Driver vehicle inspection reports (DVIR): what the rules require

Who the rule applies to

Part 396 applies to motor carriers operating commercial motor vehicles in interstate commerce. Under 49 CFR 390.5, a commercial motor vehicle is one with a gross vehicle or combination weight rating, or actual weight, of 10,001 pounds or more; or one designed or used to carry more than 8 passengers (including the driver) for compensation, or more than 15 passengers not for compensation; or one carrying hazardous materials in a quantity that requires placards. Many states apply the same rules to intrastate carriers, sometimes with different thresholds, so check your state's adoption.

Section 396.11(a)(5) exempts three groups from the DVIR rule:

• a private motor carrier of passengers (nonbusiness);
• a driveaway-towaway operation;
• any motor carrier operating only one commercial motor vehicle.

The single-vehicle exemption ends the day you add a second commercial motor vehicle. That is a common moment for a growing operation to fall out of compliance without noticing.

When a report is required

Every driver must report in writing at the completion of each day's work on each vehicle operated (396.11(a)(1)). A driver who operates more than one vehicle in a day prepares a report for each one.

Since the rule was amended (for property carriers in December 2014, 79 FR 75437, and for passenger carriers in August 2020, 85 FR 50787), a driver is not required to prepare a report if no defect or deficiency is discovered by or reported to the driver (396.11(a)(2)(i)). The requirement to report every defect is unchanged, and so is the duty to inspect: under 396.13 the driver must still be satisfied the vehicle is in safe operating condition before driving it.

Many fleets keep a daily report even when nothing is found. It is not required by 396.11, but it is evidence that the inspection happened, which matters after a crash or in a negligence claim.

The items the report must cover

Section 396.11(a)(1) lists the parts and accessories the report covers at a minimum:

The list is a minimum. A report should also list any other defect "which would affect the safety of operation of the vehicle or result in its mechanical breakdown" (396.11(a)(2)(i)).

What the report must contain, and who signs

• Vehicle identification. The report must identify the vehicle.
• The defects. Every defect or deficiency discovered by or reported to the driver that would affect safety or cause a breakdown.
• The driver's signature. In a two-driver operation only one driver needs to sign, provided both agree on the defects listed (396.11(a)(2)(ii)).
• The carrier's certification. Before the vehicle is operated again, the motor carrier or its agent must repair any listed defect likely to affect safety, and certify on the report that the defect has been repaired or that repair is unnecessary (396.11(a)(3)).
• The next driver's review. Before driving, the next driver must review the last report and sign it to acknowledge the review and that the required repairs are certified (396.13(b) and (c)). That signature is not required for listed defects on a towed unit that is no longer part of the combination.

How long to keep DVIRs

The motor carrier must keep the report, the certification of repairs and the certification of the driver's review for three months from the date the written report was prepared (396.11(a)(4)). DVIRs are separate from the vehicle maintenance file, which has longer retention; see fleet maintenance records.

Paper or electronic

Reports under 396.11 and 396.13 may be created and kept electronically (stated in both sections since a February 2026 rule, 91 FR 7893) under 49 CFR 390.32, which also allows electronic signatures. An electronic record has to accurately reflect the information the paper one would hold and be capable of being retained. A tablet app with a single "all OK" button meets neither the spirit of the rule nor an investigator's expectations if a defect was obvious.

Intermodal equipment

Chassis and other intermodal equipment tendered by an intermodal equipment provider follow 396.11(b) instead. The driver or carrier reports known damage, defects or deficiencies to the provider when the equipment is returned, covering brakes, lighting and conspicuity marking, wheels, rims, lugs and tires, air lines and couplers, the king pin, rails or support frames, tie-down bolsters, locking pins and clamps, and sliders. The report carries both USDOT numbers, the equipment's unique number, the date and time, and the driver's signature. The provider repairs, certifies and keeps the documentation for three months.

A DVIR procedure that works

The failure investigators find most often is not a missing form: it is a defect written down on Monday and the same truck dispatched on Tuesday with no certification. Close that gap and the rest of the process follows.

In Cargovate, the daily check covers the eleven items of a US driver vehicle inspection report, each answered on its own, and a defect needs a description and can carry photos.

Related: the annual DOT inspection · roadside inspections · glossary.