In this article:
CVSA International Roadcheck is a 72-hour inspection and enforcement event run each year by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA). Certified inspectors check trucks, buses and drivers across North America, mostly with full Level I inspections. As of October 22, 2026, CVSA has not posted the 2027 dates. The last four events were all held in May.
This guide covers what Roadcheck is, what the 2026 event found in the U.S., what a Level I inspection covers, how out-of-service orders work, and a checklist tied to the federal rules you can run before the 2027 event.
Roadcheck 2027 dates: what CVSA has said
CVSA announces the 2027 dates on cvsa.org; it has been held in May. On October 22, 2026, CVSA's International Roadcheck page said: "The dates for next year's International Roadcheck will be posted at the end of this year." Until then, plan around the pattern on CVSA's own results page:
| Year | Dates | Inspections (North America) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | May 12-14 | 54,575 | CVSA results |
| 2025 | May 13-15 | 56,178 | same |
| 2024 | May 14-16 | 48,761 | same |
| 2023 | May 16-18 | 59,429 | same |
| 2027 | Not yet announced (as of Oct. 22, 2026) | n/a | CVSA Roadcheck page |
Each of the last four events ran Tuesday through Thursday in the middle of May. That is a pattern, not a promise. Check cvsa.org before you lock in a plan.
What International Roadcheck is
CVSA describes International Roadcheck as "an annual three-day event" and "the largest targeted enforcement program on commercial motor vehicles in the world." It says inspectors check nearly 15 trucks and motorcoaches a minute, on average, during the 72 hours, and that the event has logged more than 1.8 million inspections since it began in 1988 (CVSA).
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration take part on the U.S. side. CVSA itself is a nonprofit of state and federal safety officials and industry members. Roadcheck is a CVSA program, not a separate federal rule. The inspections, violations and out-of-service orders work the same way they do on any other day. There are simply far more of them that week.
Each year has one driver focus area and one vehicle focus area. In 2026 they were cargo securement (vehicle) and electronic logging device (ELD) tampering, falsification or manipulation (driver) (CVSA, Aug. 25, 2026). As of October 22, 2026, CVSA has not posted the 2027 focus areas.
The Off Duty Brief
Get FMCSA changes to CSA scoring and roadside inspections when they happen.
Plus one practical guide a month. Free, and one click to leave.
What the 2026 results showed
CVSA released the 2026 results on August 25, 2026 (CVSA). Across North America, 81% of vehicles and 94.2% of drivers inspected had no out-of-service violations. Inspectors placed 10,350 vehicles and 3,184 drivers out of service and applied 17,680 CVSA decals. The U.S. figures:
| Rank | Top U.S. vehicle OOS violations | Count | Share | Top U.S. driver OOS violations | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brake systems | 2,816 | 23.6% | No medical card | 1,072 | 28.2% |
| 2 | Tires | 2,669 | 22.3% | Hours of service | 883 | 23.2% |
| 3 | 20% defective brakes | 1,846 | 15.4% | No commercial driver's license | 614 | 16.1% |
| 4 | Lights | 1,514 | 12.7% | English proficiency | 361 | 9.5% |
| 5 | Cargo securement | 1,438 | 12.0% | False records of duty status | 214 | 5.6% |
Source: CVSA 2026 International Roadcheck results, Tables 4 and 8. "Share" is the share of all out-of-service violations in that group.
Three points stand out for fleets:
- Brakes lead again. Across North America, brake systems and the 20% defective brakes criterion together made up 39.1% of vehicle out-of-service violations. Our Brake Safety Week guide covers brake prep in detail.
- The focus areas were not the biggest problems. Cargo securement ranked fourth across North America. ELD tampering produced 146 out-of-service orders, the seventh most-cited driver violation.
- Seat belts still get written up. Inspectors issued 667 seat belt violations during the three days.
For the year-round picture beyond one event, see the most common DOT violations, which ranks FMCSA's full 12 months of roadside data.
What a Level I inspection covers
Most Roadcheck inspections are North American Standard Level I inspections: 31,241 of the 54,575 in 2026 (CVSA). CVSA's inspection levels page lists what a Level I includes:
- Driver and paperwork: driver's license; medical examiner's certificate and Skill Performance Evaluation certificate (if applicable); alcohol and drugs; record of duty status; hours of service; seat belt; vehicle inspection reports (if applicable).
- Vehicle: brake systems; cargo securement; coupling devices; driveline and driveshaft; exhaust systems; frames; fuel systems; lighting devices; steering mechanisms; suspensions; tires; van and open-top trailer bodies; wheels, rims and hubs; windshield wipers.
- Hazardous materials and cargo tank items, where they apply, checked only by certified inspectors.
A Level II covers the same items from a walk-around, without getting under the vehicle. A Level III checks only the driver and credentials. CVSA notes that if more than 20% of pushrod travel on exposed pushrods cannot be measured, the inspection is recorded as a Level II, not a Level I.
