The basics
What it is
The federal periodic inspection, 49 CFR 396.17. Every commercial motor vehicle has to pass an inspection of each component listed in Appendix A to Part 396 at least once in the preceding 12 months, and proof of it has to be on the vehicle. That proof is the inspection report, or a sticker or decal made from it that shows the date, the carrier's name and address, something that identifies the vehicle, and a certification that it passed. The name and address can be the carrier's, or the other entity that keeps the report.
It is a rolling window, not a calendar date. For a combination, every unit is inspected on its own: the tractor, the semitrailer, a full trailer and any converter dolly. A passing periodic inspection under a state program that meets the Appendix A minimums also counts, for 12 months from the last day of the month it was done.
Why it matters
It is a rule with penalties. A carrier that does not perform the annual properly is subject to the penalty provisions of 49 U.S.C. 521(b). It is an inspection tied to a named, qualified person and a written report you can hand a roadside officer.
And it is cheap next to a roadside out-of-service order. The Appendix A list covers the systems a roadside inspector looks at too: brakes, tires, steering, lights, coupling devices.
Who it is for
Who needs it
If it carries your name on the door and weighs enough, it is on the list.
- Motor carriers with commercial vehiclesA commercial motor vehicle under 49 CFR 390.5 is one used on a highway in interstate commerce with a GVWR or GCWR of 10,001 pounds or more. Utility, construction, tree and municipal fleets with bucket trucks, derricks, dump trucks and semis land here.
- Fleets with pickups under 10,001 poundsNot federal commercial vehicles by weight. Some states have their own rules, including for intrastate work. Check your state, and it is worth putting them on the same schedule.
- Trailer ownersA trailer pulled in a combination is inspected too, each unit on its own.
- Buyers of used trucksAsk for the last annual report. If it is more than 12 months old, the truck is due.
Appendix A
What gets checked
The Appendix A groups that apply to work trucks, with the real limits. A pass means none of the listed defects.
- Brake systemNo braking action on an axle that needs it, missing or broken parts, audible air leaks, linings thin or soaked, cracked drums or rotors, bad hose and tubing, a low pressure warning that fails at 55 psi or half the governor cut-out, whichever is less. Pushrod stroke is measured with the engine off and 80 to 90 psi in the reservoir. A standard-stroke Type 30 clamp chamber fails past 2 inches.
- Coupling devicesFifth wheels, sliders and kingpin engagement, pintle hooks, drawbar eyes and tongues, safety chains and cables, saddle-mounts. Fastener, crack and movement limits in fractions of an inch.
- Exhaust systemA leak forward of or under the driver compartment, or exhaust routed where it can burn wiring, fuel lines or anything combustible.
- Fuel systemVisible leaks, a missing filler cap, a tank that is not securely mounted.
- Lighting devicesEvery lamp and reflector required by Part 393 operating.
- Safe loadingAnything that can fall onto the road, and a front-end structure where one is required.
- Steering mechanismSteering wheel free play against a table by wheel size (on a 16 inch wheel, 2 inches manual or 4 1/2 inches power with the engine running), column, gear box, pitman arm, tie rods, drag links, ball joints, loose or missing nuts.
- SuspensionAxle positioning parts, broken or displaced leaves, broken coil or rubber springs.
- FrameCracked, broken, loose or sagging members, loose fasteners at the engine, transmission, steering gear, body and fifth wheel, body or frame touching a tire.
- TiresSteer axle under 4/32 inch of tread, other positions under 2/32. Exposed cord, separation, cuts into the plies, flat or leaking, overloaded, regrooved steer tires, mixed bias and radial on one axle.
- Wheels and rimsCracked or broken, elongated bolt holes, loose or missing fasteners, cracked weld on disc wheels, welded repair on steer axle wheels.
- Windshield and wipersCracks and vision-reducing damage outside the borders the rule allows, and a power unit with an inoperative wiper.
- Rear impact guardOn trailers built on or after January 26, 1998 and on the other vehicles the rule names: present, secure, and within the height and width limits.
A vehicle does not pass if it has one of the listed defects. This is a summary. The full text, with every measurement, is Appendix A to 49 CFR Part 396, and the crew works from it. On a bucket truck or derrick the boom, outriggers and PTO are not Appendix A items. Those belong to the ANSI inspection, and it makes sense to book the two together.
Intervals
How often
The annual is a floor. A truck can fail the day after it passed.
