Let me paint you a picture.
We were in Las Vegas, speaking at an event packed with folks in the booming business of selling and renting shipping containers as storage units.
We hit the stage with one clear message:
“If you’re using trucks in your business… you’re in the DOT’s jurisdiction. Whether you like it or not.”
You could feel the tension rise. That message hit hard.
And that’s when the phones started ringing.
One Guy Almost Missed the Message
One of those calls came from a sharp business owner—a guy who was crushing it in the container game.
He bought ’em.
Sold ’em.
Delivered ’em.
But there was a problem.
Someone told him he didn’t need a DOT number because he wasn’t “hauling freight”—he was just “delivering his own stuff.”
Wrong.
So wrong.
That’s not private carriage.
That’s commerce.
And the DOT? Yeah, they care.
One Call. One Save.
Thankfully, this guy had been at our Vegas session.
Something we said stuck.
He wasn’t 100% sure the advice he got was legit—so he picked up the phone and called Dan and the Eclipse DOT team.
Here’s what we did:
★ Checked the facts
★ Confirmed he was operating commercially
★ Got his DOT number set up—immediately
★ Organized his paperwork
★ Built his DQ file
★ Created a system
★ Walked him through what to expect if (when) an audit hit
Good thing we did.
Because less than a week later, the Department of Transportation showed up.
Audit? What Audit?
When the DOT came knocking, he didn’t panic.
★ His files? Clean.
★ His processes? Documented.
★ His drivers? Ready.
They ran the audit.
Results?
★ $0 in fines
★ No violations
★ Zero stress
The inspector even said his paperwork was better than most “trucking companies” they audit.
He passed cold—and he passed because he called the experts.
What Most People Get Wrong
So many people in the storage container industry get this part wrong.
“I’m just delivering what I sold.”
“I’m not a carrier.”
“I don’t haul freight.”
Look—if you’re selling anything and delivering it with your own truck, you’re operating in commerce.
And if that truck is over 10,001 pounds?
Welcome to the world of DOT compliance.
That means you need:
★ A DOT number
★ DQ files
★ Medical cards
★ Vehicle inspections
★ Drug & alcohol testing (yes, even if it’s just your cousin and a friend)
★ And yes… you’ll face audits
Don’t Be the Next “Close Call”
This guy called just in time.
Now?
✅ He’s running clean
✅ He’s not worried about surprise audits
✅ He’s scaling his container business with confidence
But for every business owner who gets ahead of it, there are ten more still listening to “a guy who said it’s fine.”
Spoiler: It’s not fine.
Eclipse DOT Knows This Game
We’ve worked with dozens of companies in the container storage space.
★ Helped them go from chaos to control
★ Built systems they can rely on
★ Turned compliance into confidence
We’re not just compliance nerds (though, yeah, we wear that badge proudly).
We’re partners who help you build real businesses that don’t fall apart the moment DOT sends a letter.
📞 Ready to Find Out Where You Really Stand?
Call Dan or the Eclipse DOT team.
Let’s tighten up your operation before the DOT does it for you.
Because this isn’t just about surviving audits.
It’s about building smart, scalable, bulletproof businesses, from the ground up.
Gain exclusive access to our CDL & DOT Compliance articles with a trial at DOTDocs.com. And don’t forget to claim your FREE micro audit at THE ECLIPSE DOT MICRO AUDIT. Ready for seamless operations? Discover the difference today!
