Free Vehicle Inspection Checklist

No. A DVIR is the FMCSA-specified driver's vehicle inspection report for commercial motor vehicles. This general checklist is broader and useful for any fleet vehicle, but commercial operators still need a compliant DVIR. 49 CFR 396.11(a)(1) names the eleven parts and accessories a DVIR must cover at minimum: service brakes including trailer brake connections, parking brake, steering mechanism, lighting devices and reflectors, tires, horn, windshield wipers, rear vision mirrors, coupling devices, wheels and rims, and emergency equipment. Every one of those eleven appears somewhere in the groups on this checklist, so the general inspection can feed the DVIR — but the report itself, the driver's signature, and the carrier's certification of repair are separate obligations under 396.11(a)(2)-(3).

Less than 4/32 of an inch on the front wheels of a bus, truck or truck tractor, and less than 2/32 of an inch at any other wheel position (49 CFR 393.75(b) and (c)). Both are measured at a major tread groove, and the CFR is explicit that the measurement must not be taken where tie bars, humps or fillets are located — which is where a tread gauge will flatter a worn tire. Separately, and regardless of depth, 49 CFR 393.75(a) puts a vehicle out of service for a tire with body ply or belt material exposed through the tread or sidewall, any tread or sidewall separation, a flat or audibly leaking tire, or a cut exposing ply or belt material.

Daily walkaround checks for active commercial vehicles, plus a deeper multi-point inspection at each PM interval. Light-use vehicles can be inspected weekly or before long trips. For commercial motor vehicles the outer bound is fixed rather than a matter of preference: under 49 CFR 396.17(c) every component in Appendix A to Part 396 must have passed an inspection at least once during the preceding 12 months, with documentation carried on the vehicle. Buses carry one extra interval — pushout windows, emergency doors and emergency door marking lights must be inspected at least every 90 days (49 CFR 396.3(a)(2)).

It depends which record it is, and the four periods are all different. A driver vehicle inspection report, the certification of repairs and the certification of the driver's review: 3 months from the date the written report was prepared (49 CFR 396.11(a)(4)). A roadside inspection form: corrections certified and returned to the issuing agency within 15 days of the inspection, with a copy retained 12 months (49 CFR 396.9(d)(3)). An annual periodic inspection report: 14 months, retained where the vehicle is housed or maintained (49 CFR 396.21(b)(1)). General maintenance records: 1 year where the vehicle is housed or maintained, plus 6 months after the vehicle leaves the carrier's control (49 CFR 396.3(c)).

For each truck, truck tractor and bus, 49 CFR 393.95 requires: a fire extinguisher rated 5 B:C or more, or two each rated 4 B:C or more, rising to 10 B:C or more if the power unit transports hazardous materials in a quantity requiring placarding; the extinguisher labeled with its UL rating, visibly determinable as fully charged, and securely mounted; at least one spare fuse for each type and size needed to operate required parts and accessories; and either three bidirectional emergency reflective triangles conforming to FMVSS No. 125, or at least 6 fusees or 3 liquid-burning flares. Flame-producing warning devices may not be carried on a vehicle transporting Division 1.1, 1.2 or 1.3 explosives.

49 CFR Part 396 Appendix A, item 1.a.(6), sets the thresholds by axle and brake type, measured at the shoe center. On non-steering axles: less than 1/4 inch for air drum brakes, 1/16 inch or less for hydraulic and electric drum brakes, and less than 1/8 inch for air disc brakes. On steering axles: less than 1/4 inch for drum brakes, less than 1/8 inch for air disc, and 1/16 inch or less for hydraulic disc and electric brakes. A lining also fails if it is not firmly attached to the shoe or is saturated with oil, grease or brake fluid, whatever its thickness. Pushrod stroke is checked separately, with the engine off and reservoir pressure at 80 to 90 psi.

Drivers can complete the visual and operational items. Anything requiring measurement (brake wear, tread depth below the line) or diagnosis should go to a qualified technician.

At minimum: tires, lights, brakes, fluids, belts and hoses, mirrors and glass, and onboard safety equipment. This checklist groups those into exterior, under-hood, under-vehicle, and interior sections so nothing gets skipped during the walkaround.

Broadly: identify the vehicle and pull its prior open defects, walk the exterior in a fixed order, check under the hood, check under the vehicle, check the interior and safety equipment, classify anything found by severity, then document and close out — sign, date, and route anything serious to the shop before the vehicle is released. The item groups on this checklist map to those steps; the process is what turns a list of items into a repeatable inspection instead of a memory exercise.

Anything touching braking, steering, tires, lighting, or structural integrity — a brake line that's leaking rather than just worn, a tie-rod with play, a tire below the legal tread minimum, a headlight that's actually out rather than dim, visible frame or suspension damage. These are the items that justify a stop classification rather than a monitor note, because they affect whether the vehicle can be safely driven at all, not just how well it runs.