Florida DVIR and vehicle inspection rules

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Last reviewed November 12, 2026.

This page summarizes what we could verify from official sources about how Florida applies driver vehicle inspection and related vehicle-inspection rules. It is not a complete reprint of Florida law.

Interstate operations

If you operate a commercial motor vehicle in interstate commerce to, from, or through Florida, the federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) apply, including 49 CFR Part 396 and the DVIR rules in § 396.11 and § 396.13. State rules do not replace those federal interstate requirements. Start with What a DVIR is and who must complete one.

State agency

For Florida-specific questions, including how the rules apply to operations that stay entirely inside Florida, contact Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) and Florida Highway Patrol.

What official sources say about state adoption

The official 2026 Florida Statutes, section 316.302, apply 49 C.F.R. parts 382–386 and 390–397 to owners and drivers of commercial motor vehicles operated on public highways of the state while engaged in interstate commerce. Except as otherwise provided in that section, owners and drivers of commercial motor vehicles engaged in intrastate commerce are subject to the same parts as those federal rules existed on December 31, 2023. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles may adopt and revise rules, and performs duties assigned to the FMCSA field administrator under the federal rules. Agents of the department may enforce them. Florida Highway Patrol members and certain other officers may also enforce the section as provided in the statute.

Intrastate operations and variations

Section 316.302 includes several official intrastate exceptions that affect inspection rules. Among those we verified in the official 2026 statute text:

• A person who operates a commercial motor vehicle having a gross vehicle weight, gross vehicle weight rating, and gross combined weight rating of less than 26,001 pounds solely in intrastate commerce, and who is not transporting hazardous materials in amounts that require placarding, is exempt from subsection (1) (the general adoption of parts 382–386 and 390–397). However, that person must still comply with 49 C.F.R. parts 382, 392, and 393 and with 49 C.F.R. §§ 396.3(a)(1) and 396.9. The official text we reviewed does not extend that remaining duty to the full DVIR provisions of §§ 396.11 and 396.13 for this category.
• A person operating a commercial motor vehicle solely in intrastate commerce is exempt from subsection (1) while transporting agricultural products, including horticultural or forestry products, from farm or harvest place to the first place of processing or storage, or from farm or harvest place directly to market. That person must still comply with 49 C.F.R. parts 382, 392, and 393 and with 49 C.F.R. §§ 396.3(a)(1) and 396.9.
• An employee of an electric utility or a telephone company who operates a commercial motor vehicle solely in intrastate commerce and within a 200 air-mile radius of the location where the vehicle is based is exempt from 49 C.F.R. §§ 396.11 and 396.13 and from 49 C.F.R. part 391, subparts D and E.
• Covered farm vehicles, as defined in section 316.003, and their operators are exempt from 49 C.F.R. Part 396 (and from certain other parts) when operating anywhere in the state if the vehicle’s gross vehicle weight or gross vehicle weight rating, whichever is greater, is 26,001 pounds or less; or anywhere in the state of registration, or across state lines within 150 air miles of the farm or ranch, if that weight is more than 26,001 pounds. Those farm-vehicle exemptions do not apply to a vehicle transporting hazardous materials in amounts that require placarding.
• The section does not apply to any nonpublic sector bus.

The statute also contains hours-of-service, driver-age, and other exceptions that are outside the scope of this DVIR page. Read section 316.302 in full and confirm current application with FLHSMV or Florida Highway Patrol.

Related federal guides

• What a DVIR is and who must complete one
• The post-trip driver vehicle inspection report
• The pre-trip inspection and reviewing the last DVIR
• Defects, repairs, and driver acknowledgment
• Record retention and carrier responsibilities
• Electronic DVIRs
• All state guides

Sources

• 2026 Florida Statutes, § 316.302 (official Florida Senate compilation)
• Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles

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