What a DOT Inspection Covers for Heavy-Duty Trucks

An annual DOT inspection is the law for commercial vehicles, but it's also one of the best preventive checks you can do. Done right, it catches problems before they become roadside violations.

A complete inspection covers: brake system (chambers, slack adjusters, lines, drums, shoes), steering and suspension, lights and reflectors, frame and chassis, fuel and exhaust systems, tires and wheels, coupling devices, and emergency equipment.

The most common failures we see are out-of-adjustment brakes, leaking air lines, cracked or missing reflectors, worn tie rods, and frame cracks. Most are inexpensive to fix in the bay - and catastrophic if they fail on the road.