Yearly van inspection report for NEMT fleets: the federal checks, then the lift and securement add-ons

This is the printable report an inspector fills in once a year for each van. Whether your vans must have one is answered in the guide to DOT inspections for NEMT vehicles, which also covers the state programs. The daily check a driver does before the first pickup is a different document, the pre-trip checklist, and what a broker’s inspector looks for is in the broker inspection guide. This report is the middle layer: one thorough, signed look at the whole van, built on what 49 CFR 396.21 requires an inspection report to contain.

How to use this report

Fill in one report per van per year, signed by the person who did the inspection. Parts 1, 4, and 5 carry what 49 CFR 396.21 and 396.17 require a federal inspection report and decal to show. Part 2 condenses the Appendix A to part 396 defects that apply to a passenger van, and Part 3 adds the lift, ramp, and securement lines that Appendix A leaves out.

• A fail on any line is a fail for the van. Appendix A opens with the rule: a vehicle does not pass if it has one of the listed defects.
• Vans that are not commercial vehicles can use it anyway. The OSHA, NETS, and NHTSA employer guidelines (Step 6) advise that a mechanic do a thorough inspection of each vehicle at least annually, with documented results placed in the vehicle’s file. This form is that document.
• Use a qualified inspector. For a van that is a commercial motor vehicle, 49 CFR 396.19 sets the inspector’s knowledge and training. Write the basis for the person’s qualification in Part 1.
• Count a state inspection if it meets Appendix A. A van that passes a state periodic inspection built on the Appendix A minimums counts as inspected for 12 months, starting from the last day of the month the inspection was done (396.17(f)).
• Bring tools. A tread depth gauge, a ruler for steering wheel free play, a flashlight, a tape measure, and the lift’s service record.

The report

Part 1: Vehicle, carrier, and inspector

Part 2: Appendix A to 49 CFR part 396

Mark each line pass, fail, or N/A. FMCSA’s definition of a bus reaches any motor vehicle designed or used to carry passengers, so the bus lines apply to a passenger van. The lines below put the Appendix A defects for a passenger van in short form, and the inspector works from the full text linked under Official resources. Appendix A also lists air brake, fifth wheel, and other heavy-truck items that a van does not have, and they are left out.

Part 3: Lift, ramp, securement, and restraints (add-on lines)

These lines come from the ADA vehicle rules in 49 CFR 38.23, from the lift maker’s manual, and from what brokers inspect. They are not Appendix A items. The numbers behind each line are in the ADA requirements guide, and the daily test and cycle-count service are in the lift inspection checklist.

• The lift will not deploy unless the interlock is engaged, and the van cannot be driven with the lift out (38.23(b)(2)).
• The manual backup deploys the lift, lowers it to the ground with a rider, and raises and stows it empty (38.23(b)(3)).
• Platform barriers work, and the handrails are tight on both sides (38.23(b)(5) and (b)(13)).
• The ramp attaches firmly, with no gap wider than 5/8 inch where it meets the van, its side barriers are in place, and it stows without crowding a wheelchair (38.23(c)).
• Maker’s rated capacity: ______ pounds. The design load is at least 600 pounds (38.23(b)(1)).
• Last service date ______, cycle count ______, next service due ______.
• A wheelchair secured as the maker instructs moves no more than 2 inches in any direction (38.23(d)(5) sets that limit for an occupied chair in normal driving).
• Each securement position has its own lap belt and shoulder belt, in good condition (38.23(d)(7)).
• Tie-down straps and belts have no cuts, fraying, or damaged hardware. The guide to replacing tie-downs has the replacement triggers.
• If the van carries a cot: the cot and its mount are serviced to the maker’s schedule (cot maintenance).

Part 4: Result

Certification, as 49 CFR 396.21(a)(6) asks: I certify that this report is accurate and complete and that it complies with all the requirements of 49 CFR 396.21.

Part 5: Decal or vehicle record

Put the following on a decal or in the vehicle’s record, as 49 CFR 396.17(c) allows in place of the full report.

What counts as a fail, and what happens next

A van with a listed defect has failed and should not carry riders until it is repaired. For a commercial motor vehicle that is a rule: under 49 CFR 396.17(c), the vehicle may not be used unless each Appendix A component has passed an inspection within the preceding 12 months, with documentation on the vehicle. Section 396.17(g) adds that the carrier is responsible for keeping parts and accessories at, or promptly repairing them to, the Appendix A minimums. Write each defect, the repair date, and the re-check in Part 4 on the same report instead of starting a new one, and keep the shop’s invoice with it.

Brake work comes with its own rule for a commercial motor vehicle. Under 49 CFR 396.25, a carrier may not require or permit an employee without the brake inspector qualifications to be responsible for the inspection, maintenance, service, or repair of its vehicles’ brakes. The qualifications are an apprenticeship or approved training program, a state certificate, or at least one year of brake-related training or experience. A fleet with its own mechanic should keep that person’s qualification on file.

Three measurements worth reading carefully

• Tread. Read it at any point on a major tread groove, so the shallowest spot decides. A steering tire fails under 4/32 inch and every other tire under 2/32 inch.
• Steering free play. The limit depends on the wheel’s diameter and on whether the steering is power-assisted. With power steering the engine must be running when you measure.
• The windshield. The rule depends on where the damage is. The 2 inch top border, the 1 inch side borders, and the area below the top of the steering wheel are excluded, so the same crack can pass in one place and fail in another. Factory tint and permitted labels do not count against the glass.

What this report does not replace

The annual report does not replace the daily check, the 90-day emergency exit check, or the broker’s own inspection. The daily driver check is covered in the DOT inspections guide. For buses, 49 CFR 396.3(a)(2) separately calls for pushout windows, emergency doors, and emergency door marking lights to be inspected at least every 90 days, with a record of the tests under 396.3(b)(4), so a commercial passenger van that has those features keeps its own log. Brokers inspect on their own cycle and with their own sheet: MTM, for example, requires an in-person inspection by its own representative before a van enters its network. A pass here does not stand in for theirs.

Keeping the report

Keep the original or a copy for 14 months from the date of the report, at the place where the van is housed or maintained, and have it available whenever an authorized federal, state, or local official asks (396.21(b)). File it with the van’s maintenance log so repairs and the yearly check sit together. If the inspector is an outside shop, ask it to send the signed original the same day.

Tracking the due date in HealthRide

In HealthRide, each vehicle credential has an expiration date, reminders go out before it lapses, and an expired one is flagged while a trip is being assigned, so the yearly inspection can be tracked next to the van’s insurance and registration. Each shift also begins with a van check the driver completes in the app, and dispatch sees any failure right away. See fleet and credentials.