FMCSA 396.11 trailer-side DVIR. Paired with the tractor pre-trip via shared session — operators don't fill in tractor + trailer separately, they walk a single combined inspection.
Sections
6
Fields
30
Equipment
Trailer
FREE PRINTABLE SAMPLE · NO EMAIL · THE FULL, CUSTOMIZABLE INSPECTION RUNS IN-APP
WHAT IT IS
The cdl trailer inspection checklist is the daily trailer inspection built to FMCSA 396.11. It runs 6 sections and roughly 30 pass / fail / N A checkpoints — covering Kingpin & Coupling, Landing Gear, Lights & Reflective Tape, Brakes & Air Lines, Doors & Cargo Securement, and Tires, Wheels & Suspension. Download the free printable sampleto put on a clipboard today — it's a basic quick-reference. The real power is running it in the DigiDocs app, where this becomes a fully customizable, 30-point digital inspection: every failure auto-creates a deficiency routed to your mechanic, photos attach on the spot, the operator e-signs, and each completed inspection becomes a signed, timestamped audit-trail record your auditor will accept without a fight.
CHECKLIST · STRUCTURE
This template is organized into 6 sections totaling roughly 30 Pass / Fail / N/A items. Clone it and tune fields to match your exact equipment configuration.
AUTHORITATIVE · STANDARD
FMCSA 396.11
Kingpin & Coupling
SECTION · 01 · OF · 6
Landing Gear
SECTION · 02 · OF · 6
Lights & Reflective Tape
SECTION · 03 · OF · 6
Brakes & Air Lines
SECTION · 04 · OF · 6
Doors & Cargo Securement
SECTION · 05 · OF · 6
Tires, Wheels & Suspension
SECTION · 06 · OF · 6
CREW · WHO RUNS THIS
Combination drivers — anyone pulling a trailer behind a CDL tractor. Dry vans, reefers, flatbeds, lowboys, dump trailers, tankers, end-dumps. FMCSA 396.11 trailer DVIR is required at end of driving day, paired with the tractor pre-trip. Construction trades running goosenecks behind a CDL pickup fall under the same rules.
FIELD · INTEL
Pulled from competent-person write-ups in the field — not from a regulation digest. These are the items that fail the daily check more than any others.
Kingpin wear past 0.50 inch — fifth-wheel lock can release under shock load
Landing-gear handle missing or bent, leaving operator unable to lower legs at drop site
ABS warning lamp lit — DOT roadside out-of-service trigger
Reflective tape (DOT conspicuity) damaged or missing on either side or rear
Cargo straps abraded at the rub rail past the FMCSA cut-depth limit
OSHA · ENFORCEMENT
FMCSA civil penalty: typical $1,584 per violation, up to $17,640 per violation for serious or repeat offenders (2026 maxima). DOT roadside inspections of trailers without functioning ABS or with defective brakes trigger immediate out-of-service orders — driver and trailer both held until corrected.
Read FMCSA 396.11 on osha.govSERIOUS · MAX
$16,131
PER · VIOLATION · 2026
WILLFUL · OR · REPEAT
$161,323
THE PAPER SAMPLE VS · THE REAL THING
A printable checklist still relies on someone remembering to do it, store it, and find it when an auditor or insurer asks. The same cdl trailerinspection in DigiDocs runs on the phone already in your operator's pocket — and turns a checkbox into a defensible compliance record the moment it's signed. Every field is yours to customize.
Every line item, not just sections
The full template carries all ~30 checkpoints with the OSHA / FMCSA / ASME citation on each — the sample only shows the section headers.
Photo proof on every failure
Operators attach a photo the instant something fails, so the defect is documented at the point of inspection — not reconstructed later.
Failures become mechanic work orders
Every Fail auto-creates a deficiency routed to your mechanic dashboard, with repair notes and auto-verify on the next inspection.
Red-tag / operability built in
Operator marks Operable / Non-Operable per OSHA 1926.1417; critical fails can lock the asset out of service automatically.
Signed, timestamped, permanent
Operator e-signature on submit; every completed inspection becomes an audit-trail PDF and a shareable, revocable customer link.
Make it yours
Rename fields, add sections, set conditional logic, schedule recurrences, and white-label it — no two fleets inspect exactly alike.
NO CREDIT CARD · ALL 44 CHECKLISTS INCLUDED
FREQUENTLY · ASKED
It carries all of the trailer's weight and the dynamic loads of every brake application and turn. Wear creates a sloppy connection that can release under shock-load. The 0.50-inch wear limit is the FMCSA-recognized point at which the kingpin must be re-machined or the upper coupler assembly replaced.
Yes. 396.11 requires the trailer DVIR at the end of each driving day regardless of whether the trailer was dropped or remained coupled. The pre-trip check the next morning verifies the trailer is still road-ready — conditions can change overnight (tire deflation, light failures, brake-fluid leaks).
FMCSA Part 393 Subpart I specifies the minimum number of tiedowns and the working-load limit (WLL) for each cargo type. Steel coils, lumber, and concrete pipe each have their own rules. The trailer DVIR includes verification that the tiedowns meet count + WLL for the load type — the driver signs that the load is properly secured.
Pre-trip is visual + functional. The driver does a brake application test from the cab and confirms air leakdown rates, slack-adjuster stroke at full brake, and brake-lining condition where visible. Annual brake inspections (a separate FMCSA requirement) cover the wear measurements pre-trip can't reach.
Two sets of items, but most carriers combine them into a single walk-around. DigiDocs's tractor and trailer templates share a session id — the driver walks the rig once, the system files two paired DVIRs with linked timestamps and shared signatures.
READY · TO USE
Download the free PDF, or start a 14-day Professional trial — no credit card. All 44 inspection checklists included; clone, customize, and deploy to your crew the same hour.