Section 396.11 governs the driver vehicle inspection report. The driver must, at the end of each day's work on each vehicle operated, prepare a written DVIR covering at least the items listed in §396.11(a)(2). Defects must be repaired before the vehicle is operated again, and the DVIR retained for at least three months.
The §396.11(a)(5) "no-defect DVIR" exemption
A single-driver carrier whose vehicle had no defects on a given day may forego the DVIR for that day under §396.11(a)(5), but only if all of the following are true:
- The carrier operates only one vehicle.
- The driver is also the carrier.
- No defects were reported by the driver during the day.
Most owner-operators technically qualify but should still log a DVIR to maintain habit and audit defensibility.
Common citations
- No DVIR on file when one was required.
- DVIR with defects but no repair record before the next dispatch.
- DVIR retained less than three months.
- DVIR signed by the driver but not by the next driver before the next operation.
How to prevent it
- Log a DVIR at end-of-day, every day, even when no defects exist.
- Repair documented defects before the next dispatch and record the repair.
- Retain DVIRs for at least three months — Roadworthy HQ retains them for the full §396.11 period and beyond.
How Roadworthy HQ helps
DVIRs are entered by an owner or manager on the vehicle's DVIR tab: driver, date, pre- or post-trip, the defect described in your own words, whether it affects safety, the repair certification, and the next driver's review. A safety-affecting defect logged without a repair certification sends a critical alert. Drivers cannot submit a DVIR themselves; the driver portal is read-only. The maintenance log holds date, type, what was done, who did it, and cost per vehicle. It does not take receipt uploads.