A driver vehicle inspection report (DVIR) is a form that commercial truck or bus drivers are required to fill out at the end of their shift that informs their company of the condition of the vehicle before the next operator drives it.
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DVIR inspection reports are required under theFederal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations and are enforced by the U.S.Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Violating DVIR regulations can result in thousands of dollars in fines, especially if doing so fails to report a safety defect.
A DVIR report should include any defects found related to the vehicle’s service brakes, parking brake, steering system, lights and reflectors, horns, tires, wheels, and trim, rearview mirrors, windshield wipers, coupling devices and emergency equipment (such as fire extinguishers).
DVIR inspections are completed by the vehicle driver, and must include the signatures of both the driver and the mechanic (or whoever repaired the vehicle or decided repairs were not needed). DVIR regulations state that it must also include the date and vehicle number. Drivers should complete a DVIR report everyday as part of a systematic vehicle safety and compliance program.
Once a driver completes the DVIR report, a mechanic must sign off on it to ensure that any necessary repairs are completed before the vehicle is operated again. This helps keep defective trucks and buses off the road and protects the commercial vehicle drivers as well as those that share the road with them.
With a mobile DVIR app, commercial drivers can complete their DVIR inspections on their smartphone or tablet and submit the report to their mechanic or repair crews immediately. This reduces vehicle downtime by eliminating the hassle of handing off paper forms and transcribing them and the delays and errors associated with traditional paper inspection processes. It also creates a virtual log of any vehicle repairs, reducing liability for the carrier if a crash occurs.
