Minnesota Statutes 169.782 – Daily Commercial Vehicle Inspection; Penalty
Subdivision 1.Driver; daily inspection, report.
(a) The driver of a commercial motor vehicle shall inspect daily each commercial motor vehicle the driver has operated. A person who owns one or more commercial motor vehicles and who employs drivers for those commercial motor vehicles must require each driver to submit a written report at the completion of each day’s work as required by this section. The driver of a commercial motor vehicle subject to this section is not required to prepare and submit a written report if no defect or deficiency is discovered by or reported to the driver, except that the driver of a passenger-carrying commercial motor vehicle shall prepare and submit a written report regardless of whether any defect or deficiency is discovered by or reported to the driver.
(b) The inspection and report must cover the following parts and accessories: service brakes, including trailer and semitrailer brake connections; parking (hand) brake; steering mechanism; lighting devices and reflectors; tires; horn; windshield wiper or wipers; rear vision mirror or mirrors; coupling devices; wheels and rims; and emergency equipment.
(c) The report must identify the vehicle and list any defect or deficiency discovered by or reported to the driver that would affect the safe operation of the vehicle or result in its mechanical breakdown. If no defect or deficiency is discovered by or reported to the driver, the report must so indicate. The driver must sign the report after completing it. In the case of a commercial motor vehicle operated by two drivers, the signature of one of the drivers satisfies the requirements of this subdivision if both drivers agree concerning the defects or deficiencies. If a driver operates more than one commercial motor vehicle during a day’s work, a report must be prepared for each vehicle operated.
(d) Before operating or allowing the operation of a commercial motor vehicle on which a report has been prepared under this subdivision, the owner of the vehicle or the owner’s agent must repair defects or deficiencies listed on the report that would likely affect the safe operation of the vehicle. Before allowing the commercial motor vehicle to be operated again, the owner or the owner’s agent must certify, on the report listing the defect or deficiency, that the defect or deficiency has been corrected or that correction is unnecessary. A motor carrier must keep the original vehicle inspection report for at least three months after the date of inspection. The report must be available for inspection by an authorized federal, state, or local official at any time during this period.
(e) A copy of the vehicle inspection report, including a certification of corrections resulting from the report, must be carried in the commercial motor vehicle, or in the power unit of a commercial motor vehicle combination, at all times when the vehicle or power unit is operated until the next inspection report is completed under this subdivision. The copy must be made available on demand to (1) a peace officer, (2) a person authorized under section 221.221, and (3) a person described in section 299D.06.
Subd. 2.Driver; pretrip inspection.
(a) Prior to the first operation of a commercial motor vehicle following completion of a daily inspection report under subdivision 1, a driver must:
Attorney's Note
Under the Minnesota Statutes, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:| Class | Prison | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| Misdemeanor | up to 90 days | up to $1,000 |
Terms Used In Minnesota Statutes 169.782
- Person: may extend and be applied to bodies politic and corporate, and to partnerships and other unincorporated associations. See Minnesota Statutes 645.44
- state: extends to and includes the District of Columbia and the several territories. See Minnesota Statutes 645.44
(1) review the most recent vehicle inspection report on the vehicle;
(2) determine that the vehicle is in safe operating condition; and
(3) sign the inspection report in the vehicle.
(b) The driver shall sign the report only if all defects and deficiencies listed in the report have been certified as having been corrected or as not requiring correction.
Subd. 3.Operation prohibited.
It is a misdemeanor to drive or to cause another person to drive a commercial motor vehicle that does not contain a copy of an inspection report complying with this section.
Subd. 4.Exceptions.
(a) This section does not apply to a commercial motor vehicle that is a farm truck that may be operated by a person not holding a commercial driver’s license, provided that before driving the vehicle, a driver must determine that the vehicle is in safe operating condition.
(b) This section does not apply to a commercial motor vehicle held for resale by a motor vehicle dealer licensed under section 168.27.
(c) This section does not apply to a covered farm vehicle as defined in 49 C.F.R. § 390.5, that is not carrying hazardous materials of a type or quantity that requires the vehicle to be placarded in accordance with 49 C.F.R. § 172.504.