The North American Standard Inspection (NASI) program is a roadside inspection program designed as a random sampling or snapshot of trucking company vehicle maintenance throughout North America. Its purpose is to determine the effectiveness of a company or driver’s commercial motor vehicle’s maintenance program. The inspection data collected helps state, provincial, and federal governments in the United States, Canada, and Mexico determine which transportation companies will be selected for a compliance review.
Highly qualified and trained state, provincial, and federal law enforcement personnel, mostly made up of members of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), conduct roadside inspections. The inspections are based on the North American Out-Of-Service Criteria that give a certain degree of latitude before placing the vehicle out of service. In contrast, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSR) requires that all items that must be inspected are in proper adjustment, are not defective, and function properly prior to the vehicle being placed in service.
Five levels of inspections exist. A Level I inspection is a full, detailed inspection of the vehicle and driver; Level II includes an inspection of the driver and items of the vehicle that can be inspected without physically getting under the vehicle; Level III is an inspection of driver credentials; Level IV is an inspection of one particular item; and Level V is an inspection of the vehicle only without a driver present.
Post-Accident Commercial Vehicle Inspections
Often, vehicles are repaired and placed back in service after an accident before an investigating expert can inspect them. In some cases after a serious crash, a special commercial vehicle enforcement officer will conduct an inspection of the driver and vehicle and prepare a separate supplemental report called a Commercial Vehicle Inspection Report.
As your St. Louis truck accident lawyer, I will make every effort to obtain this report as soon as possible to assist the expert I use in my pre-trial investigation. This report will contain information including, but not limited to, driver logs, motor carrier information, specific brake adjustment measurements, tire condition, and any mechanical violations that were found on the vehicle after the crash. This information can be useful in an analysis of the crash and its causal factors.
Our Comprehensive Truck Accident Representation and Investigation
The foregoing is one of the many steps that must be taken in a comprehensive truck accident investigation. As an experienced personal injury lawyer, I take all legal measures to help you achieve the most favorable result possible. This firm represents clients on a contingency fee basis, meaning that there are no fees that are due to us until we recover a settlement or judgment for you.