What each level covers, what puts you out of service, when the blitzes happen, and what to have in the binder so the stop is ten minutes and not two hours.
Source: CVSA, inspection levels
The out-of-service criteria are the conditions so bad the inspector will not let the truck or the driver move. The ones that take drivers off the road most: hours-of-service violations and a false log, no valid medical card, a prohibited Clearinghouse status, and 20% or more of the brakes defective on the vehicle side. In 2026's Roadcheck, 19% of vehicles and 5.8% of drivers inspected were placed out of service. An OOS order shows up in your carrier's CSA score and in your own PSP record.
Source: CVSA, Roadcheck results
International Roadcheck: three days every May (May 12 to 14 in 2026). Brake Safety Week: late August. Operation Safe Driver Week: July. Inspectors are out in force those weeks, but the rules are the same every other week; the point of knowing the dates is to pre-trip harder, not to park.
Source: CVSA news
Have these where you can reach them without unbuckling: CDL, medical card (paper copy even though it is electronic now), registration and cab card, insurance, IFTA license and decals, UCR proof, annual inspection sticker or report, ELD instruction sheet and blank paper logs for a malfunction, bill of lading, and your last vehicle inspection report. If you haul hazmat, the shipping papers go within reach too.
A bad inspection that is not your fault goes to DataQs. Do it within a few weeks while the report is fresh.
Source: FMCSA, roadside inspections