Regulation map
36 sections of 49 CFR, and what each one means here
This page is generated from the same text the analysis runs on. When a rule in the app changes, this page changes with it. The plain-English line beside each section is ours; the section is the regulation’s.
Pre-trip inspection (DVIR)
The driver's daily walkaround. Vehicle condition against §392.7 and the DVIR under §396.11, plus the general securement rules, because §392.9(b) makes the securement look part of every pre-trip.
Sections the analysis cites
| Section | Title | In plain English |
|---|---|---|
| §392.7 | Equipment, inspection and use | Before driving, the driver must be satisfied that the brakes, steering, lights, tires, horn, wipers, mirrors and coupling are in good working order. |
| §392.9 | Inspection of cargo, cargo securement devices and systems | The driver must not drive unless the cargo is properly distributed and secured, the tailgate, doors and tarps are secured, and the load does not block the view or the emergency exits. Within the first 50 miles, and then every 3 hours or 150 miles, the driver must look at the cargo again. |
| §393.100 | Which types of commercial motor vehicles are subject to the cargo securement standards | Cargo must be firmly immobilised or secured so it cannot leak, spill, blow off, fall off or shift so far that the vehicle becomes unstable or hard to steer. |
| §393.102 | Minimum performance criteria for cargo securement devices and systems | The securement system must hold the load against the forces of braking, accelerating and cornering without exceeding what the devices are rated for. |
| §393.104 | Requirements for securement devices | Straps, chains, anchor points and binders must be in working order: no cuts, cracks, knots or corrosion that weaken them, and edge protection wherever a tiedown could be cut on the load. |
| §393.106 | General requirements for securing cargo | Cargo must be contained, immobilised or secured; things that can roll must be chocked or cradled; and the tiedowns together must be rated for at least half the weight of the cargo. |
| §393.110 | Minimum number of tiedowns | One tiedown for a short, light article; two for anything longer than 5 feet or heavier than 1,100 pounds; one more for every additional 10 feet. |
| §393.116 | Logs | Commodity-specific rules for logs. |
| §396.11 | Driver vehicle inspection report(s) | At the end of the day the driver reports in writing any defect that would affect safety, and signs it. That report is the DVIR Deepe produces. |
| §396.13 | Driver inspection | Before driving, the driver reviews the last DVIR and signs to acknowledge that the reported defects were repaired or did not need to be. |
What the driver must show
- Cab interior / windshield visibility
- Left side of the tractor (wheels, tires, lights, reflectors)
- Right side of the tractor (wheels, tires, lights, reflectors)
- Front (coupling, hoses, lights, fifth wheel area)
- Rear (doors, lights, ICC bumper, tailgate)
What a finding can be about
On a pre-trip the AI-assessed categories of the DVIR are exactly these. Everything else on the form is the driver’s hand check.
- Tires & tread. Tread condition, cuts, bulges and obvious underinflation — tractor and trailer (paper form: Tires)
- Lights. Head/stop, tail/dash and turn indicators, tractor and trailer (paper form: Lights, Lights - All)
- Leaks. Visible oil, coolant, fuel or air leaks
- Doors. Door condition and operation, cab and trailer (paper form: Doors)
- Cargo securement. Tie-downs, chains, load distribution, tarps and tailgate (§392.9, §393.100–393.136; paper form: Straps, Tarpaulin)
Periodic company checklist
A recurring photo checklist your company defines — weekly equipment photos, monthly trailer checks. The vehicle-condition rules still apply; the checklist itself is yours, not a CFR list.
Sections the analysis cites
| Section | Title | In plain English |
|---|---|---|
| §392.7 | Equipment, inspection and use | Before driving, the driver must be satisfied that the brakes, steering, lights, tires, horn, wipers, mirrors and coupling are in good working order. |
| §396.11 | Driver vehicle inspection report(s) | At the end of the day the driver reports in writing any defect that would affect safety, and signs it. That report is the DVIR Deepe produces. |
| §396.13 | Driver inspection | Before driving, the driver reviews the last DVIR and signs to acknowledge that the reported defects were repaired or did not need to be. |
What the driver must show
The company’s own checklist, frozen onto the inspection when it starts: each item’s label and shooting instruction is what the driver sees and what the model reports as missing, word for word. There is no fixed list to print here.
