SpotsCat
September 16th, 2005, 12:27
There are six types of DOT inspections, the three that you will be subjected to most often are -
Level I - The full-tilt DOT inspection. Check the vehicle, check the driver.
Level II - Not as intense as a Level I. Walk-around inspection of the vehicle, check the driver's paperwork.
Level III - Driver only inspection - usually given at a scalehouse when they tell you to pull in and bring your paperwork, or at a roadside stop.
Only successfully passing a Level I inspection with "No Defects Noted" will get you a CVSA sticker for your windshield - Level II and Level III inspections will not.
A CVSA sticker is good to have on your windshield, most times DOT will ignore you when you cross the scales if you have one on that's less than one year old.
Here is how to interpret what the CVSA stickers mean -
The CVSA decal will have a large black number on it, indicating the last number of the year it was issued - "4" for 2004, "5" for 2005, etc...
A decal issued in the first quarter of a year (Jan. Feb. Mar.) will be Green.
A decal issued in the second quarter of a year (Apr. May Jun.) will be Yellow.
A decal issued in the third quarter of a year (Jul. Aug. Sep.) will be Orange.
A decal issued in the fourth quarter of a year (Oct. Nov. Dec.) will be White.
If both corners of the sticker are removed, the decal was issued in the first month of that quarter.
If the upper right corner is removed, the sticker was issued in the second month of that quarter.
If no corners are removed, the sticker was issued in the third month of that quarter.
How do you get one? Easy - ask for it!
Get your truck inspected at the company shop - routine "A" or "B" service is fine. Get a trailer that has been recently inspected, or better still - take it through the trailer inspection bay yourself.
Head out with your load, and stop at the first truckwash that your company pays for, and get both units washed.
Then, after making sure that your logbook is 100% perfect, all your permits are current, and you've got all your required DOT licenses and medical cards, stop at the next open scalehouse you find, and ask the officer inside if anyone can do a Level I Inspection on your truck. If they are open and doing inspections already, walk inside the inspection bay, and ask politely if they'll inspect your truck.
Most of them will be more than happy to inspect your truck.
Since the units have just been inspected by your company shop, they should pass with no problem. And, if a problem is found, you can easily pass the blame for the failed inspection back to the shop - you just had the unit serviced, and if can't pass a DOT inspection, there's something seriously wrong with maintenance!
Your unit will be nice and clean, and DOT will like that! Your logbook will be in order, all your paperwork looks good, and you'll get a nice little CVSA sticker for your windshield.
Then, three weeks later when you're sailing down the highway, and DOT is setup in the pickle park doing random inspections - they'll see your nice new CVSA and wave you on through and get the poor schmoe behind you who doesn't have a CVSA on their windshield!
My four favorite places to get Level I's & CVSA's ---
The scale on I-80 westbound at Truckee, California.
The scale on I-5 southbound at Dunsmuir Grade, California (near Mt. Shasta)
The scale on I-90 westbound at Billings, Montana.
The scale on I-70 westbound at Foristell, Missouri.
Two final comments -
First, make this a practice: Have the truck inspected when you're ready for it, not when DOT decides you're ready for it. If you've got some time to kill on a load, get a CVSA done. Better to have it done when you know you should be able to pass, and you're ready for it, rather than let them pick sometime when you're pressed for time, and your logbook may not be quite up to snuff.
Secondly, don't fear the DOT. All they want to do is keep unsafe trucks and drivers off of the highway. And, since you trust your life to the vehicle you drive, it's good to have an impartial and critical eye examine your truck for defects. It just might save your life...
Level I - The full-tilt DOT inspection. Check the vehicle, check the driver.
Level II - Not as intense as a Level I. Walk-around inspection of the vehicle, check the driver's paperwork.
Level III - Driver only inspection - usually given at a scalehouse when they tell you to pull in and bring your paperwork, or at a roadside stop.
Only successfully passing a Level I inspection with "No Defects Noted" will get you a CVSA sticker for your windshield - Level II and Level III inspections will not.
A CVSA sticker is good to have on your windshield, most times DOT will ignore you when you cross the scales if you have one on that's less than one year old.
Here is how to interpret what the CVSA stickers mean -
The CVSA decal will have a large black number on it, indicating the last number of the year it was issued - "4" for 2004, "5" for 2005, etc...
A decal issued in the first quarter of a year (Jan. Feb. Mar.) will be Green.
A decal issued in the second quarter of a year (Apr. May Jun.) will be Yellow.
A decal issued in the third quarter of a year (Jul. Aug. Sep.) will be Orange.
A decal issued in the fourth quarter of a year (Oct. Nov. Dec.) will be White.
If both corners of the sticker are removed, the decal was issued in the first month of that quarter.
If the upper right corner is removed, the sticker was issued in the second month of that quarter.
If no corners are removed, the sticker was issued in the third month of that quarter.
How do you get one? Easy - ask for it!
Get your truck inspected at the company shop - routine "A" or "B" service is fine. Get a trailer that has been recently inspected, or better still - take it through the trailer inspection bay yourself.
Head out with your load, and stop at the first truckwash that your company pays for, and get both units washed.
Then, after making sure that your logbook is 100% perfect, all your permits are current, and you've got all your required DOT licenses and medical cards, stop at the next open scalehouse you find, and ask the officer inside if anyone can do a Level I Inspection on your truck. If they are open and doing inspections already, walk inside the inspection bay, and ask politely if they'll inspect your truck.
Most of them will be more than happy to inspect your truck.
Since the units have just been inspected by your company shop, they should pass with no problem. And, if a problem is found, you can easily pass the blame for the failed inspection back to the shop - you just had the unit serviced, and if can't pass a DOT inspection, there's something seriously wrong with maintenance!
Your unit will be nice and clean, and DOT will like that! Your logbook will be in order, all your paperwork looks good, and you'll get a nice little CVSA sticker for your windshield.
Then, three weeks later when you're sailing down the highway, and DOT is setup in the pickle park doing random inspections - they'll see your nice new CVSA and wave you on through and get the poor schmoe behind you who doesn't have a CVSA on their windshield!
My four favorite places to get Level I's & CVSA's ---
The scale on I-80 westbound at Truckee, California.
The scale on I-5 southbound at Dunsmuir Grade, California (near Mt. Shasta)
The scale on I-90 westbound at Billings, Montana.
The scale on I-70 westbound at Foristell, Missouri.
Two final comments -
First, make this a practice: Have the truck inspected when you're ready for it, not when DOT decides you're ready for it. If you've got some time to kill on a load, get a CVSA done. Better to have it done when you know you should be able to pass, and you're ready for it, rather than let them pick sometime when you're pressed for time, and your logbook may not be quite up to snuff.
Secondly, don't fear the DOT. All they want to do is keep unsafe trucks and drivers off of the highway. And, since you trust your life to the vehicle you drive, it's good to have an impartial and critical eye examine your truck for defects. It just might save your life...