What this is
What is a DVIR?
What is a DVIR?
A driver vehicle inspection report is the written post-trip report a commercial motor vehicle driver prepares at the end of each driving day under 49 CFR 396.11, covering the vehicle's condition and any defect that would affect safe operation or is likely to cause a breakdown. The carrier must then certify repair before the vehicle runs again.
When is a DVIR required?
A driver must prepare a report at the end of each day's work on any commercial motor vehicle operated, where a defect or deficiency is found or has been reported. Since the 2014 rule change, no-defect DVIRs are no longer federally required for property-carrying vehicles, though many carriers still require them as policy. Passenger-carrying vehicles remain subject to daily reporting.
Scope
When is a driver vehicle inspection report required?
The DVIR obligation turns on defects, not on days. Understanding which vehicles and which findings trigger a report is what keeps the chain manageable rather than generating paperwork nobody reads.
Use this template when
- A driver completes a day's work on a commercial motor vehicle and has found, or been made aware of, a defect affecting safe operation
- Any of the eleven named parts and accessories shows a fault, from service brakes through to emergency equipment
- The vehicle is passenger-carrying, where daily reporting remains required regardless of whether a defect was found
- A defect was reported previously and the next driver must acknowledge the repair before operating the vehicle
- Company policy requires a daily report as evidence that inspections are actually taking place
Do not use it for
- The annual periodic inspection under 396.17, which is a separate qualified-inspector activity with its own record
- Roadside inspection reports issued by enforcement, which carry their own correction and certification requirements
- Hours of service records, which travel with the driver rather than the vehicle
- Preventive maintenance work orders raised on schedule rather than in response to a reported defect
- Non-commercial vehicles and equipment outside the FMCSA definition, which sit under your own fleet policy
Compliance mapping
Which FMCSA 396.11 requirements does this satisfy?
The DVIR sits across two sections that are easy to conflate. 396.11 governs the post-trip report; 396.13 governs what the next driver must do before driving. Auditors trace the join between them.
| Clause | Requirement | Where it lands |
|---|---|---|
| 396.11(a)(1) | Driver prepares a report at the completion of each day's work on each vehicle operated | Header |
| 396.11(a)(2) | Report covers the listed parts and accessories | Braking and steering |
| 396.11(a)(3) | Driver identifies any defect or deficiency that would affect safety or cause breakdown, and signs | Result |
| 396.11(a)(4) | Retention of the report, repair certification and review certification for three months | Result |
| 396.11(b) | Carrier repairs any defect likely to affect safe operation before the vehicle is dispatched | Related records |
| 396.11(c) | Certification that defects were repaired, or that repair was unnecessary, before the vehicle is operated | Result |
| 396.13 | Next driver reviews the last report, is satisfied the vehicle is safe, and signs to acknowledge repairs | Result |
| 396.3(b) | Systematic inspection, repair and maintenance records for each vehicle | Header |
| NSC Standard 13 | Canadian equivalent, trip inspection reports under provincial adoption | Header |
What it does not cover
- Periodic annual inspection under 396.17, which is a separate qualified-inspector activity with its own record.
- Systematic maintenance records under 396.3(b), which track the vehicle over its life rather than over a shift.
- Roadside inspection reports issued by enforcement, which have their own correction and return requirements.
- Hours of service records, which travel with the driver rather than the vehicle.
- Cargo securement checks, which many carriers add to the form but which sit under 393 Subpart I.
Global
Driver Vehicle Inspection Report requirements by country
Trip inspection duties exist in every jurisdiction with a commercial fleet regime, but only the US builds the requirement around a signature chain.
49 CFR 396.11 and 396.13
Prescriptive. Named components, three-signature chain, defined retention.
The chain is the artifact. A performed repair with an unsigned certification is still a violation.
NSC Standard 13, adopted provincially
Standard referenced. Trip inspection with a defined schedule of items and defect classification.
Defects are classified as minor or major, with major defects prohibiting operation. The report is valid for 24 hours.
Driver walkaround check, DVSA Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness
Guidance backed by operator licensing. Daily walkaround check with defect reporting and rectification.
No prescribed federal form, but operator licence undertakings make the record effectively mandatory.
Heavy Vehicle National Law; NHVAS maintenance module
Duty based, with accreditation schemes prescribing daily check and fault recording.
Accredited operators must show a documented fault reporting and rectification loop equivalent to the chain.
