NU-FLT-312 — DVIR PROCEDURE (PRE-TRIP & POST-TRIP VEHICLE INSPECTION)
Tier 2/3/4 — Procedure + Field Card + Form · Rev DRAFT · Drafted August 2, 2026 · Owner: Field Supervisor Why this exists: the DVIR is referenced everywhere in the Nova library — Recipe Book Ch.2, NU-FLT-310 §7 and §9, the Driver's daily proofs — and written down nowhere. FMCSA requires the written post-trip DVIR and the repair certification (49 CFR 396.11). This document is that missing page. Parent: NU-FLT-300 Equipment & Fleet Program · Safety authority: NU-SAF-100 · Companion: NU-FLT-301 (housekeeping), NU-FLT-310 (trailer & towing).
THE GATE
No truck starts its day until the driver has read yesterday's DVIR and every listed defect carries a mechanic's signature. No truck ends its day until today's DVIR is written and signed — defects listed, or "NONE." The record is the DVIR book in the cab. An inspection that isn't written down didn't happen — not to DOT, not to insurance, not to the lawyer after a wreck.
The walk-around finds the problem. The DVIR is what proves somebody looked, what forces the repair, and what stops the next driver from inheriting a bad truck blind. Two minutes of writing is the whole system.
0. STEP ZERO — THE DOT RECORD (read this first)
Nova holds USDOT 4221697. As of 8/1/26 that record shows INACTIVE in SAFER — most likely a lapsed MCS-150 biennial update. Reactivation is an open office task and it is step zero for this whole series. [Adam: file the MCS-150 update / reactivation — one office session, then confirm the record shows ACTIVE.]
Two things every driver and supervisor needs to understand about that:
- Inactive does not mean exempt. The trucks are still commercial motor vehicles, Georgia still applies the federal safety rules to intrastate carriers, and a roadside inspection still happens. An inactive DOT record doesn't make the rules go away — it just adds a violation on top if we're caught operating on it.
- This SOP is written as APPLYING, because it does. Every requirement below is drafted as live, today, on every combo. Nothing in here waits for the reactivation.
1. WHICH VEHICLES NEED A DVIR
The federal line (49 CFR 390.5): a vehicle is a CMV at 10,001 lb or more — GVWR, GCWR, or actual weight, whichever is greater.
Practically, at Nova: every truck-trailer combination. Seven trucks pulling equipment trailers with mini-ex and rigs on them — the combos run over 10,001 lb routinely and over 26,001 lb GCWR often. Nobody does math at the gate to decide whether today's load "counts."
| Rule | How it runs at Nova |
|---|---|
| Truck towing a trailer | One DVIR covers both. Truck and trailer on the same report, same signature — the form has a column for each |
| Truck running bobtail (no trailer) | DVIR on the truck |
| Trailer swapped mid-day | The trailer you park with is the trailer on tonight's DVIR |
| Actual GVWR/GCWR numbers | [Adam: door stickers and trailer VIN plates — the Fleet Register is still [fill]. Same open item as NU-FLT-310 §2.] |
The rest of what a motor carrier owes — DQ files (Part 391, seeded by the licensing table in NU-FLT-310 §1 and its open items), hours of service (Part 395 → NU-FLT-314), DOT drug & alcohol testing (→ NU-SAF-120, drafting in parallel) — lives in its own documents. This one is inspections only.
2. THE TWO LAYERS — TRUCK LOG vs DVIR
These are two different documents and one does not replace the other.
| Daily Truck Log — Section A | DVIR book | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | The housekeeping layer — cab, loadout, fuel, cones counted on (NU-FLT-301, Card 05-A) | The mechanical layer — brakes, steering, tires, lights, coupling |
| Who requires it | Nova | FMCSA (49 CFR 396.11 / 396.13) |
| What it proves | The truck is stocked, clean, and ready to work | The truck is safe to be on a public road |
| Where it goes | Truck Log pad, Section A checked, problems to Section C | DVIR book in the cab; signed copy to the Supervisor nightly |
A truck can pass Section A and fail its DVIR — full of fuel, twenty cones on, and a brake line weeping. Fill out both, every day. Neither one is "basically the same thing" as the other.
3. PRE-TRIP — REVIEW, THEN WALK (49 CFR 396.13, 392.7)
The pre-trip is three moves, in this order, before the keys turn:
- Open the DVIR book and read the last report on this truck and this trailer. (Recipe Book Ch.2, When You Arrive at the Yard, step 3 — this is the same step, now with the rule behind it.) - Last report clean ("NONE") — go to step 2. - Last report has defects with the mechanic's certification signed — sign the reviewing-driver line to acknowledge you saw the defect and saw the fix (396.13(c)). Then go. - Last report has defects and no certification signature — STOP. The truck does not move. Find the Supervisor. "Somebody probably fixed it" is not a signature.
