# How Does a Digital DVIR Work? Inspections, Defects and Repairs

A digital DVIR is the inspection record US and Canadian rules require, filed on the driver's phone, with defects routed to the shop and a sign-off trail.

Source: https://www.highpointgps.com/resources/dvir-digital-vehicle-inspections
By Stefano Mazzone, IT Technical Support Specialist, published 2026-09-18, updated 2026-10-21

## How Does a Digital DVIR Work, and What Must It Contain?

A digital DVIR (driver vehicle inspection report) works like the paper form, filed from the driver's phone: the driver inspects the vehicle and reports any defect, the shop repairs it and certifies the repair, and the next driver reviews it. Under the US regulation, a driver of a commercial motor vehicle must prepare a written report at the end of each day's work on each vehicle operated, listing any defect or deficiency that would affect safe operation; no report is required when none is found. The carrier must repair the defect and certify the repair before dispatching the vehicle again, and the driver on the next trip reviews and signs. Canada's rules require a trip inspection before driving, valid for 24 hours, with a report and a schedule of major and minor defects, followed by a similar chain of reporting and repair. In both countries, most fleets relied on the paper form for decades, and paper is what goes missing.

A digital DVIR keeps the same record somewhere it can't get lost. The driver files it from a phone, it attaches to the vehicle and the day, and the defect, the repair and the next driver's review sit as three linked entries instead of three pieces of paper.

## What Must a US DVIR Cover, and Who Is Exempt?

A US DVIR has to cover at least 11 items under 49 CFR 396.11: service brakes including trailer brake connections, parking brake, steering mechanism, lighting devices and reflectors, tires, horn, windshield wipers, rear vision mirrors, coupling devices, wheels and rims, and emergency equipment. The driver prepares a report for each vehicle operated that day and signs it; in a two-driver operation, one signature is enough when both drivers agree on the defects.

Three kinds of operation fall outside the rule: a private motor carrier of passengers (nonbusiness), a driveaway-towaway operation, and any motor carrier operating only one commercial motor vehicle. Intermodal equipment tendered by an intermodal equipment provider follows a separate process, with defects reported to the provider. The carrier keeps each report, the repair certification and the next driver's review for three months.

The pre-trip side sits in 49 CFR 396.13. Before driving, the driver must be satisfied that the vehicle is in safe operating condition, review the last report when it listed defects, and sign it to show the required repairs were certified. Both sections allow the reports to be created and kept electronically under 49 CFR 390.32.

![Diagram of the DVIR cycle: pre-trip inspection, defect found, repair, and certification before the next trip](https://www.highpointgps.com/images/figures/dvir-cycle.webp)

*A defect logged in a DVIR must be repaired and certified before the vehicle goes back out; the electronic version keeps the whole chain in one record.*

## How Do Canada's Trip Inspection Rules Differ From the US DVIR?

Canada works from National Safety Code Standard 13, which the provinces adopt in their own regulations. Trucks, tractors and trailers are inspected against Schedule 1 every 24 hours. The standard applies Schedule 1 to vehicles over a registered gross vehicle weight of 4,500 kg, though a province can set its own threshold: Saskatchewan uses 11,794 kg. Each schedule splits defects into minor and major.

Three rules differ from the US report. A report is required even when the inspection finds nothing, and it has to record that no defect was found. A major defect means the vehicle cannot be driven until it is repaired, while minor defects are reported to the carrier and corrected before the next required inspection or within the time the jurisdiction sets. The paperwork also runs longer: the driver carries the report and hands it over on demand, forwards the original to the carrier within 20 calendar days, and the carrier keeps it with the repair certification for at least 6 months.

The report lists the plate or unit number, the carrier's name, the date, time and place of the inspection, the odometer reading, the printed name of the person who inspected and a signed statement that the vehicle was inspected. In Quebec, this inspection is the ronde de sécurité.

## How Does a Digital Pre-Trip Inspection Work in the App?

The driver completes the inspection in the DVIR app, which is part of Geotab Drive, the same app used for hours of service, so there's no second login and the inspection ties to the day's log automatically. The fleet defines the checklist in the High Point GPS platform, starting from a default list for trucks, trailers or the vehicle class and editing it to its own items. The driver walks the vehicle with that list, and marks anything wrong as a major or minor defect. Then the driver declares whether the vehicle is safe to operate and certifies the inspection. Our DVIR App and Inspection Forms page lists what the Geotab Drive inspection includes.

Open major and minor defects must be resolved before another inspection can be done on that vehicle, and the driver is prompted to certify the repair at the next login, so an unrepaired defect can't quietly drop off the record. Each inspection records the driver, the vehicle and the time, and the inspection location fills in automatically when that data is available. If someone claims "the driver never did the pre-trip", or the record says "the pre-trip was done in the yard at 06:10", the High Point GPS platform can show which one is true.

