The purpose of a roadside inspection on individual commercial motor vehicles and drivers is to determine if they comply with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) and/or Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMRs).
In the event of serious violations, the inspection may result in the issuance of driver or vehicle OOS orders. These violations must be corrected before the affected driver or vehicle can return to service. Traffic enforcement violations may also be recorded in conjunction with a roadside inspection.
Levels of Inspections
- Level I – North American Standard Inspection
- Level II – Walk-Around Driver/Vehicle Inspection
- Level III – Driver/Credential/Administrative Inspection
- Level IV – Special Inspections
- Level V – Vehicle-Only Inspection
Level I – North American Standard Inspection
An inspection that includes the examination of:
- Driver’s license
- Medical Examiner’s Certificate
- Skill Performance Evaluation (SPE) Certificate (if applicable)
- Alcohol and drugs
- Driver’s record of duty status, as required (IE: hours of service)
- Seat belts
- Vehicle inspection report(s)
- Brake systems
- Cargo securement devices
- Coupling devices
- Driveline/driveshaft
- Exhaust systems
- Frames
- Fuel systems
- Lighting devices (headlamps, tail lamps, stop lamps, turn signals, and lamps/flags on projecting loads)
- Steering mechanisms
- Suspensions
- Tires
- Van and open-top trailer bodies
- Wheels
- Rims and hubs
- Windshield wipers
Buses, motor coaches, passenger vans, or other passenger-carrying vehicles
- Emergency exits
- Electrical cables and systems in the engine and battery compartments,
- Seating,
- HM/DG and specification cargo tank requirements, as applicable.
- HM/DG required inspection items will only be inspected by certified HM/DG and cargo tank inspectors, as applicable.
Level II – Walk-Around Driver/Vehicle Inspection
As a minimum, Level II Inspections must include the examination of:
- Driver’s license
- Medical Examiner’s Certificate and Skill Performance Evaluation (SPE) Certificate (if applicable)
- Alcohol and drugs
- Driver’s record of duty status as required (IE: hours of service)
- Seat belt
- Vehicle inspection report(s) (if applicable)
- Brake systems
- Cargo securement devices
- Coupling devices
- Driveline/driveshaft
- Exhaust systems
- Frames
- Fuel systems
- Lighting devices (headlamps, tail lamps, stop lamps, turn signals, and lamps/flags on projecting loads)
- Steering mechanisms
- Suspensions
- Tires
- Van and open-top trailer bodies
- Wheels
- Rims and hubs
- Windshield wipers
- Buses
Motorcoaches, passenger vans, or other passenger-carrying vehicles
- Emergency exits
- Electrical cables and systems in engine and battery compartments
- Seating, and HM/DG requirements, as applicable.
- HM/DG required inspection items will only be inspected by certified HM/DG and cargo tank inspectors, as applicable.
It is contemplated that the walk-around driver/vehicle inspection will include only those items that can be inspected without physically getting under the vehicle.
Level III – Driver/Credential/Administrative Inspection
As a minimum, Level III Inspections must include, where required and/or applicable:
- Examination of the driver’s license
- Medical Examiner’s Certificate and Skill Performance Evaluation (SPE) Certificate
- Driver’s record of duty status
- Hours of service
- Seat belt
- Vehicle inspection report(s)
- Carrier identification and status
Level IV – Special Inspections
Inspections under this heading typically include a one-time examination of a particular item. These examinations are normally made in support of a study or to verify or refute a suspected trend.
Level V – Vehicle-Only Inspection
An inspection that includes each of the vehicle inspection items specified under the North American Standard Inspection (Level I), without a driver present, conducted at any location.
Level VI – North American Standard Inspection for Transuranic Waste and Highway Route Controlled Quantities (HRCQ) of Radioactive Material
An inspection for select radiological shipments, which include inspection procedures, enhancements to the North American Standard Level I Inspection, radiological requirements, and the North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria for Transuranic Waste and Highway Route Controlled Quantities of Radioactive material.
Previously, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) voluntarily complied with the North American Standard Level VI Inspection Program requirements.
Select radiological shipments include HRCQ of radioactive material as defined by Title 49 CFR 173.403. And, because only a small fraction of transuranic are HRCQ, the U.S. DOE decided to include its transuranic waste shipments in the North American Standard Level VI Inspection Program.
Level VII – Jurisdictional Mandated Commercial Vehicle Inspection
An inspection that is a jurisdictional mandated inspection program that does not meet the requirements of any other level of inspection.
An example will include inspection programs such as but not limited to, school buses, limousines, taxis, shared-ride transportation, hotel courtesy shuttles, and other intrastate/intra-provincial operations.
These inspections may be conducted by CVSA-certified inspectors, other designated government employees or jurisdiction-approved contractors. Inspector training requirements shall be determined by each jurisdiction. No CVSA decal shall be issued for a Level VII Inspection but a jurisdiction-specific decal may be applied.
Level VIII – North American Standard Electronic Inspection
The North American Standard Level VIII Electronic Inspection is an inspection conducted electronically or wirelessly while the vehicle is in motion without direct interaction with an enforcement officer.
An electronic inspection must include, where required and/or applicable, a descriptive location, including:
- GPS coordinates
- Electronic validation of who is operating the vehicle
- Appropriate driver’s license class and endorsement(s) for the vehicle being operated
- License status
- Valid Medical Examiner’s Certificate and Skill Performance Evaluation (SPE) Certificate
- Current driver’s record of duty status
- Hours-of-service compliance
- USDOT or (Canada) NSC number
- Power unit registration
- Operating authority
- Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) compliance
- Federal out-of-service orders
To be considered a complete Level VIII Electronic Inspection, a data exchange must include each of the required and/or applicable data points listed in the CVSA North American Standard Level VIII Electronic Inspection definition.
Tips for Handling Roadside Inspections
To pass a roadside inspection, drivers should make sure their vehicle and its cargo are in good condition and comply with all applicable regulations. Some specific steps that truckers can take to prepare for a roadside inspection include:
- Perform a thorough pre-trip inspection of the vehicle, including checking the brakes, lights, tires, and other critical systems.
- Make sure that the vehicle is properly loaded and secured, and that all cargo is properly labeled and secured.
- Keep all required documentation, such as the driver’s record of duty status, readily available and in good order.
- Be familiar with the regulations that apply to the vehicle and its cargo, and be prepared to answer any questions that the inspector may have.
- Be polite and respectful to the inspector, and follow any instructions that they give you.
- If any violations are found during the inspection, be prepared to take corrective action, such as repairing a faulty brake light or properly securing a loose piece of cargo.