Cargo check — Open deck
Flatbed, step deck, RGN and lowboy loads. Every securement position is observed, the tiedown arithmetic is computed from what the model measures, and a tarp is checked as equipment in its own right.
Sections the analysis cites
| Section | Title | In plain English |
|---|---|---|
| §392.9 | Inspection of cargo, cargo securement devices and systems | The driver must not drive unless the cargo is properly distributed and secured, the tailgate, doors and tarps are secured, and the load does not block the view or the emergency exits. Within the first 50 miles, and then every 3 hours or 150 miles, the driver must look at the cargo again. |
| §393.100 | Which types of commercial motor vehicles are subject to the cargo securement standards | Cargo must be firmly immobilised or secured so it cannot leak, spill, blow off, fall off or shift so far that the vehicle becomes unstable or hard to steer. |
| §393.102 | Minimum performance criteria for cargo securement devices and systems | The securement system must hold the load against the forces of braking, accelerating and cornering without exceeding what the devices are rated for. |
| §393.104 | Requirements for securement devices | Straps, chains, anchor points and binders must be in working order: no cuts, cracks, knots or corrosion that weaken them, and edge protection wherever a tiedown could be cut on the load. |
| §393.106 | General requirements for securing cargo | Cargo must be contained, immobilised or secured; things that can roll must be chocked or cradled; and the tiedowns together must be rated for at least half the weight of the cargo. |
| §393.108 | Working load limit of a tiedown | A tiedown is only as strong as its weakest part: the strap, the hook or the anchor point. |
| §393.110 | Minimum number of tiedowns | One tiedown for a short, light article; two for anything longer than 5 feet or heavier than 1,100 pounds; one more for every additional 10 feet. |
| §393.112 | Adjustability of tiedowns | Every tiedown must be something the driver can tighten on the road. |
| §393.114 | Front end structure | A headboard or front-end structure used to hold the load must be strong enough for the job. |
| §393.116 | Logs | Commodity-specific rules for logs. |
| §393.118 | Dressed lumber and similar building products | Commodity-specific rules for lumber, plywood and packaged building materials. |
| §393.120 | Metal coils | Commodity-specific rules for metal coils, eye-forward, eye-crosswise and eye-vertical. |
| §393.122 | Paper rolls | Commodity-specific rules for paper rolls. |
| §393.124 | Concrete pipe | Commodity-specific rules for concrete pipe. |
| §393.126 | Intermodal containers | Commodity-specific rules for shipping containers on a chassis or a flatbed. |
| §393.128 | Automobiles, light trucks and vans | Commodity-specific rules for vehicles carried as cargo. |
| §393.130 | Heavy vehicles, equipment and machinery | Machinery over 10,000 pounds needs at least four tiedowns, with accessory equipment lowered and secured. |
| §393.132 | Flattened or crushed vehicles | Commodity-specific rules for crushed cars. |
| §393.134 | Roll-on/roll-off and hook-lift containers | Commodity-specific rules for roll-off containers. |
| §393.136 | Large boulders | Commodity-specific rules for boulders. |
Every open-deck check
- Overall view of the whole load
- Left side full length
- Right side full length
- Front securement points
- Rear securement points
- Close-up of every tiedown at its tensioner/binder
- Edge protection where straps cross edges
- WLL tags/markings where visible
When the load is tarped (tarped by the driver (recorded before and after), or picked up already tarped)
- Front of the tarp (wind entry, overlap, front flap)
- Rear of the tarp (flap folded and secured)
- Left side along the rub rail — every bungee / strap row hooked
- Right side along the rub rail — every bungee / strap row hooked
- Top of the tarp where visible without climbing
- Every strap over the tarp with its tensioner
- Tail lights, reflectors and licence plate not covered
When the driver accepts the offer to look under the tarp edge
- Left side under the tarp edge, full length
- Right side under the tarp edge, full length
Cargo check — Trailer as cargo (power-only)
Power-only moves, where the trailer being pulled is the load. A trailer-only pre-trip on someone else's equipment, with the identifiers read off the plate and confirmed by the driver.
