My Story: Andrew K. Blair

I entered the public safety field directly after high school, enlisting in the Air Force as a security police officer. I had the privilege of serving our country in Montana, Korea and New Jersey. After being discharged, I drove a non-CDL delivery truck, and eventually was hired as a police officer in 1986. I spent the next 25-plus years as a police officer with varied duties.

I was fortunate to become certified as a motor carrier enforcement officer in 1999 and was able to gain certification in advanced accident investigation, a CDL, and weighmaster/cargo tank/hazmat inspection qualifications. I crawled under many, many trucks from 1999 to 2011, doing what I could to make the roads safer. I also assisted local transportation and trucking companies by conducting driver/company safety meetings, giving them information on how to be safer.

I retired from the police department in 2011 and was hired as the fleet safety director with Kinsley Construction Inc., in York, PA. I brought all of my background with me and focused on helping our commercial and noncommercial truck drivers be safer on the roads. I also conduct the same Department of Transportation inspections on our company trucks that I used to do as an officer.

Now, I am no longer writing tickets, but am doing this as an added preventive measure for our nearly 1,000-vehicle fleet. Mechanics don’t always have the luxury of time to fully inspect trucks like I do, so I do not fault them for not finding some of the things that I am able to find.

I continue to conduct defensive driver classes, respond to vehicle accidents to assist both the driver and the company in navigating their way through the aftermath, go to court as needed to testify on behalf of the driver/company, conduct CDL classes for employees, and am also certified as a DMV third-party CDL driver examiner.

In addition, I started my own company in 2011 (DOT Safety Checkups LLC), doing many of the things I previously mentioned for companies that can use some help wading through the DOT regulations. I have conducted seminars in California, Indiana, North Carolina and other locations. I give them the perspective of a DOT officer and as a member of the private sector. I am also able to offer help with clarifying DOT violations and challenging violations from roadside inspections.

I am thankful for the training I have been able to acquire over the years in the area of commercial transportation safety, and am happy to use this knowledge to help companies with their transportation safety needs.

Andrew K. Blair
Fleet Safety Director
York, PA