance with all state laws regarding seat belt use and speed limit adherence.

In addition our drivers are prohibited from using cell phones while their vehicle is in motion. NST requires all drivers to wear PPE (personal protection equipment) such as hard hats, safety vests, steel toe work boots and long pants while on duty.

Flag Cars:

As a specialized carrier, Northern States Transportation. Inc regularly transports oversize / overweight shipments. Due to the extreme dimensions of these shipments most states that we travel through require "flag cars" to safely "escort" these loads.

These flag car vehicles are equipped with oversize load signs, flags and overhead flashing lights.

The purpose of a front flag car is to

alert oncoming traffic that there is an oversize load coming toward them
alert the driver of the oversize load of anything ahead of him
check vertical clearances on the route ahead to alert the driver of the oversized load to any clearance problems.

The purpose of a rear flag car is to

alert any traffic coming from the rear that there is an oversize load moving ahead of them
alert the driver of the oversize vehicle of anything coming from behind him
assist the driver of the oversize vehicle when making lane changes or turns

NST pilot car drivers meet or exceed all state and federal certification requirements for the lower 48 states as well as Canada and Alaska. In addition we require our CDL drivers, who are also crew leaders, to meet these same requirements.

The certification courses are offered in class-like settings and require the participant to complete and pass a test in order to be certified.

Safestat Rating:

Safestat Rating Chart for Northern States Transportation, Inc.

Safestat is an on-line analysis and information tool provided by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

It is designed to track the safety record of motor carriers in regards to:

Compliance reviews
- up to date permit books (license, registration and insurance), log book, oversize permits.
Roadside Inspections
- equipment violations or hours of service violations; and accident records.

We are very proud of our Safestat "safety rating" which is directly related to our standard operating procedures pertaining to safety education and vehicle maintenance.