Sections the analysis cites
| Section | Title | In plain English |
|---|---|---|
| §393.11 | Lamps and reflective devices | The required lamps and reflectors must be present and working. |
| §393.13 | Retroreflective sheeting and reflex reflective material | Trailers must carry the conspicuity tape that makes them visible at night. |
| §393.40 | Required brake systems | Every vehicle must have a service brake, a parking brake and an emergency brake that work. |
| §393.45 | Brake tubing and hoses | Air lines and brake hoses must be free of leaks, chafing, bulges and kinks. |
| §393.47 | Brake actuators, slack adjusters, linings and drums | Slack adjusters must be within their travel limit and brake linings must not be worn thin, cracked or contaminated. |
| §393.53 | Automatic brake adjusters and adjustment indicators | Vehicles built since the mid-1990s must have automatic slack adjusters, and they must work. |
| §393.55 | Antilock brake systems | Vehicles built since the late 1990s must have a working antilock brake system with its warning lamp. |
| §393.70 | Coupling devices and towing methods | The fifth wheel, kingpin and upper coupler must be undamaged and properly matched. Deepe checks for visible damage only; whether the jaws are locked is the driver's hand check. |
| §393.75 | Tires | No exposed cord, cuts, bulges or flat spots, and tread depth at or above the legal minimum. |
| §393.201 | Frames | No cracked, loose, sagging or broken frame members or cross-members. |
| §393.205 | Wheels | No cracked wheels, missing or loose lug nuts, or leaking hub seals. |
| §393.207 | Suspension systems | No broken or shifted leaf springs, missing shocks, cracked hangers or deflated air bags. |
| §396.17 | Periodic inspection | Every commercial vehicle, including a trailer, must carry proof of an annual inspection no more than 12 months old. |
What the driver must show
- VIN plate / registration label legible
- Trailer number
- Left side
- Right side
- Front (nose, glad hands, kingpin area)
- Rear (doors, ICC bumper, lights)
- Undercarriage: brake chambers, slack adjusters, hoses, shock absorbers, hubs
- Tires
- Landing gear
- Registration document
- Annual-inspection sticker or report
Cargo check — Enclosed (dry van, reefer)
Dry vans and reefers, judged from the open rear doors. What cannot be seen is written down as not determinable, never inferred.
Sections the analysis cites
| Section | Title | In plain English |
|---|---|---|
| §392.9 | Inspection of cargo, cargo securement devices and systems | The driver must not drive unless the cargo is properly distributed and secured, the tailgate, doors and tarps are secured, and the load does not block the view or the emergency exits. Within the first 50 miles, and then every 3 hours or 150 miles, the driver must look at the cargo again. |
| §393.100 | Which types of commercial motor vehicles are subject to the cargo securement standards | Cargo must be firmly immobilised or secured so it cannot leak, spill, blow off, fall off or shift so far that the vehicle becomes unstable or hard to steer. |
| §393.102 | Minimum performance criteria for cargo securement devices and systems | The securement system must hold the load against the forces of braking, accelerating and cornering without exceeding what the devices are rated for. |
| §393.104 | Requirements for securement devices | Straps, chains, anchor points and binders must be in working order: no cuts, cracks, knots or corrosion that weaken them, and edge protection wherever a tiedown could be cut on the load. |
| §393.106 | General requirements for securing cargo | Cargo must be contained, immobilised or secured; things that can roll must be chocked or cradled; and the tiedowns together must be rated for at least half the weight of the cargo. |
What the driver must show
- Rear doors open with the load visible
- Load overview from the rear
- Each load lock / rear strap
- Floor and bracing at the rear
Cargo check — Sealed trailer
A sealed trailer. The cargo is not analysed; the seal number is read blind and compared in code against what the driver typed, and the seal's integrity and the latch are checked.