- At least once in the last 12 monthsEach component has to have passed within the preceding 12 months, and the documentation has to be on the vehicle. Do not plan to the last week. Book it 30 days out so a failed item can be fixed and the truck is not parked.
- The report is kept for 14 monthsThe motor carrier, or whoever is responsible for the inspection, keeps the original or a copy where the vehicle is housed or maintained, and has to produce it on demand for an official.
- Every vehicle in a combinationTractor, trailer, dolly, each on its own clock. Line them up in the same month so they are done in one visit.
- Between annuals, the daily workDrivers do a pre-trip and write up defects (49 CFR 396.11 and 396.13), and 396.3 requires the carrier to systematically inspect, repair and maintain every vehicle with records. The annual does not replace any of it.
The rulebook
Standards the work follows
Straight from the regulation. The crew works from the current text.
- 49 CFR 396.17The periodic inspection itself: what must be inspected, how often, and what has to be on the vehicle.
- 49 CFR 396.19Inspector qualifications. The inspector must understand Part 393 and Appendix A and be able to find defective parts. Training or experience of at least a year in total counts, or a Federal or State training program, or a State certificate. The carrier keeps proof while the person is doing the inspections, and for a year after.
- 49 CFR 396.21The written report: who did it, the carrier, the date, the vehicle, every component and result, and a certification. Kept 14 months.
- 49 CFR 396.23Equivalent state programs. A qualifying state inspection can satisfy 396.17.
- Appendix A to Part 396The minimum standards for a pass.
- 49 CFR Part 393Parts and accessories for safe operation: the rules behind the Appendix A items.
- 49 CFR 390.5The definition of a commercial motor vehicle.
- CVSA out-of-service criteriaThe roadside standard. A roadside inspection is not the annual, and a CVSA decal comes from a qualifying roadside inspection, not from the annual.
The route
How a job goes with Convoy
Our inspectors meet the 396.19 qualifications. We keep the paperwork moving.
Send the unit list
Unit number, VIN, GVWR, plate, and the date of the last annual if you have the report or sticker.
We schedule the work
We come to the yard, preferably on site so you do not lose a truck for the day. One visit for the whole yard where we can.
Inspection day
Component by component against Appendix A. The inspector writes each result as they go.
Fix, re-check, file
Failed items get quoted and fixed, and the report is finished when they pass. The report goes against the unit and the next date goes on your list.
The paperwork
What you get back
The report is the record. The sticker only points to it.
- The name of the person who did the inspection
- The motor carrier operating the vehicle
- The date of the inspection
- The vehicle: unit number and a unique identifier such as the VIN
- Every Appendix A component inspected, with the result, and any that did not meet the minimum standards listed
- A certification that the report is accurate and complete
- A sticker or decal for the vehicle with the date, the carrier name and address, the vehicle identifier and the pass certification, if you want one
- Evidence of the inspector's qualifications, if you ask for it
- Next due date, entered on your list
49 CFR 396.21 lists what the report must contain. The carrier keeps it 14 months, where the vehicle is housed or maintained.
Straight answers
Questions we get
Something else on your mind? Ask.
Does the truck need a CVSA sticker?
FMCSA requires the annual inspection and the documentation on the vehicle. It does not require a CVSA decal. Those come from a qualifying roadside inspection and last up to three months. They are a different program.
My truck is 9,000 pounds. Does this apply?
Federally, a commercial motor vehicle starts at a GVWR or GCWR of 10,001 pounds. Under that, the federal annual does not apply, though a state may have its own rule. Check yours. If the truck pulls a trailer, the combination rating counts.
Can my own shop do it?
A carrier can do its own annual if the people doing it meet 396.19. A commercial garage or fleet leasing company can also do it as the carrier's agent, if it has the facilities and qualified inspectors. What matters is the qualification and the report.
The brakes are the problem. How bad is it?
Under CVSA's out-of-service criteria, a vehicle is out of service when 20 percent or more of its service brakes are defective. That is a roadside rule, and the annual list is stricter on individual parts. Fix it before the inspection date, not on it.
Does the annual cover the aerial device?
No. The boom, outriggers and hydraulics are not on the Appendix A list. They are covered under ANSI A92.2 or A10.31. See ANSI aerial lift and crane inspections.
Need DOT annual inspections? Get a quote.
Tell us what you run and where it sits. We come back with a price and a plan. A rough list is fine.