DOT inspections done right.
Your yard or our shop.
FMCSA 396.17 annual safety inspections by certified inspectors. Bring your truck to our Dunn shop, or we'll come to your yard. Single trucks and full fleets — same standards, same federal sticker. Defects repaired on the spot.
The 396.17 checklist — every truck, every time.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's annual inspection covers nine functional areas of the vehicle. We don't shortcut any of them. Here's what gets looked at, and what we're looking for.
Brakes (air & hydraulic)
Adjustment, slack adjusters, drums or rotors, chambers, hoses, air dryer cartridge. Most common single failure category in heavy trucks.
Suspension & frame
Leaf springs, U-bolts, hangers, shock absorbers, frame cracks, mounting integrity.
Steering
Drag link, tie rods, gear box, kingpins, wheel bearings — measured for play under federal tolerances.
Tires & wheels
Tread depth (4/32" steer, 2/32" drive), sidewall condition, mounting, lug torque, valve cores.
Lights & reflectors
Headlights, signals, brake lights, marker lights, reflective tape (DOT-compliant pattern).
Coupling devices
Fifth wheel, pintle hitch, kingpin condition, safety chains. Trailers also inspected here.
Cab & exterior
Windshield (cracks, wipers, washer fluid), mirrors, doors, seat belts, horn, emergency equipment.
Exhaust
Leaks, mounting integrity, distance from fuel system components per federal spec.
Fuel system
Tank mounting, fuel lines, cap seal, vent line. Common defect point on older trucks.
When we find a defect, we don't sticker the truck — period. But we do quote the repair on the spot, and most defects get fixed in our shop the same day.
Two ways to get inspected.
Federal 396.17 inspections can be done in two settings. We do both — pick whichever fits your situation.
In-shop at our Dunn facility
Most common. Drop the truck off and we'll handle it. We have the lifts, the calibrated tools, and the controlled environment that make the inspection efficient. Walk-ins welcome Monday through Friday, 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Same-day turnaround for most passes.
Mobile at your yard
Our certified inspectors come to you with portable equipment. Good fit for:
- Owner-operators who can't afford to take the truck out of service
- Fleets too large to send through inspection one at a time
- Accounts with a secure yard, a level pad, and adequate lighting
Mobile inspection runs by appointment — call dispatch to schedule.
Both options use the same FMCSA 396.17 criteria, the same qualified inspectors, and end with the same federal sticker. For ongoing fleet PM that catches defects before annual inspection time, see Mobile Fleet Service →.
If we find a defect, we fix it. Same shop, same day.
About 1 in 5 trucks that come through our DOT lane needs at least one repair to pass. We don't issue the sticker until it does. The upside: we're a full repair shop. We don't send you back to your yard to fix the problem and reschedule. We quote the fix, you approve it, our techs get to work.
Most common defects we catch:
- Air brake out-of-adjustment — Most common single category. 30%+ of failures.
- Lighting failures — Signal, marker, or reflective tape damage.
- Tire tread / sidewall — Below federal minimum depth or sidewall damage.
- Steering tie-rod play — Especially on Class 7–8 trucks with 200K+ miles.
- Exhaust leaks — Often within federal proximity rules for fuel system components.
Most defect repairs take 1–4 hours depending on parts availability. We stage common parts (brake chambers, slack adjusters, lights, tie rods) for fast turnaround. Specialty parts come overnight from our supplier network.
Mobile inspections at your yard: Same logic applies — most common defects we can fix on the spot using parts in the service van. For anything bigger, we coordinate transport to our Dunn shop.
Whatever you run, we'll keep you on the federal calendar.
Owner-operators and small fleets (1–4 trucks)
Straightforward — book your annual inspection a week or two ahead and we'll get it done, in shop or at your yard. Walk-ins also welcome at our Dunn shop Monday through Friday. No fleet program required.
Multi-truck fleets (5+)
We run a fleet inspection program that handles the scheduling for you. Here's how it works:
- Calendar mapping — We pull your annual inspection due dates from your records or your fleet management system. We integrate with Fleetio, Element, LeasePlan, Merchants, Enterprise Fleet, EMKAY, ARI, and many others.
- Scheduled batching — Inspections scheduled in batches at our shop, usually 2–4 trucks per day so your fleet isn't all down at once. Or mobile at your yard, depending on what works.
- Pre-DOT visits 2–4 weeks ahead (optional) — Our mobile units come to your yard ahead of inspection day to catch defects in advance. Repairs scheduled separately so inspection day goes fast.
- Inspection day — Federal sticker issued for passes. Defects repaired on the spot.
- Records loaded — Inspection records uploaded to your fleet management system within 24 hours.
Set-up takes one phone call. Fleet pricing scales with volume.
Plain-English pricing.
- Individual annual DOT inspection (Class 6–8) — $175–$275 depending on truck class and condition
- Trailer DOT inspection — $125–$200, typically faster than tractors with narrower scope
- Fleet pricing — Tiered by volume. Meaningful discounts on accounts with 10+ trucks/year. Call dispatch for a quote.
- Defect repair — Quoted separately, charged only on your approval. Typical defect repair $50–$500.
What's included in the inspection fee: Federal annual sticker, FMCSA 396.17 inspection report (digital + printed), records retention per federal requirement.
Records you can hand to an auditor.
FMCSA requires you keep DOT inspection records for the period of the inspection plus 14 months. We keep ours indefinitely. Every inspection you run with us comes with:
- Federal annual safety inspection sticker (applied to the truck)
- FMCSA 396.17 inspection report — digital PDF + printed copy
- Defect report (if any defects found) with repair work orders documenting what was done
- Records uploaded to your fleet management system on request
If you ever face a DOT audit, we can pull historical inspection records for any truck we've worked on in seconds. That's what audit-ready means.
Things fleet managers and owner-operators ask.
1. How often does a heavy truck need a DOT inspection?
Once every 12 months for any commercial vehicle operating in interstate commerce or with a GVWR over 10,001 lbs. The annual inspection has to be completed by a qualified inspector and documented per FMCSA 396.17.
2. Do you do DOT inspections on weekends?
By appointment for fleet program accounts. Walk-in inspections are Monday through Friday, 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM at our Dunn shop.
3. What if my truck is already overdue on its annual?
Bring it in. We can do the inspection same-day in most cases. If you've been operating with an expired sticker, you're at risk of a DOT roadside stop — get back in compliance fast.
4. Can you do mobile DOT inspections at our yard?
Yes. Our certified inspectors can perform the full FMCSA 396.17 inspection at your yard with portable equipment. We need a level pad, adequate lighting, and the truck pre-cleaned (especially underneath). For owner-operators who can't take the truck out of service, mobile is often the better path. Schedule by appointment with dispatch.
5. Do you do DOT inspections on trailers?
Yes. Trailer 396.17 covers brakes, tires, lighting, suspension, frame, and coupling devices. Same shop, same process. Trailer inspections typically run shorter and cheaper than tractor inspections.
Get it on the calendar.
Dispatch is staffed 24/7. Same-day scheduling for individual walk-in inspections. Fleet program setup takes about 15 minutes by phone — we map your due dates and lock in batched inspection days.