Hours, Logs & Compliance · Driver Training VideoInspection Levels 1–6 — Deep Dive

First, understand the stakes

Every inspection ends in a report. Violations on that report stay on the carrier's record for two years, and on your personal PSP file for three. Clean inspections build your record. Bad ones follow you to every carrier you ever apply to.

Level One is the North American Standard Inspection. The full thirty-seven step workup, and the most common. The inspector checks you and the truck. You: license, medical certificate, record of duty status, seatbelt, signs of alcohol or drugs.

Level Two is the walk-around

Same driver checks, same vehicle items, minus anything that requires the inspector to physically get under the truck.

Level Three is driver-only

Credentials, medical card, hours of service, seatbelt, your ELD. No vehicle items. Most paperwork violations are written right here, and they are the cheapest ones to prevent.

Level Four is a special inspection. A one-time look at a single item, usually part of a study. Rare. Cooperate, and roll on.

Level Five is vehicle-only

Everything from Level One on the truck, with no driver present. It usually happens at the carrier's facility during a review.

Level Six is the enhanced inspection for certain radioactive shipments. Specialized loads, specially certified inspectors, and the vehicle must pass with zero defects before the trip even starts.

Now here is the win worth chasing. Pass a Level One or a Level Five with no critical vehicle violations, and the truck earns a CVSA decal. Good for up to three months, and a decaled vehicle generally does not get re-inspected.