BIT Inspections & Audits

Though technically a mandate of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations, BIT inspectors will check driver logs to ensure you’re complying with hours of service (HOS) regs.

HOS ensures that drivers don’t drive for unsafe stretches of time. Inspectors will check this paperwork to make sure your drivers are working within the federal and California legal limits:

• Driver logs
• Evidence of driver training on HOS rules
• Records of duty status
• Supporting documents (e.g., fuel receipts, bills of lading, tolls)

Inspectors will check for detailed records of your trucks’ regular maintenance and up-to-date proof of driver qualifications. They’ll also need to sign off on:

• An accurate identification of the vehicle, including make, model, license number, company vehicle number, or other means of positive identification
• The date and nature of each previous inspection, and details of the repairs performed
• The signature of the motor carrier’s authorized representative attesting to the inspection and to the completion of all required repairs

If you operate as a motor carrier and your name and identification number are displayed in the truck, you operate as the motor carrier for that vehicle.

A terminal is the place where your rigs are regularly garaged, maintained, or from which they’re dispatched. So, your terminal (or terminals) are the place where you service and house your fleet.

The minimum requirements for a BIT inspection state that certified technicians check these key components:

• Brake adjustments
• Brake system components and leaks
• Steering and suspension systems
• Tires and wheels
• Vehicle connecting devices

The legalese is heavy, and you can read a more detailed description here, but essentially, a motor carrier is the owner, leasee, licensee, or bailee of a vehicle that meets these requirements:

• If the vehicle’s frame has 3 or more axles that are more than 10,000 pounds Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)
• Truck tractors
• Trailers and semitrailers, pole or pipe dollies, auxiliary dollies, and logging dollies used in combination with vehicles listed above (not including camp trailers, trailer coaches, and utility trailers)
• A combination of a motor truck with a GVWR of more than 10,000 pounds, while towing any trailer listed above, which exceeds 40 feet in length when coupled together
• A commercial motor vehicle with a GVWR of more than 26,000 pounds or a commercial motor vehicle of any GVWR towing trailers listed above with a GVWR of more than 10,000 pounds
• A vehicle, or a combination of vehicles, transporting hazardous materials for which the display of placards, a California hazardous materials transportation license, or a California hazardous waste transporter registration is required.

Certain vehicles are excluded from these regulations, like farm vehicles and firefighting equipment.

According to the California Highway Patrol, BIT inspections were established in 1965 as a way to make sure motor carriers comply with the Motor Carrier Safety regulations. In particular, they ensure commercial vehicles are maintained with the legal scheduled or preventative maintenance program.

In essence, they keep your fleet in fighting shape and safe for your drivers. Plus, the inspections help improve public safety for other drivers on the road with your rigs, or for those riding on passenger buses.

BIT inspections can keep your maintenance bills down, too. Regular upkeep – the kind prioritized by BIT inspections – helps you avoid larger, costly repairs to your vehicles. Whether there’s a minor problem with your turn signals or wiper blades or a much more worrying issue with a vital part of your engine, BIT inspections play a key role in highlighting potential problem areas before they become catastrophic.