§393.80 requires every CMV to be equipped with two rearvision mirrors, one mounted on each side, positioned so the driver has a clear view to the rear along both sides of the vehicle. The mirrors must be firmly attached and adjustable. Convex (wide-angle) mirrors may supplement but not replace the required §393.80(a) mirrors.
Severity weight
Severity weight 1 in the Vehicle Maintenance BASIC. The weight is low but a missing or broken mirror is a classic pre-trip catch; it also affects §391.41(b) driver-vision compliance if the driver cannot maintain rearward visibility.
What's commonly cited
- Side mirror broken or cracked in a way that distorts the rearward view.
- Mirror missing entirely after a curb-strike or low-clearance impact.
- Mirror so loose that it cannot hold a position — §393.80 requires firm attachment.
How to prevent it
- Pre-trip mirror check: verify position, security, and clarity of the reflecting surface.
- Replace mirror glass — not the whole housing — when the glass alone is cracked.
- Train drivers to report mirror damage immediately; a broken mirror at 0700 is a §392.7 pre-trip skipped item if the driver moves anyway.
How Roadworthy HQ helps
A mirror citation shows up in Roadworthy HQ as part of the inspection it came from, not as a record of its own: the app does not store individual violation codes. Log the roadside inspection on the vehicle's Inspections tab: date, state, level, driver, the number of violations, and whether it was out-of-service. For an out-of-service inspection the 15-day §396.9(d)(3) repair-certification countdown stays on that tab until you enter the certification date. The rule's 15 days cover every violation on the report, not only out-of-service ones, so for a non-OOS inspection that date is yours to track. The repair itself goes in the vehicle's maintenance log: date, type, what was done, who did it, and cost. DVIRs are logged per vehicle with the defect described in your own words, and a defect marked safety-affecting that is logged without a repair certification sends a critical alert.