Inspections
Roadside inspections: the levels, and what puts a truck out of service
A roadside inspection takes minutes, but its result follows the vehicle and the carrier for much longer: an out-of-service order stops the truck where it stands, and every violation is recorded against the carrier's safety data. Knowing what inspectors look at, and what you must do afterward, turns an inspection from a surprise into a routine.
Who inspects, and how often it happens
Special agents of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) are authorized to inspect vehicles in operation under 49 CFR 396.9(a), and state enforcement officers, FMCSA's state partners, inspect as well. FMCSA reports that, using 2021 to 2024 data from its Motor Carrier Management Information System, about 3 million Level I to Level VI inspections were performed each year, and nearly 96 percent of them were Level I, II or III (FMCSA, Federal Register, November 19, 2025).
The inspection levels
Inspections follow the North American Standard procedures published by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), and each is recorded by level. The levels below are the ones FMCSA itself describes in the Federal Register. CVSA's published procedures define the complete set, including levels not covered here.
| Level | What it covers | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Level I | A 37-step procedure: the carrier's and driver's credentials, the record of duty status, the mechanical condition of the vehicle, and any hazardous materials on board | FMCSA, Nov 2025 |
| Level II | A driver and walk-around vehicle inspection, covering the items that can be checked without physically getting under the vehicle | FMCSA, Nov 2025 |
| Level III | A driver-only inspection: the driver's credentials and documents | FMCSA, Nov 2025 |
| Level VI | An enhanced inspection for shipments of transuranic waste and highway route controlled quantities of radioactive material, under a CVSA handbook that FMCSA incorporates by reference | FMCSA, Nov 2025 |
| Level VIII | An electronic inspection made while the vehicle is still moving; FMCSA has run an operational test of it | FMCSA, Sept 2022 |
For a maintenance team, Levels I and II matter most: both look at the vehicle. Level I examines its mechanical condition, including what a Level II walk-around leaves out because it would mean getting under the vehicle.
What "out of service" means
Under 49 CFR 396.9(c), an inspector must declare and mark out of service any vehicle that, because of its mechanical condition or loading, would likely cause an accident or a breakdown, and an "Out-of-Service Vehicle" sticker is used to mark it. From that moment:
- Nobody may operate the vehicle, and no carrier may require or permit it, until every repair the out-of-service notice requires has been completed.
- "Operate" includes towing it, except by a vehicle using a crane or hoist.
- Nobody may remove the sticker before those repairs are done.
Inspectors decide which conditions are serious enough by applying the North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria, a handbook published and sold by CVSA. FMCSA describes the criteria as not being regulations themselves, but as giving enforcement personnel uniform enforcement tolerances. Because the handbook is copyrighted, this guide does not reproduce its conditions; buy the current edition from CVSA if you need them. The stakes are real: FMCSA reports that, on average each year, out-of-service violations were cited in 27 percent of Level I inspections, 27 percent of Level II inspections and 6 percent of Level III inspections (FMCSA, 2021 to 2024 data).
After the inspection: the carrier's 15 days
The inspection report sets off duties for both the driver and the carrier, under 49 CFR 396.9(d):
| Who | What | When |
|---|---|---|
| Driver | Deliver a copy of the report to the motor carrier (and to the intermodal equipment provider, for intermodal equipment) | On arrival at the next terminal or facility; if that is more than 24 hours away, send it immediately by mail, fax or other means |
| Carrier | Examine the report and correct the violations or defects it lists | Before the vehicle is operated again, for any defect likely to affect safe operation (49 CFR 396.11(a)(3)) |
| Carrier | Certify that all violations were corrected by signing the carrier official's signature, title and date on the form | Within 15 days of the inspection |
| Carrier | Return the completed form to the issuing state agency, if it asks | Within the same 15 days |
| Carrier | Keep a copy at the principal place of business or where the vehicle is housed | 12 months from the inspection date |
The repairs themselves also belong in the vehicle's maintenance records.
How violations reach your safety record
FMCSA's Safety Measurement System (SMS), in use since December 2010, draws on inspection, crash and other data to identify carriers for safety interventions, and its data is updated monthly (FMCSA, Federal Register, November 20, 2024). For carriers of property, percentiles and alerts are no longer shown on the public SMS website, but inspection, crash and registration data still are, so a customer or broker can read your inspection history.
In the same November 2024 notice, FMCSA announced enhancements to SMS. Among them, the measurement categories known as BASICs become "compliance categories", vehicle maintenance is split into "Vehicle Maintenance" and "Vehicle Maintenance: Driver Observed", and several categories calculate percentiles only for carriers with violations cited in the past 12 months. Check FMCSA's CSA website for which methodology is in use when you read this.
Before the inspector finds it
The habits that prevent out-of-service orders are ordinary maintenance habits, done consistently:
| Habit | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| A real pre-trip inspection, every trip | A driver must be satisfied the vehicle is in safe operating condition before driving (49 CFR 396.13); defects go on the DVIR |
| Repairs certified before the vehicle goes back out | A defect that was reported but never fixed is still on the vehicle when it is inspected |
| Tires checked against the federal rule | Tread depth, damage and inflation are all in 49 CFR 393.75 |
| Lights and reflectors walked every day | They are among the parts a driver must check under 49 CFR 392.7(a), and they are visible without getting under the vehicle |
| Preventive maintenance on schedule | Brakes, suspension and steering wear between checks; see PM schedules |
| A current annual inspection | See the annual DOT inspection |
| Every inspection report filed and certified within 15 days | It closes the loop the regulation requires and leaves a record you can show |
Cargovate supports the first two habits: defects reported in daily checks are assessed by an owner or admin, and taking a vehicle off the road opens its repair work order, with the vehicle shown as off road until the repair is certified.
Terms such as CVSA, OOS and SMS are defined in the glossary.
Last reviewed 2026-11-04