Glossary
DVIR (Driver Vehicle Inspection Report)
A written report a commercial driver prepares at the end of a working day when they find a vehicle defect that could affect safe operation. Required under 49 CFR 396.11, and can be completed electronically.
What DVIR means in practice
A DVIR (driver vehicle inspection report) is the written report a commercial driver prepares at the end of the working day when they find a defect that could affect safe operation, as required in the US by 49 CFR 396.11. It is often confused with the pre-trip walkaround: many drivers check their vehicle carefully every morning without ever producing the written report the rule requires. The US report is specifically for defects: since a 2014 revision for property carriers, extended to passenger carriers in 2020, drivers do not need to file one on a day they found nothing wrong. Canada's rules work differently and require a daily inspection with a report and a schedule of major and minor defects.
The carrier has a matching duty. A reported safety defect must be repaired and the repair certified before the vehicle is dispatched again, and the next driver reviews and signs. A DVIR filed and then ignored leaves a defect such as a burned-out marker light, cheap to fix at the shop, to be flagged at a scale house instead.
An electronic DVIR in the driver app ties each inspection to the driver, vehicle, time and GPS position, sends defects to the shop the moment they are filed, and can block a vehicle from being declared safe until a critical defect is repaired.
Read the full explainer
The definition above is the short version. The page below explains DVIR (Driver Vehicle Inspection Report) in depth, with the rules, numbers and examples behind it.
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DVIR: common questions
Do I need to file a DVIR if my driver found no defects?
In the US, no. Under 49 CFR 396.11, revised in 2014 for property carriers and in 2020 for passenger carriers, a DVIR is required only when the driver finds a defect or deficiency that could affect safe operation. Canada's rules are different: they require a daily inspection, so check which rule your vehicles and drivers operate under.
How long do DVIR records need to be kept?
Under the US rule, at least three months from the date the report was prepared, per 49 CFR 396.11(a)(4), together with the repair certification and the driver's review. This applies to paper and electronic reports alike. An electronic system stores every inspection, defect and repair certification automatically and can export them by vehicle and date when an auditor asks.
What is the difference between a DVIR and a pre-trip inspection?
The pre-trip inspection is the walkaround a driver does before heading out. The DVIR is the written report of defects the driver found, which the US rule requires at the end of each day's work. A careful walkaround that is never written down does not create the documentation trail that protects the carrier if something goes wrong.