Definition
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) describes the North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria (OOSC) as the pass-fail criteria for inspections. Their purpose is to identify critical violations that render the driver, vehicle or cargo out of service until the condition or defect is corrected. CVSA updates the criteria annually, effective April 1, and publishes a summary of the changes each year.
Legal effect
FMCSA's definition of "out-of-service order" in 49 CFR 390.5 includes a declaration by an authorized enforcement officer that a driver, commercial motor vehicle or motor carrier operation is out of service under the federal rules or the North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria. Under 49 CFR 396.9(c), no one may operate a vehicle declared out of service until all repairs required by the out-of-service notice are completed, although the vehicle may be towed away by a vehicle using a crane or hoist. Within 15 days, the carrier certifies that the violations were corrected.
How it differs from the annual inspection standard
The OOSC is a roadside enforcement standard. The annual inspection standard is Appendix A to Part 396. They overlap but are not the same document, and a condition can be a violation without being out of service. Shops should not use one in place of the other.
For repair shops
Out-of-service repairs are urgent road calls. Write the repair order so the carrier can sign its certification: name the violation from the inspection report, the work done and the date. CVSA sells the current OOSC handbook; shops that do a lot of roadside work keep a current copy. See how to quote emergency roadside repair.