State Inspection Programs
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations require that all commercial motor vehicles operating in interstate commerce must pass an inspection at least annually. One way to satisfy this requirement is through the periodic inspection programs administered by certain states. To qualify, the state inspection program must comply with federal standards.
The following is a complete list of states with inspection programs that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has determined are comparable to, or as effective as, the federal periodic inspection requirements.
| Alabama (LPG Board) | Maryland | Pennsylvania |
| California | Massachusetts | Rhode Island |
| Connecticut | Michigan | Texas |
| District of Columbia | Minnesota | Utah |
| Hawaii | New Hampshire | Vermont |
| Illinois | New Jersey | Virginia |
| Louisiana | New York | West Virgina |
| Maine | Ohio | Wisconsin |
Note that two states that used to appear on this list have since been removed. Arkansas no longer has a periodic inspection program for buses, and Oklahoma has repealed its inspection requirements.
In addition to the states listed above, the FMCSA also accepts the inspection programs of the Yukon Territory and the 10 Canadian Provinces:
| Alberta | Nova Scotia |
| British Columbia | Ontario |
| Manitoba | Prince Edward Island |
| New Brunswick | Quebec |
| Newfoundland | Saskatchewan |
The FMCSA also considers Mexico’s NOM (Norma Oficial Mexicana or Official Mexican Standard) 68 program, as comparable to, or as effective as, the federal periodic inspection requirements.
All other states either have no periodic inspection programs for commercial vehicles or their programs have not been determined by the FMCSA to be comparable to the federal requirements.