Definition
Under 49 CFR 396.19, motor carriers and intermodal equipment providers must ensure that anyone performing annual inspections under 396.17(d) or (e) is qualified. The person must:
- understand the inspection criteria in Part 393 and Appendix A to Part 396 and be able to identify defective components;
- be knowledgeable of and have mastered the methods, procedures, tools and equipment used in an inspection; and
- be capable through experience, training or both, either by completing a federal or state sponsored training program or holding a state or Canadian provincial certificate to perform commercial vehicle safety inspections, or by having training or experience totaling at least one year.
Qualifying experience includes work as a mechanic or inspector in a motor carrier or intermodal equipment maintenance program, at a commercial garage, fleet leasing company or similar facility, or as a government commercial vehicle inspector. Manufacturer sponsored or similar commercial training programs also count.
Records
The carrier must keep evidence of each inspector's qualifications while the person performs annual inspections for it and for one year after (396.19(b)). No such record is needed for inspections done under a state periodic inspection program.
For repair shops
When a shop performs annual inspections as a carrier's agent under 396.17(e), it must employ qualified inspectors. Keep a short qualification file on each inspecting technician, with work history, training certificates and familiarity with Part 393 and Appendix A, and give a copy to fleets that ask. A separate rule, 49 CFR 396.25, covers people responsible for brake work; see brake inspector.
Read more in who can perform a DOT annual inspection.