Out-of-service criteria and the CVSA decal
The North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria (OOSC) are, in CVSA's words, "the pass-fail criteria for inspections." A violation listed in them puts the driver, vehicle or cargo out of service until it is corrected. CVSA updates the OOSC every year, effective April 1. The current edition took effect April 1, 2026 (CVSA OOSC page).
The federal rules give an out-of-service order its force:
- No driving until it's fixed. Under 49 CFR 396.9(c), no motor carrier may "require or permit" anyone to operate a vehicle declared and marked out of service until the required repairs are done. Only the "Out-of-Service Vehicle" sticker comes off after the repairs.
- Certify within 15 days. Under 396.9(d)(3), the carrier certifies within 15 days that all violations on the report were corrected and keeps a copy for 12 months. As of October 2026, the form goes back to the issuing state only if that state asks for it. That change is a final rule effective July 22, 2026 (91 FR 37053).
- Unsafe vehicles stay parked. 49 CFR 396.7 bars operating a vehicle "in such a condition as to likely cause an accident or a breakdown."
A vehicle that passes a Level I or Level V inspection with no critical violations gets a CVSA decal. CVSA says the decal is valid for the month it was issued plus two months, and that vehicles with a valid decal are "generally" not re-inspected (CVSA decals). The decal covers the vehicle only. A driver can be put out of service while the truck still earns one.
One rule to watch. As of October 2026, FMCSA has a proposed rule, not a final one, to make English language proficiency an out-of-service violation in the federal rules and align them with the CVSA criteria (91 FR 51422, Aug. 10, 2026). English proficiency was already the fourth most-cited U.S. driver out-of-service violation at Roadcheck 2026.
Pre-Roadcheck fleet checklist
This checklist ties each item a Level I inspector looks at to the federal rule behind it. Run it in the weeks before the 2027 event, and again whenever the dates are posted. Rule text is current as of October 2026 (eCFR, Title 49, up to date as of October 21, 2026).
| Area | What to check | Federal rule (as of October 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-trip | Driver is satisfied that brakes, parking brake, steering, lights and reflectors, tires, horn, wipers, mirrors, coupling devices, wheels and rims, and emergency equipment are in good working order | 392.7(a) |
| Last DVIR | Driver reviews the last driver vehicle inspection report (DVIR) and signs that listed repairs were certified | 396.13 |
| Post-trip DVIR | Report covers the 11 listed items; defects repaired and certified before the vehicle runs again; reports kept 3 months | 396.11(a) |
| Annual inspection | Each unit, including each trailer, passed a periodic inspection in the past 12 months, with proof on the vehicle | 396.17(c) |
| Maintenance records | Systematic inspection, repair and maintenance records for each vehicle, kept 1 year | 396.3 |
| Brakes | Stroke within limits, no audible air leaks, linings and hoses sound | Part 393 subpart C; see our Brake Safety Week guide |
| Cargo | Cargo properly distributed and secured; doors, tarps and spare tire fastened | 392.9(a) |
| Hours of service | Drivers record duty status on an ELD (unless an exception applies); records current; no false entries | 395.8(a)(1)(i), (e)(1), (f)(1) |
| Medical certification | Each driver is medically certified and current. A CDL or permit holder with a current certificate no longer needs to carry it (since June 23, 2025) | 391.41(a) |
| Seat belt | Driver belted whenever the truck is moving | 392.16(a) |
| After an inspection | Repairs certified within 15 days; copy kept 12 months; form returned only if the state asks | 396.9(d) |
Two notes on the table. DVIRs may be made and kept electronically; FMCSA wrote that into 396.11 and 396.13 in a final rule effective March 23, 2026 (91 FR 7893). And the hours-of-service limits themselves are covered in our hours of service rules guide.
After Roadcheck: what the results do to your record
Roadcheck inspections land in your FMCSA record like any other roadside inspection. Violations feed the Safety Measurement System, and clean inspections help too. If an inspection report has an error, you can ask for a correction through DataQs; our DataQs challenge guide walks through it. For a plan to bring percentiles down over the following months, see how to improve your CSA score.
Related questions
Is Roadcheck a DOT event? It is a CVSA program. FMCSA and other U.S. agencies take part, and the inspections apply federal and state rules, but CVSA runs it.
Can I skip a scale during Roadcheck? Bypass and scale rules don't change for the event. Inspectors also set up temporary sites and roving patrols, so planning to avoid inspection is not a strategy.
Will a truck with a CVSA decal be inspected again? CVSA says a vehicle with a valid decal is generally not re-inspected, but nothing prevents it.
Off Duty Not Driving Rewards is a rewards program for trucking fleets. Contact our team to learn more.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Confirm requirements against the current regulation text and with your compliance counsel.
The Off Duty Brief
FMCSA rule-change alerts plus one practical guide a month, for fleet safety and retention.
Checked against the regulation text before it goes out. One click to unsubscribe.