Sections the analysis cites
| Section | Title | In plain English |
|---|---|---|
| §392.9 | Inspection of cargo, cargo securement devices and systems | The driver must not drive unless the cargo is properly distributed and secured, the tailgate, doors and tarps are secured, and the load does not block the view or the emergency exits. Within the first 50 miles, and then every 3 hours or 150 miles, the driver must look at the cargo again. |
What the driver must show
- Seal close-up with the number legible
- Door latch / seal hasp showing the seal is intact
Severity, status, and why an inspection needs a look
A finding is one of three things
- violation
- A clear regulatory non-compliance the model could see in a frame.
- warning
- A marginal or uncertain condition, or anything the model was less than 70 % sure of.
- pass
- The item was visible and looked compliant.
Two findings on the same item and section are merged, keeping the more severe one — a low-confidence violation is never displaced by a confident pass.
An inspection ends in one of these states
- pending
- Created, nothing recorded yet.
- recording
- The driver is recording.
- analyzing
- Frames uploaded, analysis running.
- incomplete
- A required item was not clearly visible; the driver is asked to record it.
- pass
- No violations, no warnings, and every finding at or above 70 % confidence.
- fail
- At least one violation.
- needs_review
- At least one warning, or any finding below 70 % confidence — even a pass. A person looks at it.
The reasons an inspection can carry to the dashboard
Each reason is machine-readable, so the dashboard can filter on it, and printed as a sentence on the report.
- pre_tarped_not_verified — Load picked up already tarped; securement under the tarp was not verified.
- pre_tarped_under_edge_declined — Securement under the tarp not verified; the under-edge look was offered and declined.
- under_edge_offer_no_response — Securement under the tarp not verified; no record of whether the under-edge look was offered.
- driver_tarped_without_pretarp_capture — Tarped by the driver without recording the securement before tarping.
- partial_visibility — Part of the securement was only partly visible in the capture.
- trailer_identity_unconfirmed — Trailer identifiers were read from the capture and not confirmed by the driver.
The en-route re-check chain: first reminder 60 minutes after a cargo check is signed, then every 180 minutes — the §392.9(b) schedule in minutes.
Decided in code, not by the model
- Whether a load has enough tiedowns.
- The model estimates the article length, counts what it can see and reads any rating tag. The §393.110 minimum and the §393.106(d) working-load-limit rule are computed in code, every input is labelled estimated or read, and a shortfall computed from estimates is a warning, never a violation.
- What is under a tarp.
- A position the model could not see is recorded as not determinable — neither compliant nor a violation. Code turns that into exactly one warning, however many positions were hidden, and the record says why it needs review.
- Whether a seal number matches.
- The model never sees the number the driver typed. It reads the seal blind and reports its confidence; the comparison is made in code, and a reading below the confidence gate, or a difference made only of look-alike characters (0/O, 1/I, 5/S), is "not determinable" — never a mismatch, never quietly a match.
- Whether a driver refused something.
- An unanswered offer to look under a tarp edge is recorded as no answer from the app, never as a refusal. The record cannot assert a choice the driver did not make.
- Where an identifier came from.
- Every seal number, unit number and VIN prints with its provenance: typed by the driver, read by the model and confirmed, corrected, or unconfirmed. Nothing prints a value without saying who supplied it.
- What counts as a violation.
- The rules are the text of 49 CFR, written into the analysis prompt section by section. When a rule changes, the prompt changes, and this page is generated from it.
Regulation text is the U.S. Government’s. Read it at ecfr.gov, Title 49. Deepe is not affiliated with FMCSA, and nothing on this page is legal advice.