§396.23 Equivalent to periodic inspection.

Question 1: Is a Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) Level I or Level V inspection a ‘‘State * * * roadside inspection program’’ through which a motor carrier may meet the periodic inspection requirements of §396.17? If so, what evidence of inspection is required?

Guidance: A Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) Level I or Level V inspection is equivalent to the Federal periodic inspection requirements. A Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) that passes such an inspection has therefore met §396.17, unless the vehicle is subject to a mandatory State inspection program that the FHWA has determined is comparable to, or as effective as, the Federal requirements [see §396.23(b)(1)]. A Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) decal displayed on the Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV), or a copy of the Level I or Level V inspection report maintained in the vehicle, constitutes sufficient evidence of inspection.