How to complete it
How to complete a driver vehicle inspection report, step by step
The form is straightforward. The failure is almost never the inspection itself, it is the paperwork closing behind it.
The Previous Defects Rectified field is the join between this report and the last one, and it is where the 396.13 duty actually lives. If a defect was reported yesterday and the honest answer today is No or Partly, the inspection stops there: the vehicle does not move until someone has certified the repair or certified that repair was unnecessary. Answering None outstanding without pulling up the previous report is the polite fiction that breaks the chain.
The Score Percent describes the inspection; the Vehicle Safe To Operate field decides what happens next, and one safety-critical defect outweighs a ninety-five percent score. With restriction is only defensible when the restriction is stated in terms dispatch can enforce, no highway running, an empty movement to the workshop only. A restriction that lives in the driver's head is a No that nobody wanted to write down.
A defect worded as brakes soft cannot be repaired, certified or defended. Record the component, the symptom and when it appears, raise the FLT-005 defect report while you are still standing at the vehicle, and put its reference in the Defect Report ID field so the work order that follows stays attached to this record. The chain only works if each link names the next one.
The form says it plainly: the defect you sign off is yours. A driver who signs a clean report on a vehicle with a visible fault has falsified a federal record, which enforcement treats far more seriously than the fault itself. Time Taken Minutes is the honesty check, a fleet whose inspections all take four minutes has a signing routine rather than an inspection routine, and the transport supervisor countersigning should be reading for exactly that pattern.
- 01
Driver completes the post-trip inspection396.11(a)(1)
At the end of the driving day, on each vehicle operated. Record the vehicle identifier, the date, and the driver. Where a defect is found it must be described in terms a mechanic can act on, not as a single word.
- 02
Cover the required components396.11(a)(2)
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, and emergency equipment.
- 03
Driver signs the report396.11(a)(3)
The signature is what makes it a federal record. A driver who signs no defects on a vehicle with a visible fault has falsified that record, which is treated far more seriously than the underlying defect.
- 04
Carrier repairs the defect396.11(b)
Any defect likely to affect safe operation must be corrected before the vehicle is dispatched again. This is the point at which the vehicle should be out of service in the dispatch system, not merely flagged.
- 05
Repair is certified396.11(c)
Someone certifies either that the defect was repaired or that repair was unnecessary for safe operation. An unsigned certification on a completed repair is still a violation, which surprises most operations teams.
Second most common break in the chain.
- 06
Next driver acknowledges396.13
Before driving, the next driver reviews the last report, satisfies themselves the vehicle is safe, and signs to acknowledge the repair. This is the link auditors check first and the one most often blank.
Most common break in the chain.
What auditors find
Most common driver vehicle inspection report findings
DVIR records are among the most examined document categories in a compliance review, because the chain is easy to trace and hard to reconstruct after the fact.
| Finding | Clause | What fixes it |
|---|---|---|
| Next-driver review signature missing on a defect report, so the chain never closed. | 396.13 | Block dispatch until the acknowledgement is captured, rather than relying on the driver to find the previous report. |
| Repair certification missing even though the repair was completed. | 396.11(c) | Certification as a required field on the work order closure, not a separate piece of paper. |
| Records not retained for the full three months, or retained without the certifications. | 396.11(a)(4) | Retain the report, the repair certification and the review certification together as one record for at least 90 days. |
| Defect described too vaguely to act on, such as brakes bad. | 396.11(a)(3) | Structured defect capture by component with a free-text description and a photo. |
| Vehicle dispatched with an open unrepaired safety defect. | 396.11(b) | Out-of-service status applied automatically on a safety-affecting defect and enforced at dispatch. |
| No-defect reports signed on vehicles with visible faults later found at roadside. | 396.11(a)(3) | Compare roadside inspection outcomes against the DVIR for the same vehicle and date, and address the pattern rather than the individual. |
| Required components not all covered by the form in use. | 396.11(a)(2) | Form aligned to the eleven named parts and accessories, with any company additions clearly separate. |
| Trailer inspected on a separate report that is never linked to the tractor record. | 396.11(a)(1) | Report per vehicle unit with the combination recorded, so both records are retrievable together. |
| Electronic records held without the signature chain being reproducible. | 396.11(a)(4) | Export that reproduces all three signatures with timestamps for any vehicle and date range. |
| Reports prepared in advance or in batches at the end of the week. | 396.11(a)(1) | Timestamped capture at the point of inspection, which is the main practical advantage of electronic DVIR. |
Case in point
What an auditor actually does with three months of reports
The audit procedure is more mechanical than most carriers expect. The investigator requests three months of DVIRs for a random sample of vehicles, then filters for every report that documented a defect. For each one, they trace three things in order: the driver signature that reported it, the certification that it was repaired, and the next driver's acknowledgement.
