DOT inspection checklist
Everything an inspector can fail a truck for — at the roadside in a Level I inspection or in the annual inspection — with the actual measurements from Appendix A of 49 CFR Part 396. Tick items off as you go around the truck; your ticks stay in this browser.
Progress
0 of 92 items checked
1Driver and paperwork
0/9A Level I inspection starts in the cab, before anyone looks at the truck. These are the items CVSA lists on the driver side.
2Brake system
0/18The section that puts more trucks out of service than any other. Inspectors measure pushrod stroke with the engine off and 80–90 psi in the tanks, brakes fully applied.
3Coupling devices
0/9Fifth wheel, pintle hook, drawbar and the safety chains. Movement is measured, not eyeballed.
4Exhaust and fuel systems
0/6Short list, easy fails: a leak in the wrong place or a missing cap.
5Lighting devices
0/5Appendix A says it in one line: every light and reflector Part 393 requires must work.
6Cargo securement and safe loading
0/4Level I checks the load against Part 393 Subpart I; Appendix A adds the three items below.
7Steering mechanism
0/8Free play is measured at the rim of the wheel, engine running on a power-steered truck.
8Suspension
0/5Anything that lets an axle shift out of position.
9Frame
0/4Rails, crossmembers and the bolts that hold the big components on.
10Tires
0/8Steer tires get the stricter rule. Tread is measured in a major groove, anywhere on the tire.
11Wheels, rims and hubs
0/6Cracks, missing nuts and the wrong kind of repair.
12Windshield and wipers
0/4The rule excludes a 2 in. band at the top, 1 in. at each side, and the area below the top of the steering wheel.
13Rear impact guard
0/6For trailers and semitrailers of 10,001 lb GVWR or more built on or after January 26, 1998.
Three inspections, one list
The pre-trip inspection is yours, every day, and it is the first thing the CDL skills test scores. The roadside inspection is done to you by a certified officer — Level I is the full one, under the truck; Level II is a walkaround; Level III is driver and paperwork only. The annual inspection under § 396.17 is the vehicle side of the same list, done once every 12 months by someone qualified under § 396.19, with the report or sticker carried on the vehicle.
All three look at the same components with the same limits, which is the point of this page: a truck that passes it in the yard has nothing left for the scale to find. The items an officer measures — pushrod stroke, lining thickness, tread depth, steering free play, fifth-wheel movement — carry their numbers here so you can measure them first.
Common questions
What does a DOT inspection check?
A Level I North American Standard inspection checks the driver — licence, medical card, logs, hours of service, seat belt, alcohol and drugs — and then the vehicle: brakes, coupling, driveline, exhaust, frame, fuel system, lights, steering, suspension, tires, wheels and rims, wipers, cargo securement, and HazMat items where they apply. The annual inspection under 49 CFR 396.17 covers the vehicle side of the same list, scored against Appendix A of Part 396.
What is the difference between a DOT inspection and a pre-trip inspection?
Who does it and what happens if it fails. The pre-trip is yours: a daily walkaround the regulations require of the driver, and the first scored section of the CDL skills test. A DOT inspection is done to you — by a certified officer at the roadside (Levels I–III) or by a qualified inspector once a year (§ 396.17). Fail an item on the out-of-service list and the truck does not move until it is fixed. The two look at the same parts, which is why a driver who does the pre-trip properly rarely has a bad day at the scale.
How often is a DOT inspection required?
Every commercial motor vehicle — the tractor, the trailer, and a converter dolly if there is one — must pass an inspection covering Appendix A at least once every 12 months, and proof (the report or a sticker with the date, the carrier and the vehicle) must be on the vehicle. A state periodic inspection that meets Appendix A counts, for 12 months from the end of the month it was done. Roadside inspections have no schedule; you get one when you are selected.
What are the most common out-of-service violations?
Brakes, by a distance — out-of-adjustment pushrods and the 20% rule, where defective brakes on 20% or more of the axles put the whole vehicle out of service. After brakes: tires under the tread limit or showing cord, lights out, cargo securement short on tiedowns, and on the driver side hours-of-service violations and a lapsed medical card. Everything on that list is on this page.
Can I use this checklist for the annual inspection?
It is the Appendix A list, so it covers what an annual inspection must cover — but the inspection itself has to be done by someone qualified under § 396.19 and documented under § 396.21. Use this to find what will fail before the inspector does, or to check that a shop’s report actually covered every section.
This is the federal minimum. Your state may add items, HazMat and passenger vehicles carry extra sections, and the CVSA out-of-service criteria — which decide whether a defect parks the truck — are a separate document that CVSA sells. Passing this list means the inspector has nothing in Appendix A to write up; it is not a guarantee.
Sources
Every threshold on this page was read from the rule or the CVSA page linked, on the date shown. Nothing here is written from memory.
- 49 CFR Part 396, Appendix A — Minimum Periodic Inspection Standards (eCFR) — read 2026-09-03
- 49 CFR § 396.17 — Periodic inspection (eCFR) — read 2026-09-03
- CVSA — All Inspection Levels (North American Standard Level I–VIII) — read 2026-09-03