Home · DVIR Guides
Last reviewed November 12, 2026.
This library explains the federal driver vehicle inspection report rules in plain language and then walks through how each state, and the District of Columbia, applies related vehicle-inspection requirements. Every page was last reviewed November 12, 2026 and includes a sources list with links to official texts we used.
These pages are general information only. They are not legal advice, and they are not advice on any specific state or federal requirement. Rules can change. Get advice in your own area on your specific requirements. Questions for DVIR.io can be sent with the contact form.
Federal DVIR guides
- What a DVIR is and who must complete one
Who the federal inspection rules cover, and when a written DVIR is required.
- The post-trip driver vehicle inspection report (49 CFR 396.11)
What the end-of-day report must include, and how the no-defect rule works today.
- The pre-trip inspection and reviewing the last DVIR (49 CFR 396.13)
What a driver must do before driving, including review of the last report.
- Defects, repairs, and driver acknowledgment
Carrier certification of repairs and the next driver's acknowledgment.
- Record retention and carrier responsibilities
The three-month DVIR retention rule and other Part 396 record duties.
- Electronic DVIRs
When a DVIR may be created and kept electronically under federal rules.
State-by-state guide
Most states adopt the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, including 49 CFR Part 396, for interstate and often for intrastate operations, sometimes with different weight thresholds or exemptions. Each state page states only what we could verify from official sources. Where we could not verify a detail, the page says so and links the official agency.
Also on this site
Need a printable form? DVIR.io offers free FMCSA-aligned PDF templates, including post-trip, pre-trip, bus and motorcoach, and intermodal reports.
Get the free DVIR templatesThis page is general information only. It is not legal advice, and it is not advice on any specific DVIR or vehicle-inspection requirement. Rules can change, and how they apply depends on your operation, your vehicles, and your location. Get advice in your own area on your specific state and federal requirements. If you have a question for DVIR.io, use the contact form.