Then they cross-reference dispatch. If the vehicle moved on a date after the defect was reported, and the acknowledging signature is blank, that is a finding. The repair may have been done perfectly. The mechanic may remember doing it. It is still a violation, because the regulation is not about whether the vehicle was fixed, it is about whether the next person driving it knew.
Why paper loses this audit and electronic wins it
A paper DVIR chain has to survive ninety days in a truck, a workshop and a filing cabinet, and be retrievable by vehicle and date on a few hours' notice. The loss rate is the problem, not the diligence of the people involved.
The operational argument for electronic capture is not efficiency, it is that the chain can be enforced rather than hoped for: dispatch blocks until the acknowledgement exists, so the link physically cannot be skipped. That converts a documentation discipline into a system constraint, which is the only version that survives a busy Monday.
The template
The template, field by field
The form exactly as it installs. Every field, option, score and conditional rule is editable, and the links to other templates come with it.
8 sections
- Reference
- FLT-001
- Archetype
- Inspection
- Record ID
- DVIR-2026-000
- Scoring
- Pass or fail with knockout items
- Direction
- High is good
- Singleton
- No
- Basis
- FMCSA 396.11, NSC Standard 13
- Links
- Links Asset, Worker; feeds work order
- Tags
- Fleet, Inspection
- Sections
- 8
- Fields
- 65
- Follow up fields
- 1
- Repeating sections
- 0
- Links out
- 5
Header
16 fieldsReport ID*
Auto sequence. Format DVIR-2026-000.
The record's own ID. Other templates point at this value.
Status*
Drives who this goes to next.
- Planned2 pts
- In progress2 pts
- Complete3 pts
- Deferred0 pts
- Open0 pts
- Closed3 pts
- Overdue0 pts
Date and Time*
Completed By*
Site*
Site ID*
Format SITE-000.
Links to FDN-001 Site ID
Vehicle*
Asset ID*
Format AST-0000.
Links to FDN-002 Asset ID
Unit Number
The number painted on the door, which is what drivers actually use.
Driver*
Person ID*
Links to FDN-003 Person ID
Licence Class
The Defect You Sign Off Is Yours
A driver who signs a clean report on a vehicle with a known defect carries personal liability for whatever happens next. Report it and let somebody else decide.
Inspection Type*
Pre-trip, post-trip or en route. Pre-trip is the one that prevents things.
Shift Start Or End*
Time Taken Minutes
Braking and steering
6 fieldsService Brake Operation*
- Normal3 pts
- Marginal1 pt
- Defective0 pts
Parking Brake Holds*
- Yes3 pts
- Marginal1 pt
- No0 pts
Air Pressure Build And Hold
- Normal3 pts
- Slow1 pt
- Fails0 pts
Air Leak Test Passed
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Steering Free Play Acceptable*
- Yes3 pts
- Marginal1 pt
- Excessive0 pts
No Fluid Leaks*
- None3 pts
- Weeping1 pt
- Active leak0 pts
Tyres and running gear
6 fieldsTyre Condition*
- Good3 pts
- Wear noted1 pt
- Defective0 pts
Tread Depth Adequate*
- Well above minimum4 pts
- Above minimum3 pts
- At minimum1 pt
- Below minimum0 pts
Tyre Pressures Checked*
- Yes, all correct3 pts
- Adjusted2 pts
- Not checked0 pts
Wheel Nuts Secure And Indicators Aligned*
Wheel nut indicators show a loose nut at a glance. A detached wheel is a fatal event.
