- Roadside inspections follow the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) North American Standard inspection procedures. In Texas, most are done by Texas Department of Public Safety commercial vehicle enforcement troopers and certified local officers.
- Level I is the most thorough. Level III checks only the driver and paperwork.
- Serious problems lead to an out-of-service order: the driver or vehicle can't continue until the problem is fixed.
The eight inspection levels
| Level | Name | What's checked |
|---|---|---|
| I | North American Standard Inspection | The full inspection of the driver (license, medical certificate, hours of service, seat belt, drugs and alcohol) and the vehicle, including brakes, coupling devices, lights, tires, cargo securement, steering and suspension, with the inspector going under the vehicle. |
| II | Walk-around driver/vehicle inspection | The same driver checks, plus vehicle items that can be checked without going under the vehicle. |
| III | Driver/credential/administrative inspection | Driver only: license, medical card, hours-of-service records, seat belt, vehicle inspection reports and hazmat papers where relevant. |
| IV | Special inspection | A one-time check of a particular item, usually to support a study or to check a trend. |
| V | Vehicle-only inspection | The vehicle part of a Level I, done without the driver present, often at a carrier's terminal. |
| VI | Enhanced inspection for radioactive shipments | A Level I plus extra checks for vehicles carrying highway-route-controlled quantities of radioactive material. |
| VII | Jurisdictional mandated inspection | Inspections required by a state or local program that don't fit the other levels, such as school buses or limousines. |
| VIII | Electronic inspection | Done wirelessly while the vehicle is moving, checking items such as the driver's credentials and hours-of-service status. |
Out-of-service orders
Inspectors use the CVSA North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria. If a violation is serious enough, such as defective brakes, a driver over their hours or an invalid license, the driver or vehicle is placed out of service. It can't move until the problem is corrected. Out-of-service rates are one of the clearest public indicators of a carrier's safety performance. You can see any carrier's rates in the trucking company safety lookup.
The CVSA decal
A vehicle that passes a Level I or Level V inspection with no critical violations can receive a CVSA decal. Inspectors generally don't re-inspect a vehicle with a current decal unless they see an obvious defect. Decals are valid for up to three months.
How inspections affect a carrier's record
Inspection results, including violations that didn't lead to an out-of-service order, feed FMCSA's Safety Measurement System (SMS) and the carrier's BASIC percentiles. Read how to read a carrier safety rating and CSA scores.
Inspections after a crash
After a serious crash, officers often carry out a post-crash inspection of the truck. Defects found, such as brakes out of adjustment or worn tires, can be key evidence about the cause and about the carrier's maintenance practices. See hours-of-service and maintenance violations in crashes.