Truck inspection statistics show how enforcement campaigns measure vehicle condition, driver compliance, cargo handling and safety defects. The figures below cover North American campaigns in 2024, earlier brake-safety events, and a historical Michigan crash-involved sample from 1996–2001.
Key Truck Inspection Statistics
The most useful headline figures span inspection volume, compliance, defects and the limits of each population:
- 48,761 commercial motor vehicle, driver and cargo inspections were conducted during the May 14–16, 2024 International Roadcheck in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
- 77% of inspected commercial motor vehicles had no vehicle out-of-service violation during the May 14–16, 2024 Roadcheck in North America.
- 95.2% of inspected commercial motor vehicle drivers had no driver out-of-service violation during the May 14–16, 2024 Roadcheck in North America.
- 23% was the vehicle out-of-service rate for the May 14–16, 2024 International Roadcheck inspection population in North America.
- 4.8% was the driver out-of-service rate for the May 14–16, 2024 International Roadcheck inspection population in North America.
- 13,567 vehicle out-of-service violations were recorded during the May 14–16, 2024 Roadcheck in North America.
- 2,714 driver out-of-service violations were recorded during the May 14–16, 2024 Roadcheck in North America.
- 3,387 defective-service-brake violations made it the largest North American vehicle out-of-service category during the May 14–16, 2024 Roadcheck.
- 2,821 tire violations were recorded as North American vehicle out-of-service violations during the May 14–16, 2024 Roadcheck.
- 870 hours-of-service violations made it the largest driver out-of-service category during the May 14–16, 2024 Roadcheck in North America.
- 63 U.S. drivers were prohibited from operating because they were listed in the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse during the May 14–16, 2024 Roadcheck.
- 16,725 commercial motor vehicle inspections were conducted during the 2024 Brake Safety Week in North America.
- Approximately 87% of vehicles had no out-of-service violation during the 2024 Brake Safety Week in North America.
- 4,898 commercial motor vehicles were inspected during the 2024 Unannounced Brake Safety Day across 47 jurisdictions in Canada, Mexico and the United States in 2024.
- 11.6% of inspected vehicles had brake-related critical-item defects during the 2024 Unannounced Brake Safety Day across 47 jurisdictions.
- 13.3% of inspected vehicles were placed out of service for brake-related critical items during the 2022 Brake Safety Week in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
- 35.1% of inspected trucks had at least one pre-crash out-of-service item in the 1996–2001 Michigan fatal commercial motor vehicle crash FACT sample.
- 66.1% of inspected trucks had any recorded pre-crash violation in that 1996–2001 Michigan fatal-crash sample.
Contents
- Roadcheck scale and pass rates
- Vehicle out-of-service trends
- Driver compliance statistics
- Brake and tire inspection data
- Hazardous-materials and cargo findings
- Crash-involved truck inspection evidence
Truck Inspection Statistics: North American Scale and Pass Rates
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s 2024 International Roadcheck was a voluntary, three-day enforcement initiative rather than a census of truck inspections. CVSA-certified personnel conducted 48,761 commercial motor vehicle, driver and cargo inspections from May 14–16, 2024 across Canada, Mexico and the United States.
The event separated vehicle and driver compliance, which matters because the denominators are different. Among inspected commercial motor vehicles, 77% had no vehicle out-of-service violation; among inspected drivers, 95.2% had no driver out-of-service violation.
| Roadcheck measure | 2024 result | Population and period |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle out-of-service rate | 23% | Vehicle inspections, North America, May 14–16, 2024 |
| Driver out-of-service rate | 4.8% | Driver inspections, North America, May 14–16, 2024 |
| Vehicle combinations placed out of service | 9,345 | North America, May 14–16, 2024 |
| Drivers placed out of service | 2,290 | North America, May 14–16, 2024 |
CVSA reported 13,567 vehicle out-of-service violations, 2,714 driver out-of-service violations and 163 hazardous-materials or dangerous-goods out-of-service violations during the same event. Violation totals can exceed the number of units or people because one vehicle or driver can have multiple violations.
Source: CVSA Releases 2024 International Roadcheck Results. The rates describe the event inspection population and should not be read as annual failure rates for all trucks or commercial drivers.
Truck Inspection Trends in Vehicle Out-of-Service Violations
Vehicle findings in the 2024 Roadcheck were concentrated in braking, tires, lighting and cargo securement. The percentages below use total vehicle out-of-service violations as their denominator, not the number of inspections or unique vehicles.
| Vehicle OOS category | Violations | Share of vehicle OOS violations |
|---|---|---|
| Defective service brakes | 3,387 | 25.0% |
| Tires | 2,821 | 20.8% |
| Other brake violations | 2,486 | 18.3% |
| Lights | 1,569 | Not supplied |
| Cargo securement | 1,303 | Not supplied |
Inspectors also identified 564 tractor-protection-system-related violations during the 2024 emphasis area. “Other brake violations” is a separate CVSA category from defective service brakes, so the categories should not be merged into a new unsupported total.
These results point to braking and tire conditions as prominent measured violation groups in this event, while lighting and cargo securement remained substantial categories by count. They do not establish fleet-wide defect prevalence because the Roadcheck population was enforcement-event based.
