What Happens When a Truck Is Placed Out of Service?

A roadside inspection can end with a warning, citation, or something more serious: an Out of Service order.

When a commercial motor vehicle is placed out of service, it generally cannot return to operation until the condition that caused the order has been corrected. A driver can also be placed out of service, preventing that driver from operating a commercial motor vehicle for a specified period or until the problem is resolved.

However, not every violation discovered during a DOT inspection results in an Out of Service order. Inspectors use federal and state regulations along with the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria to identify violations serious enough to require an OOS order.

Here is what that means for truck drivers and motor carriers.

What Does Out of Service Mean?

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration defines an Out of Service violation as a violation requiring a commercial vehicle or driver to be taken out of service or moved off the road until the circumstances causing the violation are resolved or corrected.

CVSA’s North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria provide inspectors with criteria for identifying critical violations during commercial vehicle inspections.

The criteria can apply to the driver, vehicle, or cargo. Depending on the violation, an OOS order can remain in effect for a specific period or until the condition is corrected.

CVSA updates the criteria annually. The current 2026 North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria took effect April 1, 2026.

Driver Out of Service vs. Vehicle Out of Service

A driver OOS order and a vehicle OOS order are different.

A vehicle Out of Service order means the vehicle has a condition serious enough to prohibit its operation until the OOS condition is corrected.

A driver Out of Service order applies to the person operating the commercial vehicle. This can happen because of certain hours-of-service violations or other driver-related conditions covered by the regulations and OOS criteria.

The length of a driver OOS period depends on why the driver was placed out of service.

For example, FMCSA says a driver required to use an electronic logging device who is found operating without the required ELD can be placed out of service for 10 hours. Passenger-carrier drivers are placed out of service for eight hours under that guidance.

Once the applicable OOS period ends, additional requirements may still apply before normal operation can resume.

What Can Put a Truck Out of Service?

Vehicle inspections cover numerous safety systems and components. An inspector may identify violations involving areas such as:

• Brake systems
• Tires and wheels
• Lighting systems
• Steering components
• Suspension
• Coupling devices
• Fuel and exhaust systems
• Cargo securement
• Other safety-related equipment

Finding a violation in one of these areas does not automatically mean the vehicle will be placed out of service.

The condition must meet the applicable Out-of-Service Criteria. This distinction is important because a truck can receive inspection violations without receiving an OOS order.

CVSA describes its criteria as the pass-fail standards inspectors use to identify critical violations that can make continued operation unsafe.

Can an Out of Service Truck Be Driven?

Generally, a vehicle declared Out of Service cannot be operated until the OOS condition has been corrected.

FMCSA guidance provides several ways an OOS vehicle can be moved without being operated normally on the highway. It may be placed entirely on another vehicle or towed using a vehicle equipped with a crane or hoist.

It may also be driven once the condition that caused the Out of Service order no longer exists.

That means an OOS order is not simply an instruction to drive to a repair facility and fix the problem later. The specific OOS condition must be addressed before the vehicle resumes operation under its own power.

Drivers and carriers should follow the instructions on the inspection report and any directions provided by the inspecting officer.

How Long Does an Out of Service Order Last?

There is no single time period that applies to every Out of Service order.

For a vehicle, the restriction generally remains until the condition responsible for the OOS designation has been corrected.

Driver OOS orders can work differently. Some require the driver to remain out of service for a specified amount of time, while others depend on resolving the condition that resulted in the order.

Hours-of-service violations provide a common example.

FMCSA’s ELD guidance states that a driver required to use an ELD who does not have the required device installed and in use can be placed OOS for 10 hours, or eight hours for a passenger carrier.

Drivers should rely on the actual OOS order and applicable regulations rather than assuming every violation carries the same waiting period.

What Happens After an Out of Service Inspection?

The paperwork does not end when the truck leaves the inspection location.

Under federal regulations, a driver who receives a roadside inspection report must deliver the report to the motor carrier.

The carrier must then examine the report and ensure the violations or defects identified during the inspection are corrected.

Within 15 days following the inspection, the motor carrier must certify that the violations have been corrected by signing the completed report and returning it to the address specified on the report.

The carrier must also retain a copy for 12 months from the date of inspection.

These requirements apply to the roadside inspection report and should not be confused with the immediate requirement to correct an OOS condition before an OOS vehicle returns to operation.

Ignoring an Out of Service Order Can Bring Serious Penalties

Operating a commercial motor vehicle in violation of an Out of Service order can carry significant consequences.

FMCSA states that a driver convicted of violating an OOS order is subject to a civil penalty of at least $2,500 for a first conviction and at least $5,000 for a second or subsequent conviction, in addition to CDL disqualification requirements.

Employers can also face penalties if they require or permit a driver to violate an OOS order. FMCSA lists civil penalties ranging from $2,750 to $25,000 for an employer convicted of violating an Out of Service order.

The exact consequences depend on the violation and applicable federal and state requirements.

Why Out of Service Rules Matter During Roadside Inspections

Out of Service orders are intended to keep critical safety violations from continuing onto the highway.

They are also different from ordinary inspection violations. A vehicle may have violations recorded on an inspection report without being placed OOS, while a critical violation that meets the applicable criteria can prevent the truck from continuing its trip until the condition is corrected.

For drivers, the key information is contained in the roadside inspection report and the OOS order itself. Those documents identify the violations found during the inspection and whether the driver, vehicle, or both have been placed Out of Service.

The current CVSA criteria determine which conditions qualify for an OOS designation, while federal regulations establish requirements for vehicle operation, driver compliance, inspection reports, repairs, and other responsibilities.

Knowing that distinction can make enforcement reports easier to understand: an inspection violation is not necessarily an Out of Service violation, but an OOS designation means the inspector identified a condition serious enough to stop the driver or vehicle from continuing normal commercial operation.