"DOT inspection levels" are the eight North American Standard Inspection levels defined by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) and used by state inspectors across the US. Level I is the full inspection of driver and vehicle, Level II is the same without going under the truck, Level III checks only the driver and paperwork, and Level V is the vehicle with no driver present. Levels IV, VI, VII and VIII are special cases, the last one electronic, done while the truck is moving.
Who sets the levels and who does the inspections
The levels are not in the Code of Federal Regulations. The federal rules refer to them. 49 CFR 350.105 defines the "North American Standard Inspection" as "the methodology used by State CMV safety inspectors to conduct safety inspections of CMVs," consisting of "various levels of inspection of the vehicle or driver or both," with criteria "developed by FMCSA in conjunction with the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), which is an association of States, Canadian Provinces, and Mexico whose members agree to adopt these standards."
Most roadside inspections are done by state officers funded through the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program in Part 350. To qualify for those funds a state must, among other things, provide a right of entry and inspection (350.207(a)(5)), give "maximum reciprocity" to inspections under the North American Standard program through a system that identifies previously inspected vehicles ((a)(16)), and conduct inspections at locations adequate to protect drivers and officers ((a)(18)). Federal special agents have their own authority in 49 CFR 396.9(a) to enter and inspect a carrier’s vehicles in operation.
A note on our source: cvsa.org could not be read from our system, so the level definitions below are quoted from a copy of CVSA’s "All Inspection Levels" page printed on March 25, 2019 and filed in a National Transportation Safety Board docket (HWY19MH001). CVSA may have revised the wording since; its site is the current reference.
The eight levels at a glance
| Level | Name | Driver | Vehicle | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | North American Standard Inspection | Yes | Yes, including underneath | The most complete |
| II | Walk-Around Driver/Vehicle Inspection | Yes | Yes, but only what can be seen without getting under the vehicle | |
| III | Driver/Credential/Administrative Inspection | Yes | No mechanical items | Traffic violations may be included |
| IV | Special Inspections | Usually a one-time check of one item | For a study or a suspected trend | |
| V | Vehicle-Only Inspection | No driver present | Yes, Level I vehicle items | Any location, often at a carrier’s premises |
| VI | Transuranic Waste and HRCQ Radioactive Material | Yes | Yes, enhanced | Select radiological shipments only |
| VII | Jurisdictional Mandated Inspection | Set by the state | No CVSA decal | |
| VIII | Electronic Inspection | Electronic data | Registration data only | While moving, no contact with an officer |
Level I: the full inspection
CVSA’s definition lists what a Level I includes. On the driver side: the driver’s license; the Medical Examiner’s Certificate and Skill Performance Evaluation certificate if applicable; alcohol and drugs; the record of duty status as required; hours of service; seat belt; and vehicle inspection reports if applicable. On the vehicle side: brake systems; cargo securement; coupling devices; driveline and driveshaft; exhaust systems; frames; fuel systems; lighting devices (headlamps, tail lamps, stop lamps, turn signals, and lamps and flags on projecting loads); steering mechanisms; suspensions; tires; van and open-top trailer bodies; wheels, rims and hubs; windshield wipers; and for buses and passenger vehicles, emergency exits, electrical cables and systems in engine and battery compartments, and seating. Hazardous materials and cargo tank items are inspected only by inspectors certified for them.
Two notes in the definition explain how brake measurement decides the level. If more than 20 percent of pushrod travel on exposed pushrods cannot be measured, the inspection is not a Level I and is recorded as a Level II. And a five-axle combination with one axle not measured "will still require two defective brakes to be placed out of service under the 20 percent brake criteria."
"Level 1 checklist" searches are really asking for that list. There is no separate driver-facing checklist: the list above is what the inspector works through, and it overlaps almost entirely with the daily pre-trip in 49 CFR 392.7. The pre-trip inspection checklist covers the same components from the driver’s side.
Level II: walk-around
A Level II covers the same list of driver and vehicle items as Level I, but "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." Brakes, for example, are checked as far as they can be seen from the side.
Level III: driver and paperwork
At a minimum, where required or applicable: the driver’s license, the Medical Examiner’s Certificate and SPE certificate, the record of duty status, hours of service, seat belt, vehicle inspection reports, and carrier identification and status. The definition adds that mechanical violations specific to a Level I or II should not be included, and that traffic violations may be. A traffic stop that turns into a check of the logbook and medical card fits this definition.
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
"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." Because no driver is needed, it can be done wherever the vehicle is parked.
Level VI: radioactive shipments
An inspection for select radiological shipments: transuranic waste and highway route controlled quantities (HRCQ) of radioactive material as defined in 49 CFR 173.403. It adds radiological requirements and enhanced procedures to the Level I inspection and applies its own out-of-service criteria. The definition states that since January 1, 2005, all vehicles and carriers transporting HRCQ of radioactive material are required to pass the Level VI inspection.
