DVIR (Driver Vehicle Inspection Report)
A Driver Vehicle Inspection Report is a mandatory pre-trip and post-trip written record, required under 49 CFR 396.11, in which a driver documents the mechanical condition of a commercial vehicle and any defects found before certifying it safe to operate. Carriers must repair reported defects before the vehicle is dispatched again.
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What the rule asks for
So the inspection is daily and unconditional; the written report is daily and conditional. That distinction is where most audit findings come from, because a fleet that files a clean report every day is doing more than the rule asks, while a fleet that skips the inspection because yesterday's report was clean is doing less. Reports and the repair certifications attached to them must be retained for three months.
| Requirement | Regulation | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Driver satisfies themselves the vehicle is safe | 49 CFR 396.13 | Before driving, every time |
| Review and sign the previous defect certification | 49 CFR 396.13 | Where the last report listed a defect |
| Prepare a written report | 49 CFR 396.11(a)(2) | At the end of each day's work, where a defect was found or reported |
| Repair the defect before dispatch | 49 CFR 396.11(a)(3) | Where the defect would affect safe operation |
| Retain report and certification | 49 CFR 396.11(b)(2) | Three months from the date of the report |
Why DVIR compliance costs money
- Confirm the platform records the inspection even when no defect is found, so you can show the inspection happened without filing an unnecessary report
- Require a photo on any defect that affects safe operation
- Route defects straight to a work order rather than to an inbox
- Block dispatch on a vehicle with an open safety-affecting defect, in the system rather than by convention
- Keep reports and repair certifications for three months and confirm the export format an auditor would accept
Terms like this one decide what a vendor is really quoting for, so it is worth checking the fleet software profiles that document how each platform handles it, and modelling the cost with a fleet cost calculator before a vendor call.
DVIR (Driver Vehicle Inspection Report) FAQ
Quick answers to the questions buyers usually ask once the category, software, or rollout details start getting more specific.
A written DVIR is required at the completion of each day's work on each vehicle operated, but only where the driver found or was told of a defect. 49 CFR 396.11(a)(2)(i) states plainly that a driver need not prepare a report when no defect or deficiency is discovered. The daily pre-trip inspection under 396.13 is still mandatory either way, and reports plus repair certifications must be kept for three months.
Every commercial motor vehicle under a motor carrier's control, and each unit separately, so a tractor-semitrailer means a report per vehicle operated. Intermodal equipment runs through a separate process operated by the equipment provider. Three operations are exempt: a private motor carrier of passengers on a nonbusiness basis, a driveaway-towaway operation, and any motor carrier operating only one commercial motor vehicle (49 CFR 396.11(a)(1), (a)(5), (b)(1)).
It closes the loop between a driver finding a defect and the carrier fixing it. The report must identify the vehicle and list any defect that would affect safe operation or cause a breakdown. The carrier must then repair it before the vehicle is driven again, and must certify on the report that the repair was made or was unnecessary. The next driver reviews and signs that certification before driving (49 CFR 396.11(a)(2)(i), (a)(3), 396.13).
The inspection happens before driving, under 396.13, and the written report at the completion of each day's work on that vehicle, under 396.11. Fleets commonly describe these as pre-trip and post-trip, which is accurate in practice but not the wording of the regulation.
They are still required, but not unconditionally. The rule no longer asks for a written report when the driver found no defect, which is why some fleets describe no-defect DVIRs as having gone away. The daily inspection, the report where a defect exists, the repair before dispatch and the three-month retention all remain.
The report becomes evidence the carrier knew. A safety-affecting defect must be repaired before the vehicle is driven again, so operating it is a violation in its own right, and a roadside inspection that finds the same defect can put the vehicle out of service and feed a maintenance violation into CSA scoring.