{"id":4127,"date":"2019-07-30T11:57:08","date_gmt":"2019-07-30T15:57:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alltruckjobs.com\/blog\/?p=4127"},"modified":"2019-07-30T11:59:40","modified_gmt":"2019-07-30T15:59:40","slug":"dot-inspections-what-to-expect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alltruckjobs.com\/blog\/dot-inspections-what-to-expect\/","title":{"rendered":"DOT Inspections | What to Expect"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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Are you serious about a career<\/a> in the trucking industry? If so, you\u2019ll need to familiarize yourself with the Department of Transportation (DOT). In this blog, we\u2019ll break down the six levels of a DOT inspection and cover any necessary regulations and requirements you\u2019ll need to know about. Continue reading for your ultimate guide to DOT inspections!\"DOT<\/span><\/p>\n

Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) Sizes and Weights<\/span><\/h2>\n

To begin, we\u2019re going to cover the Federal Highway Administration\u2019s (FHWA) size and weight regulations for commercial vehicles. These rules are put in place to maintain the safety of all vehicles traveling on the interstate highway system.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Federal Size Regulations<\/span><\/h3>\n

Width<\/span><\/h4>\n

The maximum width of a commercial motor vehicle allowed on the interstate highway system increased from 96 inches to 102 inches in 1982. This figure does not include mirrors and certain safety devices attached to the vehicle. However, Hawaii is the only exception to this rule. In this state, the maximum width allowed is 108 inches. If another state wishes to allow a greater maximum width, it must issue an over-width permit.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Length<\/span><\/h4>\n

Each state must follow certain minimum length requirements. The federal minimum for semitrailers is 48 feet or whatever the grandfathered limit is for a particular state. To give you an example, the grandfathered minimum length in Kentucky is 53 feet, while in Texas the grandfathered minimum is 59 feet.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Height<\/span><\/h4>\n

When it comes to height, states are allowed to enforce their own restrictions. These state height limits range from 13 to 14 feet, but there are some exceptions granted for lower clearance roads.<\/span><\/p>\n

Federal Weight Regulations<\/span><\/h3>\n

The maximum weight allowed on the interstate highway system is 80,000 pounds. These rules also require that the maximum weight is 20,000 pounds for a single axle vehicle and 34,000 for a tandem axle vehicle. It is the responsibility of the state, not the FHWA, to handle overweight permits. These permits can only be issued if a vehicle load cannot be separated into smaller parts due to scheduling or safety issues.<\/span><\/p>\n

Congress passed the <\/span>Bridge Formula<\/span><\/a> in 1975, which calculated the limitations on the weight-to-length ratio of a vehicle driving over a bridge. Axle spacing is an important figure in the bridge formula because a rig towing another vehicle adds more pressure to a bridge structure than a single vehicle does. The federal law notes that two or more consecutive axles cannot surpass the weight calculated by the bridge formula even if single axles, tandem axles, and gross weights meet the limits.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

DOT Inspections<\/span><\/h2>\n

Every commercial motor vehicle weighing over 10,000 pounds must pass annual DOT inspections. These inspections are very important because they guarantee that all commercial vehicles and their parts are in working condition.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Below we\u2019ll cover the six primary levels of DOT inspections. Remember that a DOT inspector or a state police officer can conduct these examinations anywhere.<\/span><\/p>\n

Level I: North American Standard Inspection\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

During this inspection level, an inspector will thoroughly check your documents and look for any drugs, alcohol, or hazardous materials in your vehicle.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The items they will inspect are:<\/span><\/p>\n