Section § 396.11: Driver vehicle inspection report(s).

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Guidance Q&A

Question 26: Is the motor carrier official or agent who certifies that defects or deficiencies have been corrected or that correction was unnecessary required to be a mechanic or have training concerning commercial motor vehicle maintenance?

Guidance: No. Section 396.11 does not establish minimum qualifications for motor carrier officials or agents who certify that defects or deficiencies on DVIRs are corrected. With the exception of individuals performing the periodic or annual inspection (§ 396.19), and motor carrier employees responsible for ensuring that brake-related inspection, repair, or maintenance tasks are performed correctly (§ 396.25), Part 396 of the FMCSRs does not establish minimum qualifications for maintenance personnel. Motor carriers, therefore, are not prohibited from having DVIRs certified by company officials or agents who do not have experience repairing or maintaining CMVs.