## What Happens to Defects, Repairs and the Shop?

A reported defect shows up in the High Point GPS platform for maintenance to act on. The mechanic certifies the repair there, with who fixed it and when, and the vehicle's status updates. The next driver sees the open or repaired defects at the next pre-trip and confirms them. The platform keeps that whole chain, the one the regulation asks for, without anyone chasing paperwork.

Inspections and engine data live in the same platform, so the DVIR also feeds maintenance. A defect the driver reports and a fault code the engine reports land in the same place. A fleet running maintenance rules in the High Point GPS platform can turn a recurring defect into a scheduled work order instead of a string of surprises.

## What Does an Auditor See in a Digital DVIR?

An auditor sees every inspection, defect, repair certification and driver review, per vehicle and per day, retained for three months under the US rule (or the period your province sets) and exportable on request. A missing inspection shows up as a gap in the record, so nobody has to argue about whether a form ever existed. If you've ever been asked to produce three months of DVIRs for one truck, you know the difference: an afternoon at a screen versus a day in a filing cabinet.

## A Sample Digital Pre-Trip Inspection Checklist

These are the items a straight-truck pre-trip checklist in the driver app typically carries, with the items fleets often classify as major defects. Each fleet edits the list for its own vehicles and the regulation it operates under.

| Section | Items | Often major |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cab | Horn, wipers, mirrors, seat belt, gauges, warning lights | Warning lights |
| Lights | Headlights, turn signals, brake lights, marker lights, reflectors | Brake lights, headlights |
| Brakes | Service brake, parking brake, air pressure build-up, low-air warning | All |
| Tires and wheels | Tread depth, inflation, damage, lug nuts, hub leaks | Tread, lug nuts |
| Steering and suspension | Play, leaks, springs, shocks | Steering play |
| Coupling | Fifth wheel, pintle, safety chains, glad hands | Fifth wheel lock |
| Body and load | Doors, cargo securement, tailgate, placards | Securement |
| Emergency equipment | Extinguisher, triangles, first-aid kit |  |
| Documents | Registration, insurance, cab card, permits |  |

## FAQ

### Is a digital DVIR accepted by inspectors?

Yes. The regulations require the inspection report, the defect list, the repair certification and the driver review, and none of them has to be on paper. The driver app keeps all four records with the time, and the location when that data is available, and you can show the record to an inspector or export it whenever someone asks for it.

### Can I customize the inspection checklist?

Yes. You configure the defect list in the High Point GPS platform for each vehicle type, starting from a default list and editing it to your own items. Each defect is classed as major, minor or unregulated, and an open major or minor defect must be resolved before another inspection can be done on that vehicle.

### Does a DVIR need to be done every day?

In the US, a post-trip report is required at the end of each day's work on each vehicle with a defect, and Canada requires a trip inspection within the previous 24 hours. Most fleets also require a pre-trip inspection. The driver app supports both, and at each inspection it shows the open defects carried over from the previous one.

### What happens if a driver reports a major defect?

The defect goes to maintenance in the High Point GPS platform and stays open until someone repairs it and marks the repair complete. While a major or minor defect is open, another inspection can't be performed on that vehicle. Once the repair is complete, the driver is prompted to certify it at the next Geotab Drive login, and the record shows who signed off.

### Who is exempt from the DVIR requirement in the US?

Under 49 CFR 396.11, the DVIR rule does not apply to a private motor carrier of passengers (nonbusiness), a driveaway-towaway operation or a motor carrier operating only one commercial motor vehicle. Every other carrier must have drivers report defects on each vehicle they operate, though no report is needed on a day when no defect is found or reported.

### How long must a trip inspection report be kept in Canada?

Under National Safety Code Standard 13, the carrier keeps the original trip inspection report and the certification of repairs for at least 6 months from the date the report was prepared. The driver forwards the original to the carrier within 20 calendar days. Each province adopts the standard in its own rules, so confirm the period with yours.

## Sources

- [Geotab Developers: DVIRLog object (location property)](https://developers.geotab.com/myGeotab/apiReference/objects/DVIRLog/)
- [FMCSA: 49 CFR 396.11 Driver vehicle inspection report](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-396/section-396.11)
- [Transport Canada: Motor carriers, commercial vehicles and drivers](https://tc.canada.ca/en/road-transportation/motor-carriers-commercial-vehicles-drivers)
- [eCFR: 49 CFR 396.13 Driver inspection](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-396/section-396.13)
- [CCMTA: National Safety Code Standard 13, Trip Inspections](https://www.ccmta.ca/web/default/files/PDF/Standard_13_March_2009.pdf)
- [SGI: Trip inspection standards](https://sgi.sk.ca/pro-driver/-/knowledge_base/pro-drivers/trip-inspection-standards)