Pennsylvania DOT compliance and licensing firm offering audits, DQ files, drug and alcohol consortium, IFTA and IRP, authority and permits, and managed safety programs for carriers and brokers.
Services
Who it serves
Overview
Compliance Navigation Specialists, known as CNS, is a DOT compliance and licensing company based in Lititz, Pennsylvania. It helps trucking and transportation companies, from owner-operators to larger fleets, meet federal safety rules through a mix of one-time filings, audit help and ongoing managed programs. Its management team cites more than 25 years of transportation industry experience.
CNS belongs to a family of businesses called CNS Companies, which also includes an insurance agency, a driver training center, an occupational medicine practice, a licensing service, an online learning hub and a notary and auto tag service. That lets a carrier get several related services from one group, though each is a separate offering.
Compare with other Compliance providers: DOT Compliance Group, SambaSafety and DISA Global Solutions, or see all Compliance.
Services
Audit services: DataQs requests to challenge inspection data, DOT audit representation, IFTA and IRP audit help, mock DOT audits, new entrant audit support and safety rating upgrades with corrective action plans.
Driver services: driver qualification file management, DOT physicals, MVRs and new-hire support.
Drug and alcohol: consortium membership and consortium/third party administrator (C/TPA) services for regulated companies.
Fuel tax and licensing: IFTA filing and management, DOT number and MC authority applications, UCR, Form 2290 HVUT, MCS-150 updates and general licensing and permitting.
Special carriers: support for hazmat and passenger or bus operations.
Managed programs: CNS sells Proactive Safety Management (PSM) programs in several versions, including Motor Carrier, DOT Essentials, Short-Haul/Construction, Safety Director, Non-CDL and a Freight Broker program. A partner article from Pedigree Technologies also lists ELD management, driver safety training and onboarding among CNS's managed services.
Who it is for
CNS is aimed at carriers that want a hands-on partner rather than only software. Its startup offer targets new trucking companies getting a DOT and MC number, while the PSM programs suit established fleets that want an outsourced safety department. The Freight Broker program makes CNS one of the few firms in this category with a package named for brokers. CNS says it serves clients across the United States, Canada and Mexico by sending its compliance officers and trainers to clients rather than running regional offices.
How working with them works
CNS does not publish fixed prices. Its site says pricing depends on company size, type of operation and the services needed, and is set through customized packages. At the time of review, the site advertised a limited-time free DOT and MC number offer for new trucking startups, so read the terms of any such offer carefully and ask what ongoing services come with it.
Contact is by phone at 888.260.9448 or email at info@cnsprotects.com, and engagements usually begin with a review of the carrier's current compliance status.
Questions to ask before you sign
Which filings will CNS submit for you, and which must you file yourself on FMCSA's own site? Ask specifically about the USDOT number application, MC authority, BOC-3, MCS-150 updates and UCR, and whether you keep the login to your own FMCSA account. CNS is a private company, not a government agency.
What are the service fees versus government fees? FMCSA, the UCR Plan, IRS (2290) and states (IRP, IFTA) charge their own amounts. Ask for an itemized quote.
If a free startup offer applies, what does it include and what are you agreeing to afterward? Ask whether it requires a contract for other services.
For drug and alcohol, will CNS be your C/TPA in the FMCSA Clearinghouse? Confirm what you must do yourself, such as registering as an employer and designating CNS.
What does audit representation include? Ask who attends a compliance review or new entrant audit, how corrective action plans are prepared, and whether this is in your PSM program or billed separately.
For brokers: what does the Freight Broker program cover, and how does it relate to your own carrier vetting process?
Company background
CNS lists its office at 151 Koser Road, Lititz, PA 17543. Its leadership page names John Irwin, CDS, as CEO, Melissa Irwin as Chief Human Resources Officer and Adam Galante as Vice President of Operations. "Compliance Navigation Specialists" and "CNS" are registered trademarks of Compliance Navigation Specialists, Inc.
A December 2021 announcement said the group's insurance agency, founded in 2013 as Northern Insurance Specialists, had rebranded as CNS Insurance and that the companies' operating address would move to the Koser Road location in January 2022. The founding year of Compliance Navigation Specialists itself is not stated on the pages reviewed.
Sources
Information compiled from public sources. Last verified November 2026. Confirm details directly with the company.
