The Six Levels of DOT Inspections
The Department of Transportation (DOT) requires that all commercial motor vehicles (CMV) with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 10,001 pounds undergo an inspection every year. A DOT inspection is conducted in order to make sure that all parts and accessories of the CMV are in good working order. There are six levels of this safety analysis, which simply refers to the methods that will be employed during the assessment of a vehicle and the driver. They include:
1) Level I: North American Standard Inspection
This part of the check looks at important documents such as at the vehicle operator’s driver license, medical certificate and waiver and hours of service. The professional conducting the evaluation will also inspect the seat belt, exhaust system, turn signals, tail lamps, head lamps, steering wheel, wheels and rims and fuel system.
2) Level II: Walk-Around Driver/Vehicle Inspection
Level II inspections involve examining everything in the level I inspection with exception of the parts that involve the inspector getting under the CMV.
3) Level III: Driver-Only Inspection
During this check, the inspector will take an in-depth look at the vehicle operator’s driver’s license, medical certification and daily log.
4) Level IV: Special Inspection
These are one-time examinations that take a close look at a specific item. They are typically scheduled to invalidate a previous claim about a vehicle.
5) Level V: Vehicle-Only Inspection
Level V inspections look at everything specified under Level I. The only difference is that they are executed without the driver present.
6) Level VI: Enhanced NAS Inspection for Radioactive Shipments
This inspection is used for certain radiological shipments. Select radiological shipments only comprise highway route controlled quantities set forth by DOT’s title 49 section 173.403.
