
Experience Everything Compliance Network Has to Offer
Motor carriers and their drivers must ensure that their commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) and/or intermodal equipment are safe before driving.
These requirements apply to CMVs and intermodal equipment operated in interstate commerce.
Before operating a CMV (at any time), the driver must be satisfied that the following parts and accessories are in good working order:
In addition, drivers may not drive a CMV unless:
The regulations do not specifically require a pretrip inspection, nor an inspection report, but an inspection is widely seen as the only way to ensure a vehicle’s safety before driving. In addition, company policies may require a pretrip inspection and report, and may specify a minimum amount of time for each inspection.
If the last person who drove the vehicle prepared a driver’s vehicle inspection report (DVIR) indicating that the vehicle had a defect, the next driver must review and sign the DVIR before driving, to acknowledge that required repairs were completed. (No signature is required for defects that were on a trailer that is no longer a part of the combination.)
Intermodal equipment. For intermodal equipment, a driver preparing to transport the equipment must inspect the following parts and accessories and be sure they are in good working order before the equipment is operated over the road:
There is no specific documentation required for this inspection.
Driveaway-towaway operation. Before operating a combination vehicle in a driveaway-towaway operation , the motor carrier must ensure that: