The DOT Annual Inspection

2026-09-048 min

Every commercial motor vehicle must pass an inspection covering at least the 13 appendix A component groups at least once in the preceding 12 months, with the documentation carried on the vehicle. Each unit of a combination counts separately.

Low-poly render of a truck raised over an inspection pit — A bay, a form, and a sticker that has to be on the right unit.

Who may perform it

Not any mechanic. The inspector must understand the standards, be able to identify defective components, and have the training or experience the regulation names — a state or federal training programme, a state-issued qualification, or a year of relevant experience. The carrier keeps evidence of that qualification for as long as the inspector works for it, plus a year.

A brake inspector has a separate, stricter qualification. If the same person is doing the brakes on the periodic inspection, they need both.

What the report must show

The report identifies the inspector, the carrier, the date, the vehicle, and every component inspected — with a certification that the vehicle passed. A report that ticks a summary line and names no components is not the document the regulation asks for, and it is one of the easier findings for an investigator to write.

Low-poly render of a wheel assembly on a workshop stand — The report names the component inspected, never just a pass.

Documentation on the vehicle

The truck carries either the report itself or a sticker or decal derived from it, showing the inspection date, the carrier's name and address, and where the report is held. The carrier keeps the original or a copy for fourteen months where the vehicle is housed or maintained.

Fourteen, not twelve — the extra two months exist so the previous inspection is still on file when the next one is done. Purging at twelve leaves a gap on exactly the day an investigator asks.

Doing it in-house

A carrier may perform its own periodic inspections, and many do. The requirement is the qualification, not a third party. What in-house inspection does not buy you is independence, so keep the paperwork immaculate: the qualification evidence, the report naming every component, and the fourteen-month file.

Some states accept their own periodic inspection programme in place of the federal one, and some do not accept another state's. If you run interstate, keep the federal report — it is accepted everywhere.