Level VII: jurisdictional mandated
An inspection program a state or province requires that does not meet the requirements of any other level. CVSA’s examples are school buses, limousines, taxis, shared-ride transportation, hotel shuttles and other intrastate operations. They may be done by CVSA-certified inspectors, other government employees or approved contractors, with training set by the jurisdiction. "No CVSA decal shall be issued for a Level VII Inspection but a jurisdiction-specific decal may be applied."
Level VIII: electronic
"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." To count as a complete Level VIII, the data exchange must include, where required or applicable: a descriptive location with GPS coordinates; electronic validation of who is operating the vehicle; the right license class and endorsements; license status; a valid medical certificate and SPE certificate; the current record of duty status; hours-of-service compliance; the USDOT number; power unit registration; operating authority; Unified Carrier Registration compliance; and federal out-of-service orders. This is the data side of what weigh station bypass systems already do; see weigh stations explained.
Out of service: what it means and what follows
An inspection can end with violations noted, or with the driver or vehicle placed out of service. The out-of-service criteria themselves are published by CVSA; the federal rules supply the legal effect:
- Vehicle. Under 49 CFR 396.9(c), authorized personnel "shall declare and mark 'out-of-service' any motor vehicle ... which by reason of its mechanical condition or loading would likely cause an accident or a breakdown," using an Out-of-Service Vehicle sticker. Nobody may operate it until the required repairs are done, and nobody may remove the sticker before then. "Operate" includes towing, except by a vehicle using a crane or hoist.
- Driver, hours of service. 49 CFR 395.13(b) sets the federal hours out-of-service criteria: driving after being on duty beyond the Part 395 limits, and, for a driver required to keep a record of duty status, not having one current for the day of the inspection and the prior seven days. If only today’s and yesterday’s records are missing and the previous six days are complete, the driver gets the chance to bring the record up to date. A driver put out of service for hours may not drive until lawful again, and one put out of service for no log must first take the required consecutive hours off (395.13(d)).
A driver on an hours out-of-service order may not use personal conveyance to reach a rest area unless an officer at the scene directs it; see personal conveyance rules.
After the inspection: the report
49 CFR 396.9(d) sets the paperwork:
- The driver delivers a copy of the inspection report to the carrier (and to the intermodal equipment provider, for intermodal equipment) on arrival at the next terminal or facility, or, if not due there within 24 hours, mails, faxes or otherwise sends it immediately.
- The carrier examines the report and corrects the violations or defects.
- Within 15 days after the inspection, the carrier certifies that all violations have been corrected by signing the form, returns it to the issuing state agency if the agency asks, and keeps a copy for 12 months at its principal place of business or where the vehicle is housed.
For an hours-of-service out-of-service order, 395.13(d)(3) gives the driver 24 hours to deliver or mail the copy to the person or place the carrier designates, and 395.13(c)(2) gives the carrier 15 days to complete and return the "Motor Carrier Certification of Action Taken."
Worked example
Example, applying the definitions above. A tractor-trailer pulls into an open weigh station and is waved to the inspection bay. The officer asks for the license, medical card and logs, then walks around and goes under the trailer to measure pushrod stroke. That is a Level I. Suppose the officer can measure four of five axles; less than 20 percent unmeasured, so it stays a Level I. One brake is out of adjustment. Under the note in the definition, with one axle not measured, two defective brakes would be needed for the 20 percent out-of-service criterion, so this one brake is a violation, not an out-of-service condition. The driver gets the report, hands it to the carrier at the terminal, and the carrier signs off the repair within 15 days.
Driver questions
Can they search my truck?
An inspection is a regulatory examination of the items in the level definitions, which include cargo securement and, for Level I, van and open-top trailer bodies. 49 CFR 396.9(a) authorizes FMCSA special agents to enter and inspect vehicles in operation, and 350.207(a)(5) requires funded states to provide a right of entry and inspection. Anything beyond the inspection itself is a question of state and constitutional law, which this page does not cover.
Can a passenger bus be stopped at a weigh station?
Federal grant conditions point the other way. 350.207(a)(19) requires states, except for an imminent or obvious safety hazard, to inspect passenger-carrier vehicles at a bus station, terminal, border crossing, maintenance facility, destination, or other planned stop, "excluding a weigh station."
What is the CVSA decal?
A decal CVSA issues through its members to mark a vehicle as recently inspected. The federal hook is 350.207(a)(16), which requires funded states to grant reciprocity for North American Standard inspections "through the use of a nationally accepted system that allows ready identification of previously inspected CMVs," and the Level VII definition says no CVSA decal is issued for a Level VII inspection. The criteria for earning a decal and how long it lasts are CVSA policy, which we could not read from our system, so we do not state them here.
Where this fits
Roadside inspections are separate from the annual periodic inspection a carrier must have done on each vehicle under 49 CFR 396.17, which is covered on the annual DOT inspection page. Passing a roadside inspection does not replace it. For where inspections happen, see the weigh station directory, and for facilities that do the annual inspection, the inspection station directory.