DVIR Requirements Under 49 CFR 396.11

A Driver Vehicle Inspection Report (DVIR) is the written or electronic record of a driver's post-trip inspection. The rules are in 49 CFR §396.11 (post-trip report) and §396.13 (driver's review before driving).

When a DVIR is required

Since FMCSA's 2014 rule change, a property-carrying driver only has to prepare a DVIR at the end of the work day if a defect or deficiency was discovered by or reported to the driver. Passenger carriers must still prepare a DVIR every day, whether or not defects were found. Many fleets still require daily DVIRs as a best practice.

What must be inspected and reported

The report must cover any defect that would affect safe operation or cause a breakdown in at least these parts:

• 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
• Emergency equipment

Repair certification

Before the vehicle is driven again, the motor carrier must repair any listed defect that would affect safety. It must then certify on the original DVIR that the defect was repaired, or that repair was unnecessary. The next driver must review the DVIR and acknowledge the certification (§396.13).

Recordkeeping

Carriers must keep the original DVIR, the repair certification, and the next driver's review for three months from the date the report was prepared (§396.11(a)(4)).

Common DVIR mistakes

• Writing defects down but never certifying the repair.
• "No defects" DVIRs with defects that a roadside inspector finds an hour later.
• Missing driver signatures, or electronic DVIRs without a valid driver ID.

DotCheck inspection results can be attached to your internal maintenance workflow. That gives you a time-stamped, photo-backed record of what was checked.