What items should you have in your trunk for road side inspections or scale inspections?
What Paperwork is Required to be in Our Vehicles?
Your load isn’t ready until these are onboard.
Posted July 10, 2014
In order to be compliant with industry regulations and to avoid unnecessary violations that could occur during a roadside inspection, a common question asked by carriers is, “What paperwork or documentation is required to be in our commercial motor vehicles?” While the list is not particularly extensive, there are enough items to create a “checklist” of required paperwork for management and drivers to periodically audit to ensure compliance with regulations.
Following is a list of required documents that must be carried in the vehicle for carriers of non-hazardous materials and an additional list of items for carriers of hazardous materials. Where applicable, the regulation number has been included to assist in getting more information.
For a non-hazardous material (non-HM) carrying vehicle:
Truck registration. This is commonly referred to as “the registration,” “cab card “or “IRP card” (if the vehicle is operating in interstate operations).
Fuel tax permit (“IFTA cab card”). This normally applies if the vehicle is operating in interstate operations.
Proof of insurance in some states (policy card is adequate).
Shipment paperwork. This normally involves documentation showing what is being transported, where it originated, where it’s going, and who it is being transported for.
Driver credentials (license and medical card).
Driver hours-of-service records, unless the driver is operating under one of the short-haul exceptions in §395.1(e).
Copy of Annual Inspection paperwork if no decal is affixed to the vehicle.
A copy of the Lease Agreement during the period the vehicle is being leased, proving ownership of the vehicle and the person/carrier responsible for the operation of the vehicle (§376.11(c)(2)).
If the vehicle is transporting hazardous materials, there are some additional requirements. These include:
Shipment paperwork that details the hazardous materials on the vehicle and provides the required emergency response and emergency contact information.
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials registration if transporting amounts of hazardous materials that require placarding.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Hazardous Materials Safety Permit (HMSP) if transporting any of the extremely dangerous hazardous materials (see §385.403 for details).
The actual PHMSA registration and HMSP do not need to be in the cab if it is listed on the shipment paperwork.
Update 8/19/2014
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