- Yes3 pts
- Indicator moved0 pts
- Loose nut found0 pts
Suspension Condition*
- Good3 pts
- Wear noted1 pt
- Defective0 pts
Mudguards And Spray Suppression
- Complete3 pts
- Damaged1 pt
- Missing0 pts
Lights and visibility
6 fieldsHeadlights And Indicators*
- All working3 pts
- One out1 pt
- Multiple out0 pts
Brake And Reversing Lights*
- All working3 pts
- One out1 pt
- Multiple out0 pts
Marker Lights And Reflectors*
- All present3 pts
- Some missing1 pt
- Many missing0 pts
Mirrors Present And Adjusted*
- Yes3 pts
- Adjusted2 pts
- Damaged or missing0 pts
Windscreen And Wipers*
- Good3 pts
- Chip or wear1 pt
- Obstructed view0 pts
Camera Or Sensor Systems Working
- Yes3 pts
- Partly1 pt
- No0 pts
Cab and safety equipment
9 fieldsHorn Working*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Seat Belt Condition*
- Good3 pts
- Worn1 pt
- Defective0 pts
Warning Lights On Dash*
- None showing3 pts
- Advisory only1 pt
- Fault light showing0 pts
Fire Extinguisher Present And In Date*
- Yes3 pts
- Present but expired1 pt
- Missing0 pts
Warning Triangle And High Visibility Vest*
- Both present3 pts
- One missing1 pt
- Both missing0 pts
First Aid Kit Present
- Yes3 pts
- Incomplete1 pt
- Missing0 pts
Spill Kit Present
- Yes3 pts
- Incomplete1 pt
- Missing0 pts
Documentation On Board*
- Complete3 pts
- Partial1 pt
- Missing0 pts
ELD Or Tachograph Functioning*
- Yes3 pts
- Malfunctioning0 pts
Coupling and body
6 fieldsCoupling Secure And Locked
- Yes, checked3 pts
- Not verified0 pts
Air And Electrical Lines Connected
- Yes, secure3 pts
- Chafing noted1 pt
- Defective0 pts
Landing Gear Raised And Secure
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Body And Doors Sound*
- Good3 pts
- Damage noted1 pt
- Defective0 pts
Door Seals Intact*
A failed door seal on a reefer loses temperature and lets pests in.
- Yes3 pts
- Perished1 pt
- Missing0 pts
Load Restraint Equipment On Board*
- Sufficient3 pts
- Limited1 pt
- None0 pts
Related records
1 fieldWork Order ID
The order raised from a reported defect.
Links to MNT-002 Work Order ID
Result
15 fieldsItems Assessed*
Excludes anything marked N/A.
Items Failed*
Score Percent*
Calculated on submission. High is good. N/A items leave the denominator.
Result Band*
- Pass3 pts
- Caution1 pt
- Fail0 pts
Completeness Percent*
How much of the template was actually answered. A high score on a half completed form is not a high score.
Defects Found*
Any Safety Critical Defect*
- No3 pts
- Yes0 pts
Vehicle Safe To Operate*
- Yes3 pts
- With restriction1 pt
- No0 pts
Defect Report ID
Links to FLT-005 Report ID
Vehicle Taken Out Of Service
Previous Defects Rectified*
Check that yesterday's reported defect was actually fixed before you drive off.
- Yes3 pts
- Partly1 pt
- No0 pts
- None outstanding3 pts
Driver*
Signature*
Transport Supervisor*
Second Signature*
FLT-001 · record IDs look like DVIR-2026-000 · Links Asset, Worker; feeds work order
Open in KnowellaRun it with agents
From a document you fill in to a programme that runs itself
The inspection takes ten minutes. What fails is the ninety days afterwards: the certification nobody signed, the acknowledgement nobody chased, the export nobody can produce.
Captures the report against the vehicle record, applies out-of-service status on a safety-affecting defect, and blocks dispatch until the chain is closed.
Turns a reported defect into a work order and requires the repair certification as part of closing it, so the two cannot separate.
Holds driver qualification and inspection competency, so a report cannot be signed by someone whose training has lapsed.
Produces the ninety-day export by vehicle and date range on request, and holds every write for approval.
This template lives in KnowFleet — fleet and transport. Drivers, vehicles, hours, cargo securement and operator licence compliance.
Meet KnowFleet→Glossary
Driver Vehicle Inspection Report definitions and key terms
- DVIR
- Driver vehicle inspection report, the written post-trip report required under 49 CFR 396.11.
- Defect or deficiency
- A condition that would affect the safe operation of the vehicle or is likely to cause a mechanical breakdown. The trigger for a report and for the chain.
- Three-signature chain
- Reporting driver, repair certifier, and next driver acknowledging. All three are required on any report documenting a defect.
