Prepare commercial drivers and vehicles for a roadside inspection: documents, vehicle condition and driver records.
Roadside inspections check both the driver and the vehicle. Most violations are found in common areas such as lights, brakes, tires and records.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rules and state rules apply, and they change. Confirm requirements for your vehicles and operations with the current regulations or a compliance advisor.
15 items. Use it on screen, or print it and fill it in by hand.
A delivery company reviews last quarter’s roadside results and sees most violations relate to lights. It adds a light check to the yard exit routine, and the drivers’ pre-trip form is updated to include each light by position.
FMCSA rules require commercial drivers and carriers to keep vehicles in safe condition, carry valid credentials and keep hours of service records. Roadside inspection results feed the carrier’s safety measurement scores, so preventing violations protects the company’s standing with shippers and insurers.
| Carrier | Prairie Freight LLC, Omaha NE |
|---|---|
| Driver and unit | Jesse, CDL Class A, tractor 14 and trailer 207 |
| Documents | Med card exp Aug 2027; ELD logs current |
| Brakes | Pushrod stroke within limits, all axles |
| Lights | Trailer left marker out; replaced in yard |
| Load | Pallets strapped, 8 straps, 41,500 lb |
| After inspection | Level II clean; report sent to fleet manager Kara |
The marker light was found and replaced during the yard check, so it did not show up at the roadside inspection later that week. The clean inspection report is kept and shared, since clean results also help the carrier’s safety scores.
Driver documents, records and vehicle condition, depending on the level.
Drivers covered by the rules; check your exemption status.
It can be placed out of service until repaired.
Follow the current record retention rules.
CVSA defines several levels. Level I is the full inspection of driver documents and the vehicle, Level II is a walk-around without getting under the vehicle and Level III checks only the driver’s credentials and records. Other levels cover special cases like hazardous materials or radioactive loads.
It is a defect or driver issue serious enough that the vehicle or driver cannot continue until it is fixed, such as brakes out of adjustment beyond limits or a driver over hours of service. The criteria are set by CVSA’s out-of-service criteria. Repairs must be made and documented before the vehicle moves again.
More for the same job
Assign the work in EZTime to an employee, a team or a whole location, ask for photo proof, and get a late alert instead of chasing people.