Imagine one of your trucks is pulled over for a roadside inspection today. Or an investigator shows up at your door to review your records. How confident are you that your operation would make it through either one without a violation?
The latest FMCSA data gives carriers reason to take that question seriously. As of the August 28 snapshot, with more than a month remaining in the fiscal year, FMCSA’s Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) showed 5,224,985 roadside violation records. Of those, 1,012,281 were classified as out-of-service (OOS) violations—already 10,215 more than were recorded during all of fiscal year 2025.
While that increase is notable, the issues plaguing carriers are essentially the same. In both 2025 and 2026, the same broad violation categories accounted for the vast majority of violations across roadside inspections and investigations. When considering your business’s compliance, these areas are a good place to start.
The Compliance Areas Behind Most 2026 Violations
To make the data more useful, we grouped related violation codes into five broad compliance areas based on the applicable CFR parts. Together, these categories account for 95.9% of roadside violations and 95.6% of investigation violations reported so far this year. The remaining violations fall mainly under carrier identification, insurance, hazardous materials, and specialized requirements.
#1: Vehicle Condition and Maintenance (Parts 393 and 396)
Vehicle condition and maintenance was by far the largest source of roadside violations in fiscal year 2026, accounting for 3,087,546 violations, or 59.1% of the roadside total. During investigations, the same category accounted for 7,689 violations, or 15.8% of the investigation total.
Common roadside violations in this category include:
- Missing documentation of a required periodic inspection
- Out-of-adjustment or defective service brakes
- Inoperable required lamps
- Leaking or severely underinflated tires
During investigations, the most common violations involved failing to track maintenance due dates, identify vehicles in maintenance records, and ensure vehicles received their required periodic inspections.
Preventing these violations begins with an ironclad maintenance system. Maintain due-date calendars, close out reported defects, and verify that proof of the required periodic inspection is carried on or displayed on each vehicle. You must also have a system for preserving complete, vehicle-specific maintenance records so they’re available when requested.
#2: State, Local, and Operating Requirements (Part 392)
From missing registrations to the use of a handheld device while driving, this category combines administrative credentials with driver conduct. In fiscal year 2026, Part 392 violations represented 23% of the roadside total and 17.7% of the investigation total.
Common roadside violations in this category include:
- Registration, tag, and license plate violations
- IFTA, IRP, and UCR violations
- Failure to obey traffic-control devices
- Speeding, lane-restriction, seatbelt, and handheld-device violations
This mix points to both administrative compliance problems and weaknesses in driver supervision and corrective action. Preventing these violations starts with a clear process for managing requirements such as vehicle registration, IFTA, IRP, and UCR. Digital recordkeeping can help carriers track deadlines and keep required documentation available, while MVR Monitoring can alert carriers to driver violations. Carriers should also assign responsibility for route and permit checks and address violations promptly.
#3: Hours of Service and ELD Controls (Part 395)
Hours-of-service and ELD violations accounted for 8.9% of roadside violations and 17.9% of investigation violations in fiscal year 2026. The larger share in the investigation data reflects the scope of each review. While a roadside inspection examines one driver’s records at a particular point in time, an investigation can expose broader problems with the carrier’s recordkeeping and oversight.
Common problems in this category include:
- Log falsification
- Missing or incorrect recordkeeping methods
- Driving beyond applicable hours-of-service limits
- Failure to review and certify ELD records or address unidentified driving time
- Form-and-manner errors
- Missing supporting documentation
Adhering to hours-of-service limits is essential. Motor carriers also need a regular process for reviewing ELD exceptions, unidentified driving time, certifications, and edits. That review should include cross-checking logs against fuel receipts, toll records, dispatch records, and payroll records.
#4: Driver Qualification, Medical Status, and CDL Compliance (Parts 383 and 391)
Driver qualification, medical status, and CDL violations accounted for 259,033 roadside violations, or 5% of the roadside total, in fiscal year 2026. During investigations, however, they accounted for 9,806 violations, or 20.1% of the total—making this the second-largest investigation category.
These violations were also disproportionately likely to carry an OOS designation. Of the 259,033 roadside violations in this category, 190,657 were classified as OOS. That represents a 73.6% within-category OOS rate and 18.8% of all roadside OOS violations.
Common violations in this category include:
- Missing MVR inquiries or annual-review documentation
- Incomplete driver applications for employment
- Failure to maintain complete driver qualification files
- Missing or invalid medical certification
- Invalid, suspended, or revoked CDL status
- English-language-proficiency violations
At roadside, an inspector looks at whether the individual driver is qualified to operate a commercial motor vehicle at that moment. During an investigation, the driver qualification records show whether the carrier has consistently followed its hiring and monitoring requirements.
To avoid these violations, carriers need an established process to verify and monitor CDL and medical status, obtain and review required MVRs, and ensure driver qualification files are complete upon hire, maintained throughout employment, and retained for the required period afterward. A digital recordkeeping system and MVR Monitoring can both be instrumental to this process.
#5: DOT Drug, Alcohol, and Clearinghouse Compliance (Part 382)
The fiscal year 2026 roadside report contained no Part 382 violation records. During investigations, however, drug, alcohol, and Clearinghouse compliance was the largest violation category, accounting for 11,735 violations, or 24.1% of the investigation total.
Within this category, Clearinghouse query failures were the biggest problem. Failure to conduct required pre-employment and annual queries accounted for 5,682 violations, or 48.4% of the Part 382 total.
Other common compliance gaps include:
- Using a driver before receiving a negative pre-employment drug test result
- Failure to establish a drug and alcohol testing program
- Failure to meet random-testing requirements or conduct required post-accident tests
- Inadequate written policies
- Missing reasonable-suspicion training
These violations pop up regularly for a reason: maintaining a compliant DOT drug and alcohol program is no small feat. Many steps must be followed, and each must be completed exactly as required. Working with a DOT-compliance partner that provides consortium management, conducts required DOT Clearinghouse queries, and provides reasonable-suspicion training can help keep those tasks from falling through the cracks while reducing the administrative burden on your team.
Get Ahead of These Common Violations
Violations discovered during a roadside inspection or compliance investigation can leave a black mark on your business’s safety and compliance record. They can also carry real financial consequences, including civil penalties and the downtime and lost revenue that can follow an OOS order.
Civil penalties vary depending on the violation. For instance, under the current federal schedule, each violation of Part 382, Subpart G, which covers DOT Clearinghouse requirements, can carry a civil penalty of up to $7,155.
Preventing these violations requires consistent systems, clear ownership, and regular oversight. Our team can support that structure through services such as driver qualification file management, vehicle registration updates, MVR Monitoring, and drug and alcohol testing program management.
To discuss your compliance needs and which programs make sense for your operation, call (877) 352-1996 or fill out our online form.
Methodology note: US Compliance Services analyzed FMCSA A&I Online MCMIS “All Violations” reports for fiscal years 2025 and 2026. Fiscal year 2026 figures reflect the August 28, 2026 data snapshot and may be revised as FMCSA receives additional information. Related violation codes were grouped by CFR part, and percentages were calculated from the report totals.