Driver Inspection Statistics: Out-of-Service Causes and Compliance
Driver out-of-service findings during the May 14–16, 2024 Roadcheck were led by hours-of-service and licensing documentation categories. The percentages in this section use driver out-of-service violations as the denominator, and counts are violations rather than necessarily unique drivers.
| Driver OOS category | Violations | Share of driver OOS violations |
|---|---|---|
| Hours of service | 870 | 32.1% |
| No commercial driver’s license | 688 | 25.4% |
| No medical card | 304 | Not supplied |
| False log | 297 | Not supplied |
| Suspended driver’s license or CDL | 138 | Not supplied |
U.S. inspectors identified 63 drivers prohibited from operating because they were listed in the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse. Inspectors also issued 535 safety-belt violations across North America during the event.
The 4.8% driver out-of-service rate is therefore best understood alongside the category definitions and the event’s enforcement scope. It is not an annual rate for every commercial driver, and the listed category counts should not be treated as a count of distinct people.
Brake and Tire Truck Inspection Data Across Safety Campaigns
CVSA’s brake campaigns provide a narrower view than the general Roadcheck because they focus on brake systems and components. Their results are useful for comparing campaign observations across periods, but each campaign has its own population and should not be treated as a random sample of the truck fleet.
| Campaign | Inspections or vehicles | Brake-related result |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 Brake Safety Week, North America | 16,725 inspections | Approximately 87% had no OOS violation |
| 2024 Unannounced Brake Safety Day, 47 jurisdictions | 4,898 inspections | 570 vehicles, or 11.6%, had critical brake-item violations |
| 2023 Unannounced Brake Safety Day, North America | Not supplied | 11.3% had critical brake-item violations; 773 vehicles were restricted |
| 2022 Brake Safety Week, Canada, Mexico and U.S. | 38,117 inspections | 13.3% were placed OOS for critical brake items |
| 2022 Unannounced Brake Safety Day, Canada and U.S. | 9,132 inspections | 1,290 vehicles, or 14.1%, were removed from roadways |
The 2024 Unannounced Brake Safety Day finding covered 47 jurisdictions in Canada, Mexico and the United States. During the 2023 event, the 11.3% figure was an event-specific rate, and 773 commercial motor vehicles were restricted from travel for brake-related critical items.
During the 2022 Brake Safety Week, inspectors conducted 38,117 inspections across Canada, Mexico and the United States, with 13.3% placed out of service for brake-related critical items. The 2022 Unannounced Brake Safety Day result covered Canada and the United States, so it is not directly interchangeable with the 2024 47-jurisdiction result.
Source: Brake Safety Campaign Results. The campaign figures are observed enforcement results, not annual fleet prevalence estimates.
Hazardous-Materials and Cargo Inspection Statistics
Hazardous-materials and dangerous-goods findings were a small, separately reported part of the 2024 Roadcheck results. Inspectors recorded 163 HM/DG out-of-service violations across North America from May 14–16, 2024.
| HM/DG OOS category | Violations | Share of HM/DG OOS violations |
|---|---|---|
| Loading | 60 | 36.8% |
| Placards | 43 | Not supplied |
| Shipping papers | 37 | Not supplied |
| Bulk packages | 8 | Not supplied |
| Training certification | 7 | Not supplied |
Loading violations were the leading reported HM/DG category at 60 violations and 36.8% of HM/DG out-of-service violations. Placard, shipping-paper, bulk-package and training-certification counts describe violations, not unique shipments.
Because the denominator is HM/DG out-of-service violations, these shares should not be compared directly with the vehicle or driver inspection rates. The result also includes only violations identified during the specific North American Roadcheck event.
Source: CVSA Releases 2024 International Roadcheck Results.
Truck Inspection Evidence from Crash-Involved Vehicles
The FMCSA FACT dataset offers a different perspective from enforcement campaigns: reconstructed pre-crash inspection evidence for trucks involved in Michigan fatal commercial motor vehicle crashes from 1996–2001. The dataset contained 503 trucks, and 407 received a completed Level I inspection.
Among those 407 inspected trucks, 35.1% had at least one out-of-service item before the crash, excluding crash damage, while 66.1% had any recorded violation. The sample is historical and crash-involved, so it is not a current estimate for the general truck fleet.
| Reconstructed pre-crash finding | Share of 407 inspected trucks |
|---|---|
| Any out-of-service item | 35.1% |
| Any recorded violation | 66.1% |
| Brake problems | 32.7% |
| Light, marker or signal violations | 23.1% |
| Tire violations | 14.5% |
| Steering-axle violations, including brakes | 14.0% |
| Log violations | 12.3% |
| Air-pressure or hose violations | 9.6% |
| Suspension violations | 9.6% |
| Hours-of-service violations | 2.2% |
| Other driver violations | 16.2% |
The FACT data also recorded fatigue as a driver factor for 2.6% of large-truck drivers in the dataset. FMCSA cautions against generalizing carrier-type fatigue results, and the table’s reconstructed condition excludes crash damage.
Inspection levels are not interchangeable: Level I is a 37-step driver-and-vehicle inspection, while Levels II, III and V have narrower scopes. The FACT percentages should therefore be read as historical context about crash-involved trucks, not as causal effects or current defect rates.