Truck Maintenance Paperwork: FMCSA Seeks Driver Input

FMCSA Estimates Truck Maintenance Paperwork Takes 13 Million Hours

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration estimates that truck maintenance records take more than 13.18 million hours to complete each year.

The total covers about 715,289 motor carriers. It also includes nearly 5.8 million commercial drivers. The work involves truck inspection records, repair files, driver reports, roadside inspection papers, annual inspection records, and proof of inspector skills.

FMCSA released the figures in a notice about its “Inspection, Repair and Maintenance” information collection. The agency plans to renew federal approval for the collection. It is also asking the public to comment on the time and work involved.

The notice does not create a new truck inspection rule. It does not add a new form. Current truck maintenance duties also remain unchanged.

FMCSA Reviews Existing Truck Maintenance Records

Federal agencies must receive approval from the Office of Management and Budget before they collect certain types of information.

FMCSA is seeking to renew that approval for existing truck inspection and maintenance records. The agency says these files help federal and state officials check whether carriers are taking proper care of their trucks.

Motor carriers must keep records for vehicles they own or lease. Those files help show that a carrier has an inspection, repair, and truck maintenance plan that meets federal rules under 49 CFR Part 396.

The records may include a truck’s repair history, annual inspection papers, shop records, driver reports, and proof that a trained worker completed certain inspections.

FMCSA says this paperwork helps keep trucks in safe working order. It may also lower the risk of crashes caused by worn, broken, or unsafe parts.

Drivers Account for 3.8 Million Hours

Commercial drivers are part of FMCSA’s estimate.

The agency says driver inspection reports take about 3.8 million hours each year. That is the second-largest part of the total burden.

General inspection, repair, and truck maintenance records take more than 9 million hours. Together, those two areas make up most of the 13.18 million-hour estimate.

Driver records may include reports about defects found during an inspection. They may also include forms sent to a carrier and papers tied to repair work.

Roadside inspections can create more recordkeeping work. FMCSA estimates that handling roadside inspection reports takes more than 174,000 hours each year.

For company drivers, the notice does not change when a problem must be reported. Still, it shows how driver reports become part of a carrier’s wider safety and truck maintenance record.

A driver may report a brake, tire, light, or steering problem. The carrier may then need to show when the issue was fixed. Repair papers may also need to show who did the work and when the truck went back into service.

Driver reports can be the first step in that record trail.

Owner-Operators May Carry More of the Work

Owner-operators who run under their own authority may have the strongest reason to follow the notice.

A one-truck carrier may need to handle every part of the process. The owner may drive the truck, inspect it, report problems, set up repairs, pay the bill, and store the records.

Large fleets can split those tasks among many workers. Drivers, shop staff, safety staff, and office teams may each handle one part of the work.

Small carriers may not have that support. As a result, the same federal records may take a larger share of their time.

The files can include service records, repair bills, annual inspection papers, roadside inspection reports, and proof of inspector skills.

FMCSA does not give a separate time estimate for owner-operators or small fleets. However, the comment period gives those businesses a chance to explain how much time truck maintenance paperwork takes.

They may also point out areas where the same information must be entered more than once.

Electronic Truck Maintenance Records Are Allowed

FMCSA allows carriers to keep inspection, repair, and truck maintenance records in digital form.

The agency does not require one set form. A carrier may use paper files, truck repair software, scanned records, mobile apps, or cloud-based systems.

Still, digital files must contain all key details from the first document. When a record needs a signature, the stored copy must allow that signature to be checked if officials ask for it.

This may matter to fleets that use phone apps for driver inspections. It may also affect carriers that use online repair orders, outside shops, or truck maintenance software.

A digital file may not be enough if it leaves out key facts. The record may need to show the truck number, date, defect, repair, worker, and any needed signature.

A simple note that says a repair was completed may not give an inspector enough proof.

That can create risk even when the work was done.

Truck Maintenance Records Can Affect Enforcement

FMCSA and state officials use these files to review a carrier’s safety and repair program.

The agency says current records let officials check a truck maintenance plan at any point. They can also use the files to see whether a carrier is meeting federal rules.

These records may become important during a safety review. They may also matter during an audit, a crash probe, or follow-up work after a roadside inspection.

A missing record does not always mean a repair was skipped. However, the carrier may have trouble proving that the work was done.

For that reason, the full record trail can be important. It may show when a defect was found, who was told, what repair was made, and when the truck returned to the road.

Driver reports can play a key role. They show that a problem was found and sent to the company.

The files may also be reviewed after a crash. Officials may look at the truck’s repair history and the state of its brakes, tires, lights, steering, or other parts.

FMCSA Opens a Public Comment Period

The notice is set to appear in the Federal Register on July 16, 2026.

FMCSA says comments must be sent within 60 days of that date. The notice is tied to Docket No. FMCSA-2026-1553.

Drivers, owner-operators, motor carriers, repair shops, safety teams, and trucking groups may submit comments.

FMCSA is asking whether its time estimates are fair. It also wants to know whether the truck maintenance record process can be made easier.

For the trucking industry, the notice creates a chance to explain the real cost of keeping inspection and repair records.

It also puts a large number on work that often stays out of view.

Truck maintenance is not only about fixing parts. It also includes the time used to write, store, check, and share the records that prove the work was done.