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Illinois has adopted Part 396 of the Federal Regulations.
Part 396 applies to persons employing drivers, drivers, and any self-propelled or towed vehicle used on public highways in interstate and intrastate commerce when the vehicle has a gross vehicle weight, a gross vehicle weight rating, a gross combination weight, or a gross combination weight rating of 10,001 or more pounds, or the vehicle is used in the transportation of hazardous materials in a quantity requiring placarding under the Illinois Hazardous Materials Transportation Act.
Exception — Part 396 does not apply to drivers of covered farm vehicles as defined in 92 Ill. Adm. Code 390.1020.
The Illinois Vehicle Inspection Law is administered and regulated by the Illinois Department of Transportation, Division of Traffic Safety, Commercial Vehicle Safety Section. Inspections are conducted at Illinois Official Testing Stations which are privately owned businesses that serve as agents of the State of Illinois.
Intrastate vehicles subject to the law include:
Vehicles subject to the law must be inspected every six months.
Truck-tractors, semitrailers, and property-carrying vehicles registered for a gross weight of more than 10,000 pounds but less than 26,001 pounds, must be inspected at least once every 12 months.
School buses and first division vehicles that are used for a purpose that requires a school bus driver permit, must be inspected every six months or 10,000 miles whichever occurs first.
For trucks, truck tractors, trailers, semi-trailers, and buses (except school buses, religious organization buses, buses registered as charitable vehicles, buses designed to transport 11-15 persons and senior citizen transport buses), the inspection shall be conducted in accordance with Appendix G to Part 396 procedures. Required safety equipment (e.g., emergency warning devices and fire extinguisher) is not subject to inspection during an Appendix G inspection.
For all other vehicles, the safety inspection includes the testing of brakes, lights, horn, reflectors, rear vision mirrors, exhaust system, safety chains, window glass, frame, axles, wheels, tires, steering, and suspension.
Vehicles properly licensed in another state and displaying a valid license plate are exempt from the Illinois Vehicle Inspection Law except vehicles of contract carriers transporting employees in the course of their employment on a highway of this state in a vehicle designed to carry 15 or fewer passengers are only exempted to the extent that the safety testing requirements applicable to such vehicles in the state of registration are no less stringent than the safety testing requirements applicable to contract carriers that are lawfully registered in Illinois.
Interstate carriers of property are exempt from the Illinois Vehicle Inspection Law, provided they display the appropriate U.S. DOT number and meet the annual inspection required in Part 396. Illinois Official Testing Stations are authorized to conduct the Federal annual inspection required by Part 396. Illinois Official Testing Stations are not authorized to conduct the annual inspection of interstate motorcoach buses.