- Repair certification
- The signed statement that a reported defect was corrected, or that correction was unnecessary for safe operation.
- Next driver review
- The 396.13 obligation to review the last report and be satisfied the vehicle is safe before driving.
- No-defect report
- A report recording no defects. Not federally required for property-carrying vehicles since the 2014 rule, but commonly retained as policy.
- Out of service
- A vehicle status prohibiting operation until a safety-affecting defect is corrected and certified.
- Periodic inspection
- The separate annual inspection under 396.17, performed by a qualified inspector, distinct from the daily DVIR.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about driver vehicle inspection report
Is a DVIR required every day even with no defects?+
Not federally, for property-carrying vehicles. The 2014 rulemaking removed the requirement to submit and retain no-defect reports. Passenger-carrying vehicles remain subject to daily reporting. Many carriers still require daily reports as policy, because a consistent record is the best evidence that inspections actually took place.
How long must DVIRs be kept?+
At least three months from the date the report was prepared. That retention covers all three parts of the record together: the original report, the certification of repairs, and the certification of the next driver's review. Electronic retention is acceptable provided the records are retrievable.
What are the components a DVIR must cover?+
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, and emergency equipment. Carriers commonly add items such as fluid levels and load securement, which should be kept visually distinct from the required set.
What happens if the next driver does not sign?+
The chain is broken and it is a citable violation for both the driver and the carrier, even where the repair was completed correctly. The missing next-driver acknowledgement is the single most common finding in DVIR audits, because it is the link furthest from the person who cared about the defect.
Can DVIRs be electronic?+
Yes. Electronic records and signatures are permitted, and FMCSA has encouraged the transition. The practical advantage is that dispatch can be blocked until each signature exists, so the chain is enforced rather than relied upon, and the ninety-day export is produced in seconds rather than reconstructed from files.
Does the DVIR replace the pre-trip inspection?+
No. They are separate obligations. The DVIR under 396.11 is the post-trip report. The pre-trip duty under 396.13 requires the driver to review the last report, confirm any defect was addressed, and be satisfied the vehicle is safe before driving. Auditors examine the join between the two.
Keep going
Related templates and programmes
Industries this is written for
Programmes this belongs to
Used together in Fleet and Driver Compliance
Transport Provider Assessment
Assesses a haulier for licensing, driver management, vehicle standards, temperature capability and load security
Annual Vehicle Inspection
The yearly statutory inspection of a commercial vehicle
Trailer Inspection
Checks trailer coupling, brakes, lights, tyres, doors and structure
Reefer Unit Check
Checks refrigeration unit operation, fuel, temperature setpoint and alarm history
Vehicle Defect Report
Reports a defect found on a vehicle at any time, not just during a scheduled inspection
Roadside Inspection Record
Records a roadside inspection by an enforcement officer, including any violations and out of service orders
More in Vehicle Inspections
Annual Vehicle Inspection
The yearly statutory inspection of a commercial vehicle
Trailer Inspection
Checks trailer coupling, brakes, lights, tyres, doors and structure
Reefer Unit Check
Checks refrigeration unit operation, fuel, temperature setpoint and alarm history
Vehicle Defect Report
Reports a defect found on a vehicle at any time, not just during a scheduled inspection
Roadside Inspection Record
Records a roadside inspection by an enforcement officer, including any violations and out of service orders
Tyre Condition Record
Records tyre tread depth, pressure and damage across the vehicle
Written and reviewed by
Siddarth Singh
Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Knowella
Certified Safety Professional and industrial and systems engineer with more than a decade inside food supply chain, freight and manufacturing operations. This page was written against the current text of the standards it cites, not against secondary summaries of them.
- Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Board of Certified Safety Professionals
- MBA, University of Chicago Booth School of Business
- MS and BS, The Ohio State University, Industrial and Systems Engineering
- Six Sigma Black Belt
Sources and last review. Reviewed 16 August 2026 against:
- 49 CFR 396.11, Driver vehicle inspection report(s)
- 49 CFR 396.13, Driver inspection
- FMCSA final rule, Inspection, Repair and Maintenance; Driver-Vehicle Inspection Report
- NSC Standard 13, Trip Inspections (Canada)
- DVSA Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness (UK)
This page is general guidance, not legal advice. Confirm requirements with your jurisdiction’s regulator.