International Roadcheck is here, and according to FreightWaves the inspection focus is on ELD manipulation, hours-of-service, and cargo securement. The simplest advice for blitz week is the oldest: don't give DOT a reason.
But there's a second layer most owner-operators miss. Roadcheck isn't only a compliance event — it's a market event. Some carriers park their trucks rather than risk an out-of-service violation during the blitz. When trucks come off the road, capacity tightens, and tight capacity tends to push spot rates up.
So there are two plays here, and they're not mutually exclusive. Play one: make sure your logs, your securement, and your equipment are clean enough that an inspection is a non-event. Play two: if you're running clean and others are sitting out, the temporary capacity crunch can work in your favor on the spot market. The carriers who lose are the ones who get caught dirty. The carriers who win are the ones who treated compliance as a baseline and read the capacity signal.