- Walk the truck — the full pre-trip per Recipe Book Ch.2, "Before the Truck Moves": fluids, tires, brakes, steering, mirrors, horn, wipers, a look underneath for fresh leaks — filled in as you go, not from memory later. Towing today: the hookup and light check run per NU-FLT-310 §§3–7, and the §7 walk-around is part of this same pre-trip.
- Be satisfied, or don't drive. 392.7 says the driver doesn't roll until satisfied the equipment is in good working order. Not "the Supervisor said it's fine." You, satisfied.
The pre-trip is not the written DVIR. Federal rule does not require a signed pre-trip form — it requires the review, the acknowledgment signature when there were defects, and satisfaction before driving. The written, signed report is the post-trip. Drivers get this backwards constantly; this paragraph is why Nova won't.
Done when: yesterday's report is read and (if it carried defects) countersigned, the walk-around is done, and you'd put your family in the lane next to this rig at 65 mph.
4. POST-TRIP — THE WRITTEN DVIR (49 CFR 396.11)
At the completion of each day's work, on each vehicle operated, before you leave the yard:
- Write the report. Truck AND trailer, same form. Cover at minimum the federal list (396.11(a)(2)): - service brakes, including trailer brake connections - parking (hand) brake - steering mechanism - lighting devices and reflectors - tires - horn - windshield wipers - rear vision mirrors - coupling devices - wheels and rims - emergency equipment
- List every defect or deficiency that would affect safe operation or cause a breakdown. Plain words: "left rear trailer tire — cord showing," not "tire iffy."
- Nothing wrong? Write "NONE" and sign anyway. Nova standard: a DVIR gets written every day, every truck operated, defects or not. The federal floor since 2014 only mandates the written report when a defect exists (property carriers) — Nova writes it daily because the books are already printed that way, because a book full of gaps proves nothing at a roadside stop, and because a rule with an exception in it is a rule that gets skipped on the day it mattered.
- Sign it. The driver's signature is what makes it a DVIR instead of a checklist.
- Hand the copy to the Supervisor with the day's package (Recipe Book Ch.2, Back at the Yard) — and tell him about any defect directly, out loud or by text. Paper alone sits unread overnight.
Done when: tonight's DVIR is written, signed, "NONE" or defects listed in plain words, copy with the Supervisor, book back in the cab — and no surprise waits for whoever starts this truck tomorrow.
5. THE DEFECT CHAIN — FROM WRITTEN DEFECT TO SIGNED FIX
This chain is the whole point of the document. Every link produces a mark on the same piece of paper.
| Link | Who | What happens | The record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Defect written | Driver | Defect listed on tonight's DVIR, Supervisor told directly | Driver's signature |
| 2. Roll / no-roll decision | Supervisor | Safety defect → red-tag it: DO-NOT-OPERATE tag on the wheel, keys out of the box. (49 CFR 396.7 — a vehicle likely to cause an accident or breakdown does not operate.) Convenience defect (see §6) → schedule it, truck can work | Tag on the vehicle + defect routed to the mechanic the same night (Recipe Book Ch.5) |
| 3. Repair | Mechanic / vendor | Fix the defect — or determine no repair is needed | Work order / receipt to the truck's maintenance file (396.3, NU-FLT-300) |
| 4. Certification | Mechanic, or the Supervisor as the carrier's agent | Sign the certification line on the DVIR itself: "defects corrected" or "correction unnecessary" (396.11(a)(3)). No signature = the truck is still down. | Certification signature on the original DVIR |
| 5. Next driver closes the loop | Tomorrow's driver | Reads the report, sees the certification, signs the reviewing-driver line (396.13(c)) | Third signature — the loop is closed |
Three signatures on one defect: the driver who found it, the person who fixed or cleared it, the driver who verified before rolling. That chain is what a DOT auditor pulls, what an insurance adjuster pulls, and what a plaintiff's attorney pulls. Every broken link is Nova's problem in that room.
6. WHAT RED-TAGS THE TRUCK vs WHAT CAN WAIT
The Supervisor makes the call, but the default is written here so the call is fast.
| Red-tag — does not operate (396.7) | Write it up, schedule it, truck can work |
|---|---|
| Brakes — service, parking, or trailer brakes not engaging | A/C, radio, cab comfort items |
| Steering play, wander, binding | Cosmetic body damage (damage report still same-day per Recipe Book) |
| Tire — cord showing, bulge, flat, missing lug nuts | Second mirror cracked but usable |
| Any brake/turn/headlight out · reflectors gone | Marker light out on a daytime-only truck — fixed within the week, not "eventually" |
| Coupling — cracked hitch, worn lunette, latch that won't pin (NU-FLT-310 §11 list) | Wiper streaking (working, dry day) |
| Breakaway cable/battery dead · 7-pin dead | Bed/box damage that doesn't touch securement points |
| Exhaust leak into cab · fuel leak · fresh fluid on the ground under brakes/steering | Slow coolant seep — topped, watched, on the mechanic's list |
The tie-breaker: would you explain this defect to a DOT officer at a scale house, or to a family in a courtroom? If the answer makes you rehearse, it's a red tag. When in doubt, the truck sits — a down truck costs a day; the other outcome costs the company (NU-SAF-121 covers what happens after; the goal is to never need it).
