The Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration (FMCSA) defines Roadside Inspections as follows: “Examinations of commercial motor vehicles and/or drivers by Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) Inspectors. MCSAP inspectors conduct roadside inspections on commercial motor vehicles and drivers to check that they are in compliance with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) and/or Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMRs). If an inspection results in serious violations, the driver will be issued a driver or vehicle Out-of-Service Order. Violations must be corrected before the driver or vehicle can return to service.
There were 29,755 federal and 1,297,675 state roadside inspections of trucks last calendar year. Through the end of June this year, the out of service rate for trucks is 21.48%; the rate for driver violations is 6.11%.
If you drive for a living, inspections are a fact of life. They are not a matter of if, but when. So how can drivers be better prepared for a roadside inspection? Here are six things to keep in mind.
