What a driver vehicle inspection report is for
The driver vehicle inspection report, or DVIR, is how a trucking or bus carrier proves its vehicles are checked and that defects are fixed before anyone drives them again. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rules require drivers to report defects in writing at the end of each day's work, carriers to repair and certify them, and the next driver to review and sign the report. Roadside inspectors and auditors look at DVIRs alongside maintenance files, and a defect that was reported but never certified is one of the most common violations found in a compliance review.
This template puts the whole cycle on one page: the carrier, vehicle and trip details, a checklist covering the eleven parts the regulation names plus the other items drivers routinely check, a defect table that asks for the unit and location, the driver's signature, the carrier's certification of repairs, and the next driver's review. A second page adds the intermodal equipment report that 396.11(b) requires when a chassis or container is returned, a control log that tracks the three-month retention period, and the rules in plain language.
When to use it
Use it for commercial motor vehicles in interstate commerce: straight trucks, tractor-trailers, buses and vans that meet the federal definition, and for intrastate carriers in states that adopt the federal rules. Drivers complete it at the end of each day's work on each vehicle operated, or at both pre-trip and post-trip if the carrier's policy requires it. Carriers keep it in the maintenance workflow until every defect is certified.
It does not replace the systematic inspection and maintenance records required by 396.3, the annual inspection under 396.17, or the electronic logging device record of duty status. Carriers using an electronic DVIR system can use the template to check their system captures everything required.
What's inside
The full list of sections and fields in this template, in the order they appear.
-
Carrier, vehicle and trip
- Motor carrier
- USDOT number
- Date and time
- Location
- Odometer
- Pre-trip or post-trip
- Truck or tractor and trailer numbers
- Plates
-
Inspection checklist
- Eleven required items
- Air system
- Fluid leaks
- Exhaust
- Frame and suspension
- Trailer doors and rear impact guard
- Cargo securement
-
Defects and signatures
- Unit and location of each defect
- No defects found
- Driver signature
- Two-driver rule
-
Repair certification and review
- Defects repaired or repair unnecessary
- Work order
- Mechanic or carrier signature
- Next driver's review and signature
-
Intermodal Equipment Damage and Defect Report
- Carrier and provider USDOT numbers
- Equipment ID
- Date and time submitted
- Nine required components
-
Carrier's DVIR Control Log and rules
- Report date
- Units
- Defects
- Certification date
- Review date
- Keep-until date
- Rules at a glance
Preview pages
-
Page 1 -
Page 2 -
Page 3
How to complete the report
- Fill in the carrier and trip. Enter the carrier's name, USDOT number, date, time, location and odometer.
- Identify every unit. Enter the truck or tractor number and plate, and each trailer.
- Inspect each item. Mark OK or D for the power unit and each trailer.
- Describe each defect precisely. Give the unit number, the location and what is wrong.
- Sign the report. On team operations, one driver signs if both agree on the defects.
- Hand it in. Give it to the carrier or maintenance before going off duty.
- Repair and certify. The carrier fixes defects likely to affect safety and certifies each one before the vehicle runs again.
- Next driver reviews. The next driver reads the report and signs to confirm the certification is there.
- Log and keep it. Record it in the control log and keep it for three months.
Example: a completed report excerpt
A fictional regional carrier, Cedar Ridge Freight LLC, USDOT 3999999 (an example number), runs tractor 214 with trailer 5512 from Columbus, Ohio:
Post-trip, June 10, 2026, 6:40 PM, odometer 412,388. Checklist: all items OK except trailer tires (D) and tractor lighting (D). Defects: Trailer 5512, right rear outer tire, cut in sidewall exposing cord. Tractor 214, left front turn signal inoperative. Carrier certification, June 11, 2026, 5:15 AM: tire replaced and turn signal bulb replaced under work order 8841; defects repaired; signed by the shop lead. Next driver's review, June 11, 2026, 5:40 AM: reviewed and signed before departure.
The report goes into the control log with a keep-until date of September 11, 2026.
Federal rules to know
These are the federal rules this report is built around.
- Driver vehicle inspection reports (49 CFR 396.11(a)). A written report at the completion of each day's work on each vehicle, covering eleven parts and accessories, listing defects and signed by the driver; not required when no defect is found or reported.
- Corrective action (396.11(a)(3)). Repair before the vehicle is operated again, and certify repaired or repair unnecessary.
- Retention (396.11(a)(4)). Three months for the report, repair certification and driver review certification.
- Exceptions (396.11(a)(5)). Private motor carriers of passengers (nonbusiness), driveaway-towaway operations and single-vehicle carriers.
- Intermodal equipment (396.11(b)). Reports of damage and defects to the equipment provider with nine minimum components and set contents.
- Driver inspection (396.13 and 392.7). Be satisfied the vehicle is safe, review the last report and sign it.
- Electronic records (390.32). Reports may be created and kept electronically.
Mistakes found in DVIR audits
The common problems are reports with defects but no carrier certification, vehicles dispatched before repairs were certified, next drivers who never signed, vague entries such as "tire bad" with no unit or position, reports for only the tractor when a trailer was pulled, and reports discarded before three months. Filling in every block of this report and keeping the control log current avoids each of them.
Frequently asked questions
What must a DVIR include?
Under 49 CFR 396.11, the report must identify the vehicle, cover at least the service brakes and 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, list any defect or deficiency found or reported, and be signed by the driver.
Is a DVIR required if there are no defects?
Under the current text of 49 CFR 396.11, drivers are not required to prepare a report if no defect or deficiency is discovered by or reported to them. Many carriers still require a daily report as company policy, because it shows the inspection was done.
How long must a carrier keep DVIRs?
Three months from the date the report was prepared. The carrier must keep the report itself, the certification of repairs and the certification of the next driver's review. Reports can be kept electronically.
What must the carrier do when a DVIR lists a defect?
Before the vehicle is operated again, the carrier or its agent must repair any defect likely to affect safe operation and certify on the report that the defect was repaired or that repair is unnecessary. The next driver must then review the report and sign it.
Who is exempt from the DVIR requirement?
The section 396.11 report rule does not apply to a private motor carrier of passengers (nonbusiness), a driveaway-towaway operation, or a motor carrier operating only one commercial motor vehicle. Drivers of those vehicles must still be satisfied that the vehicle is in safe working order before driving.
