Two semi tractors with their hoods tilted open for preventive maintenance outside a truck shop at dusk, a technician with a tablet walking between them
DOT Inspections & PM · Free Planner

Which units are due for an annual?

In interstate commercial service, every tractor, trailer and converter dolly needs its own DOT annual inspection at least once every 12 months. Enter your units and the planner maps the annuals by month, flags anything overdue, and builds a starter A/B/C PM plan for your duty cycle.

Build my plan ↓ About 3 minutes · free · printable program kit
Three clocks every fleet runs on

Annuals, PM and DVIRs each run on their own clock

Federal rules (49 CFR Part 396) put these duties on the motor carrier, and they also bind the shops that inspect and repair for it as the carrier's agent. Miss one clock and it shows up at roadside or in an audit. Here's what each one asks for.

#1 · Every 12 months

The annual inspection

Each tractor, semitrailer, full trailer and converter dolly must have passed an inspection to the Appendix A standards at least once during the preceding 12 months, with the report or a decal on the unit. A clean roadside Level I doesn't count.

49 CFR 396.17 and 396.21

#2 · Your schedule

Preventive maintenance

Federal rules set no PM intervals for trucks and trailers. The carrier sets them, and keeps a schedule showing the nature and due date of each service, plus a record of what was done and when.

49 CFR 396.3 and FMCSA guidance

#3 · Before the next trip

DVIR defects

A reported defect that's likely to affect safety, likely to cause a breakdown, or fails Appendix A gets repaired before the next trip. "Repair unnecessary" is only for an item that isn't any of those. The carrier or its agent certifies every listed defect on the DVIR before the vehicle runs again, and the DVIR is kept 3 months.

49 CFR 396.7, 396.11 and 396.13; FMCSA guidance on 396.11

Built for both sides of the bay: repair shops that inspect and maintain fleet trucks, and fleet maintenance managers running their own shop. General information, not legal advice.

The planner

Build your inspection and PM plan

Five short steps. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere until you ask for the kit.

1.Who's planning?
2.Your units

Count the units you inspect or maintain. The annual applies to commercial motor vehicles: in interstate commerce, that's 10,001 lb or more by GVWR, GCWR or actual weight, whichever is greater, plus vehicles over the passenger thresholds and placarded hazmat vehicles (49 CFR 390.5T). States set the intrastate rules.

Power units that pull trailers
Semitrailers and full trailers. Each needs its own annual.
Each dolly needs its own annual too.
Box, dump, refuse, service and other single-unit trucks
No annual DOT inspection unless it runs on the highway as a commercial motor vehicle.
3.How hard they work

For the tractors and straight trucks. Engine makers set oil-drain intervals by duty cycle, so this drives the PM ranges.

Measured in
Duty cycle that fits most of them
4.Month of the last annual inspection (optional)

Pick the month each group last passed its annual. If the units in a group were done in different months, pick the oldest. The kit's schedule grid tracks each unit on its own.

5.Quick gap check

Five yes-or-no questions. Every No or Not sure turns into a fix on your plan.

When a driver reports a defect that affects safety, could cause a breakdown or fails Appendix A, is it repaired before the next trip, and is every listed defect certified on the DVIR before the truck runs again? 396.11
Does everyone who signs an annual inspection have a qualification file on record? 396.19
Does every annual produce a signed report with all the required items, kept for 14 months? 396.21
Is every unit, including each trailer and converter dolly, inspected at least once every 12 months, with the report or a decal on the unit? 396.17
Is there a written PM schedule for every unit that shows what's due and when? 396.3
DOT Inspection & PM Plan
Your plan

Your inspection and PM plan

Annual inspection calendar Federal rule

        Starter PM plan Rule of thumb · follow your OEM manual

        Federal rules don't set PM intervals for trucks and trailers: FMCSA says they're fleet specific and set by the carrier (guidance on 396.3). These starting ranges come from engine makers' published oil-drain intervals for your duty cycle. The manual for that engine, model year and oil sets the real numbers.

        Your fixes Federal rule

        From your gap check. Each fix names the rule behind it.

        Get the full program kit ↓

        General information, not legal advice. Rules current to the eCFR as of Oct 8, 2026. PM ranges are rules of thumb; the OEM manual for each engine wins.

        Free download

        Get the full kit, plus your plan

        Tell us where to send it. The kit is yours the second you hit the button, a copy lands in your inbox, and your plan is ready to print or save as a PDF.

        • DOT Inspection & PM Program KitAnnual inspection checklist and report, DVIR defect tracking log, inspector file, PM template and maintenance record, records cheat sheet. 18-page PDF
        • Your plan, ready to printThis annual calendar, PM plan and fix list, printable or saved as a PDF

        Instant download, plus a copy in your inbox. We never sell your info.

        A wall calendar works. Until a trailer slips through.

        The planner gets you a list. If you'd rather run inspections and PM from one system, take a look at MetaFleet: upload the inspection form you already use and AI rebuilds it as a digital template, techs fill it in on a phone with photos and signatures, and PM programs run by miles, hours or months, with reminders before each service is due.

        Book a demo Free. No commitment. Bring your PM schedule.

        Rules current to the eCFR as of Oct 8, 2026: 49 CFR Part 396, including 396.3, 396.11, 396.13, 396.17, 396.19, 396.21 and Appendix A to Part 396 (called Appendix G before 2021). PM ranges are engine-maker examples and industry rules of thumb, not federal requirements. If your vehicles fall under a mandatory state inspection program, or run only intrastate, confirm the rules with your state and your FMCSA division office. The full rundown, with each rule linked to the regulation: DOT inspection requirements, DVIRs and PM programs. General information, not legal advice.