FMCSA narrows return requirement for completed roadside inspection forms
Motor carriers and intermodal equipment providers must return completed roadside inspection forms only to State agencies that request them.
Change
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) revised 49 CFR 396.9(d)(3)(ii) so that motor carriers and intermodal equipment providers must return a signed completed roadside inspection form to the issuing State agency only if that agency requests it, while the 12-month copy-retention requirement is unchanged.
Why it matters
Carriers and intermodal equipment providers must verify whether each issuing State agency requests the completed inspection form before sending it, because no list of requesting States will be published. The 12-month obligation to retain a copy at the principal place of business or where the vehicle is housed is unchanged. Carriers remain required to undergo inspections and correct all violations found; only the return-transmission step becomes conditional on the State's request.
Implications
- — Motor carrier compliance teams must confirm, before sending, whether the issuing State agency requests the completed roadside inspection form — failing to return a form to a State that does request it violates 49 CFR 396.9(d)(3)(ii).
- — Motor carrier and intermodal equipment provider compliance teams must retain a copy of each completed roadside inspection form at the principal place of business or where the vehicle is housed for 12 months from the inspection date — failure to retain violates 49 CFR 396.9(d)(3)(i).
Who is affected
- — Motor carrier compliance teams
- — Intermodal equipment provider compliance teams
What to watch
- — 22 July 2026: deadline for petitions for reconsideration of the final rule to the FMCSA Administrator.