What a DVIR is and who must complete one

Home · DVIR Guides · What a DVIR is and who must complete one

Last reviewed November 12, 2026.

Under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs), motor carriers must systematically inspect, repair, and maintain the commercial motor vehicles they control. The driver vehicle inspection report is one part of that system. It is the report a driver prepares at the end of the day's work on each vehicle operated, when a defect or deficiency has been discovered by or reported to the driver.

The core federal rules are in 49 CFR Part 396, especially § 396.11 (the post-trip report) and § 396.13 (the driver's inspection before driving, including review of the last report). Related pre-trip equipment checks appear in § 392.7.

Who the federal inspection rules cover

49 CFR 396.1 says every motor carrier, and its officers, drivers, agents, representatives, and employees directly concerned with inspection or maintenance of commercial motor vehicles, must know and follow Part 396. Intermodal equipment providers and their personnel who inspect or maintain intermodal equipment are also covered.

A commercial motor vehicle (CMV), for these federal safety rules, is defined in 49 CFR 390.5T. In short, it is a self-propelled or towed motor vehicle used on a highway in interstate commerce to transport passengers or property when the vehicle:

• has a gross vehicle weight rating or gross combination weight rating, or gross vehicle weight or gross combination weight, of 4,536 kg (10,001 pounds) or more, whichever is greater; or
• is designed or used to transport more than 8 passengers (including the driver) for compensation; or
• is designed or used to transport more than 15 passengers, including the driver, and is not used to transport passengers for compensation; or
• is used to transport hazardous material in a quantity that requires placarding.

If your operation is only inside one state, that state's own definition of a commercial vehicle, and its adoption of Part 396, may be different. See the state-by-state guide.

Federal exceptions you should know

Part 396 as a whole does not apply to “covered farm vehicles,” as defined in 49 CFR 390.5, or to the drivers of those vehicles. It also does not apply to “pipeline welding trucks” as defined in 49 CFR 390.38(b). Those exceptions are stated in 49 CFR 396.1(c) and (d).

The written post-trip report rules in 49 CFR 396.11 have additional exceptions. They do not apply to a private motor carrier of passengers (nonbusiness), a driveaway-towaway operation, or any motor carrier operating only one commercial motor vehicle. Those exceptions are in 49 CFR 396.11(a)(5). They do not, by themselves, remove the general duty to keep vehicles in safe condition, the pre-trip responsibilities in §§ 392.7 and 396.13, or the systematic inspection, repair, and maintenance duties in § 396.3.

When a written DVIR is required

Under the current text of 49 CFR 396.11(a), the motor carrier must require its drivers to report, and every driver must prepare a report in writing at the completion of each day's work on each vehicle operated (except for intermodal equipment tendered by an intermodal equipment provider, which has its own reporting process in § 396.11(b)).

The same section also says: drivers are not required to prepare a report if no defect or deficiency is discovered by or reported to the driver. That is the current federal “no-defect” rule. It applies to both property-carrying and passenger-carrying operations that are subject to § 396.11. A carrier may still require a no-defect report as a company practice. See the post-trip report guide for what must be listed, how the 2014 and 2020 changes worked, and how repairs are certified.

Before driving, the driver must be satisfied the vehicle is in safe operating condition, review the last DVIR if one is required, and sign to acknowledge that review and the repair certification, as described in the pre-trip inspection guide.

Interstate trips and state rules

If you operate a CMV in interstate commerce, the federal FMCSRs, including Part 396, apply. States also adopt or enforce these rules, and many apply similar (sometimes modified) requirements to purely intrastate operations. Weight thresholds, farm exemptions, and other details can differ by state. Confirm those details with the state agency listed in our state guides.

Related guides

• Post-trip report (49 CFR 396.11)
• Pre-trip inspection (49 CFR 396.13)
• Defects, repairs, and driver acknowledgment
• Record retention and carrier responsibilities
• Electronic DVIRs
• State-by-state DVIR guide

Sources

• 49 CFR 396.1 — Scope, including farm-vehicle and pipeline-welding-truck exceptions
• 49 CFR 396.11 — Driver vehicle inspection report(s)
• 49 CFR 396.13 — Driver inspection
• 49 CFR 396.3 — Inspection, repair, and maintenance
• 49 CFR 390.5T — Definition of commercial motor vehicle
• 49 CFR 392.7 — Equipment, inspection and use
• FMCSA regulations (parts 300–399)