7. RETENTION & FILING
| Rule | The number |
|---|---|
| Keep the original DVIR + repair certification | 3 months minimum from the date written (49 CFR 396.11) — Nova keeps 12 months [Adam: confirm — 12 months costs nothing and covers the insurance renewal look-back] |
| Where | Carbon copies stay in the book until the book is full; full books and loose signed copies go to the office fleet file, by truck number |
| Truck's maintenance file | Repair records from defect-chain link 3 file per NU-FLT-300 (396.3) |
| The app | When the fleet module lands in Softr, the DVIR becomes a record type there and the paper book becomes the backup — until then, paper is the system of record |
The annual periodic inspection (49 CFR 396.17) is a separate requirement with its own sticker and its own file — it lives in NU-FLT-300's PM schedule, not here. A year of daily DVIRs does not replace it, and it does not replace them.
8. FIELD CARD — DVIR (Tier 3, print for every cab)
MORNING — before the keys turn: 1. READ yesterday's DVIR — truck and trailer. 2. Defects on it? No mechanic signature = the truck does not move. Signed? Countersign the review line. 3. WALK the full pre-trip (Recipe Book Ch.2) — fill as you go. Towing: NU-FLT-310 §7 walk-around is part of it.
NIGHT — before you leave the yard: 1. WRITE the DVIR — truck AND trailer, one form. 2. Defects in plain words, or "NONE." Sign it. Every day, no gaps. 3. Copy to the Supervisor with the day's package. Defect = tell him out loud, tonight.
DOT stop: hand over license, med card, registration, today's DVIR — answer what's asked, nothing more (Recipe Book Ch.2 if/then).
Any defect + no certification signature = red tag. The truck sits.
9. THE FORM — DVIR (Tier 4)
This is the record every gate above names. Layout matches the standard carbon-copy DVIR books already riding in the trucks per Recipe Book Ch.2 (driver's kit). [Adam: pull one book from a cab and confirm the printed books match this layout — if they differ, the books win and this section revs to match them.]
Header: Carrier: Nova Underground · Date · Truck # · Odometer · Trailer # · Location (yard)
Checklist (✓ = OK, ✗ = defect, one column TRUCK / one column TRAILER): service brakes · trailer brake connections · parking brake · steering · lights & reflectors · tires · horn · wipers · mirrors · coupling devices · wheels & rims · emergency equipment · other: ____
REMARKS / DEFECTS: (plain words, or "NONE")
Driver's signature — "Condition of the above vehicle(s) is satisfactory / defects noted above." · Date
CERTIFICATION — ☐ Above defects corrected ☐ Above defects need not be corrected for safe operation Mechanic / Supervisor signature · Date
Reviewing driver's signature (next driver — required when defects were noted) · Date
10. THE NEVER LIST
- Never drive a truck whose last DVIR shows an uncertified defect. "It's probably fixed" has no signature.
- Never write a DVIR from memory in the parking lot. The walk fills the form; the form doesn't replace the walk.
- Never pencil-whip — checking boxes on a truck you didn't walk is falsification: instant termination (Recipe Book Ch.2 Never list, NU-PPL-403) and, on a federal record, a personal problem bigger than the job.
- Never let a skipped day into the book. Truck operated = DVIR written, defects or "NONE."
- Never leave the trailer off the report. The combo is one DVIR.
- Never sign the certification line for a repair you didn't make, verify, or judge unnecessary yourself.
- Never pull a red tag off a truck except the Supervisor, over a signed certification.
- Never "fix" a defect by not writing it down. The defect found tonight is a repair; the same defect found by a DOT officer — or after a wreck — is Nova's operating authority and somebody's license.
11. WHAT THIS DOCUMENT NEEDS FROM ADAM
- Step zero: reactivate USDOT 4221697 — file the MCS-150 update, confirm SAFER shows ACTIVE. Everything in the FLT series sits on this. (Office task, already open.)
- Pull a DVIR book from a cab and confirm §9 matches the printed layout — five minutes at the yard.
- Fill the Fleet Register — GVWR/GCWR off the door stickers and VIN plates. Same open item as NU-FLT-310 §2/§12; it also settles the CDL question its §1 licensing table left open.
- Confirm the 12-month retention call in §7 (federal floor is 3 months).
- Name who signs certifications when there's no outside mechanic on a repair — the Supervisor by default, or a named mechanic when Nova has one. One name, in writing.
- Order red DO-NOT-OPERATE wheel tags if the yard doesn't have them — a red tag that exists only in this SOP red-tags nothing.
NU-FLT-312 · Rev DRAFT · Nova Underground · Parent: NU-FLT-300 · Register: NU-GOV-000 (add row on issue) · Cross-refs: NU-FLT-310, NU-FLT-313, NU-FLT-314, NU-FLT-315, NU-SAF-100, NU-SAF-121, NU-FLD-200 Driver ch. · Uncontrolled when printed.