Section 396.3 requires every motor carrier to systematically inspect, repair, and maintain — or cause to be inspected, repaired, and maintained — every motor vehicle subject to its control. This is the umbrella maintenance regulation under which most vehicle program findings are cited.
What §396.3 requires
- A maintenance program — written or de facto, but documented in some form.
- Records of inspections, repairs, and maintenance for each vehicle, retained for at least 12 months while the vehicle is in service plus 6 months after disposal.
- Components and accessories functioning safely at all times.
Why this matters at audit
The single most common new-entrant audit failure related to vehicles is "no documented maintenance program." Receipts in a shoebox are not a program. A spreadsheet that ends in 2024 is not a current program. The auditor looks for a system, however small, that produces consistent records.
How to prevent it
- Maintain a vehicle file for each truck and trailer with: annual inspection report, periodic inspections, and a chronological log of maintenance events.
- For each maintenance event, retain: date, mileage, work performed, parts used (where applicable), and the receipt or shop work order.
- For owner-operators: even a simple Notion page or Google Sheet works, as long as it's consistent and current.
How Roadworthy HQ helps
Roadworthy HQ provides per-vehicle maintenance logs with receipt uploads, periodic inspection tracking, and the §396.17 annual inspection workflow. Retention is enforced — records persist for the §396.3(c) minimum and beyond.