DOT roadside inspections

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This page is general information, not legal advice. Roadside inspections in the U.S. are done by state and local enforcement officers and FMCSA staff. Most use the North American Standard inspection procedures and out-of-service criteria from the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), along with the federal rules. Your state may add its own requirements.

The eight CVSA inspection levels

What inspectors look at in a Level I

CVSA's Level I list covers:

• Driver: driver's license; medical examiner's certificate and Skill Performance Evaluation certificate if needed; alcohol and drugs; record of duty status; hours of service; seat belt.
• Vehicle: vehicle inspection reports if needed; brake systems; cargo securement; coupling devices; driveline and driveshaft; exhaust; frames; fuel systems; lighting (headlamps, tail and stop lamps, turn signals, lamps and flags on projecting loads); steering; suspensions; tires; van and open-top trailer bodies; wheels, rims and hubs; windshield wipers; and hazmat and cargo tank requirements when they apply.

Most of this is what you should already catch in your pre-trip. Use the pre-trip inspection checklist every day, and keep up with the maintenance schedule.

English proficiency. Since June 25, 2025, CVSA has told inspectors to place a driver out of service for not meeting the English language proficiency rule in 49 CFR 391.11(b)(2).

Out-of-service criteria

CVSA's North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria are the pass-fail standard for inspections. A violation in the criteria puts the driver, vehicle and/or cargo out of service until the problem is corrected. Certified enforcement officers use them to decide whether a driver or vehicle is an imminent hazard.

• The criteria are updated every year, effective April 1. The 2026 edition took effect April 1, 2026 and replaced all earlier versions.
• Under 49 CFR 396.9(c), a vehicle marked out of service can't be driven, and no one may make you drive it, until all repairs on the out-of-service notice are done. It may only be towed away by a vehicle using a crane or hoist. Don't remove the out-of-service sticker before the repairs are done.
• A driver placed out of service, for example for hours of service, can't drive until the condition is fixed, such as by taking the required rest.

Not every violation is an out-of-service violation. Many are written up on the report and you keep going, but they still count in your safety record.

What to have ready in the cab

• Driver's license (CDL if required).
• Medical certificate: drivers who don't need a CDL must carry the original or a copy when on duty (391.41(a)(1)). Since June 23, 2025, CDL and CLP holders with a current medical certificate no longer need to carry it (391.41(a)(2)). Carriers check their medical status on the CDLIS driving record (391.51(b)(6)). Since October 12, 2026, a paper certificate no longer counts as proof for CDL and CLP holders licensed outside Alaska: the state driving record must show the new certification, so after each DOT physical check that it has posted before you drive. Alaska drivers can still rely on the paper copy for up to 60 days, through October 12, 2027 (FMCSA, 91 FR 64454). Drivers with a medical variance must still carry it.
• ELD information packet (395.22(h)): an instruction sheet on how to produce and transfer your hours-of-service records to an officer, an instruction sheet on ELD malfunction reporting and recordkeeping, and blank paper log graph-grids for at least 8 days. When an officer asks, you must produce and transfer your records from the ELD following that instruction sheet (395.24(d)). Practice the transfer before you need it. See the ELD checklist.
• Proof of the annual inspection (396.17(c)): the inspection report, or a sticker or decal with the date, the name and address of who keeps the report, the vehicle ID and the certification, for each truck and trailer.
• Registration for the truck and trailer, plus your IRP cab card and IFTA license if you run apportioned. See the IFTA and IRP checklist.
• Shipping papers, and for permitted loads, every state's permit.

Be polite, keep your hands visible, have documents organized, and answer what's asked.

After the inspection: the report and the 15-day rule

49 CFR 396.9(d) sets out what happens to the inspection report:

• Driver: give a copy to the motor carrier at the next terminal or facility. If you won't get there within 24 hours, send it right away by mail, fax or other means.
• Carrier: review the report and fix the violations and defects listed.
• Within 15 days of the inspection, the carrier must certify that all violations were corrected by signing the carrier official, title and date section of the form. If the issuing state agency asks for it, return the completed form to the address on it.
• Keep a copy at your principal place of business or where the vehicle is housed for 12 months from the inspection date.

For owner-operators with their own authority, you are both the driver and the carrier, so this is all on you. Keep the repair receipts with the signed report.

How inspections affect CSA, and fixing mistakes

• Inspection results feed FMCSA's Safety Measurement System (SMS), which uses 24 months of data. Violations raise your measures in the BASICs. See CSA scores explained.
• Clean inspections help. In most BASICs the measure is divided by the number of relevant inspections, so inspections with no violations lower your measure. A truck in good shape with complete paperwork is the best way to earn them.
• If a violation is wrong, for example it doesn't match the facts or a court dismissed a citation, you can ask for a review through FMCSA's DataQs system. See how to dispute a violation in DataQs.

CVSA enforcement weeks in 2026

CVSA runs announced inspection events every year. In 2026:

• International Roadcheck ran May 12 to 14, 2026, a 72-hour event focused mostly on Level I inspections. The focus areas were ELD tampering, falsification or manipulation for drivers, and cargo securement for vehicles.
• Brake Safety Week ran August 23 to 29, 2026, with a focus on brake drums and rotors.

Inspections happen every day of the year, not just during these events. Check cvsa.org for next year's dates when they're announced.

Questions carriers ask