CSA compliance, from the data
Notes from a working safety manager — grounded in VioCodes’ own violation and inspection data, with the FMCSA citations to back it up. How these posts are made →
Reading 393.9A-LIL: The Identification Lamp Your Pre-Trip Skips
A dead identification lamp is cheap to fix and easy to overlook. Here is what the code covers, how the calculator scores it, and where drivers usually lose it.
The Lamp Nobody Checks: Reading 393.55(e)
Violation 393.55(e) is a missing or defective ABS malfunction indicator lamp on a trailer built after March 1, 1998. Here is what the inspector checks, why it costs points even without an out-of-service mark, and how to catch it before the roadside does.
Dead Headlights, Real Points: Reading Violation 393.9H
A burned-out headlamp looks like the cheapest fix on the inspection report. The scoring math is more deliberate than that.
Mississippi Roadside Inspections: Drivers Drive the Gap
Mississippi's out-of-service share runs above the national figure. Split it by driver and vehicle and the gap shows up on only one side.
Montana's Roadside Numbers, Read Line by Line
Montana's out-of-service rate runs above the national figure. The useful question is which part of the inspection data is driving that, and how much weight a single rate can carry.
392.2C Failure to Obey a Traffic Control Device: A Small Entry With a Long Tail
Violation 392.2C reads like a minor ticket, but it is scored under Unsafe Driving at full severity. Here is what the code covers, how it is weighted, and what actually causes it on the road.
Brakes That Look Fine and Still Fail: Reading 393.48(a)
Violation 393.48(a) covers brake function, not just brake parts. Here is what inspectors check, what our data shows, and how the citation feeds your score.
Brake Hose Chafing Under the Trailer: What 393.45B2UV Is Really Catching
The hose that gets written up is rarely the one a driver was looking at. Here is how chafing and kinking develop on air brake lines, what the regulation expects, and what the numbers say about this code.
Maine's Out-of-Service Rate Runs Above the National Figure, and Vehicles Drive Most of It
Over 39 months of roadside inspections, Maine's out-of-service share sits well above the national rate. Most of the out-of-service count comes from the vehicle side.
396.5(b): The Drip You Think Is Nothing
A small oil or grease leak looks like housekeeping. The code treats it as a maintenance finding, and the way it is scored makes it worth fixing before the inspector sees it.
Windshield Violation 393.60(c): Why a Small Chip Costs More Than You Think
A chip the size of a pencil eraser rarely gets a truck pulled off the road. It still goes on the inspection report, and it still counts against your carrier. Here is how 393.60(c) works.
Kentucky Roadside Inspections: Where the Out-of-Service Gap Comes From
Kentucky's out-of-service share sits well above the national figure, and the gap is almost entirely on the vehicle side of the ledger.
New Mexico Roadside Inspections: What the Numbers Say
New Mexico's out-of-service share runs above the national figure, and almost all of the gap sits on the equipment side of the inspection, not with drivers.
Maryland Roadside Inspections: What the Out-of-Service Numbers Say
Maryland's out-of-service share runs well above the national figure. The counts show where to look, and they also show what they can't tell you.
393.75(c): The 2/32 Tread Check, Measured Where It Counts
A tire can look legal from six feet away and still fail the one measurement inspectors take. Here is what 393.75(c) requires, where the gauge goes, and how the write-up feeds your score.
Wyoming's Roadside Numbers, Read Slowly
Wyoming logged 39,206 roadside inspections between August 2023 and October 2026. The out-of-service rate is well above the national figure, but the counts show more than the headline does.
Oregon's Roadside Numbers: Where Out-of-Service Rates Run High
Across 60,206 inspections from August 2023 through October 2026, Oregon's out-of-service share sits well above the national figure. Here is how to read that gap, and what it can't tell you.
Slack Adjusters That Stop Adjusting: Reading 393.53(b) the Way an Inspector Does
393.53(b) is one sentence in the regulation, but it sits behind a lot of brake stroke measurements at the roadside. Here is what the rule protects, how automatic adjustment fails, and what to check before the inspector does.
Delaware's Roadside Inspections: What the 30% Out-of-Service Rate Tells You
Over 39 months, Delaware has parked one in three trucks during roadside inspection—a 72% higher rate than the national average. Here's what those numbers mean for your fleet operations.
North Carolina Trucks and the OOS Gap: What 305,000 Roadside Inspections Reveal
North Carolina's out-of-service rate is 34.2%—nearly double the national average of 17.6%. Here's what 305,296 inspections tell us about your exposure in NC.
Tire Pressure at 50% Capacity: Why Your Fleet Checks Miss This Until Inspection
393.75A3-TAOL has been cited over 250,000 times because tire pressure checks are often the first maintenance step fleets skip. Here's the mechanics of the threshold and how to keep it off your violations.
396.3(a)(1): Why Loose Bolts and Worn Parts Become Your Inspection Problem
This violation isn't about a single failure. It's about the systems you skip when you're routine-checked. Here's what inspectors actually look for when they cite 396.3(a)(1)—and how the numbers reveal what matters most.
Why Lighting and Reflective Violations Keep Stopping Trucks: Inside 393.11
Lighting and reflective material violations show up in over 256,000 inspection records. I'll walk you through what inspectors actually look for and why the maintenance gap behind this violation matters.
What 14.9 Million Vehicle Maintenance Violations Tell Us About Roadside Enforcement Right Now
I pulled the latest FMCSA violation dataset and looked at what inspectors are actually citing on the road. The numbers show a clear pattern — and if you're managing fleet safety, it matters.
What Tennessee's Roadside Inspection Numbers Tell Us
Tennessee's roadside inspection data reveals a 38.6% out-of-service rate—more than double the national average. Here's what those numbers mean for safety managers and operators.
396.3A1BOS: Why a Severity Weight of Zero Doesn't Mean What You Think
A 20% brake defect threshold sounds technical until you understand it stops 99.7% of vehicles. Here's what the numbers actually tell you about brake maintenance and roadside enforcement.
What 392.2-SLLS2 Really Costs Your Safety Record
Speeding 6–10 mph over the limit is one of the most common safety violations on the road. We break down the mechanics, the actual risk profile, and why the severity weight of 4 matters for your fleet's future.
California's Roadside Inspection Reality: What 1.29 Million Checks Reveal
California conducted 1.3 million roadside inspections over 37 months with a 19.7% out-of-service rate—2.1 points above the national average. Here's what those numbers actually mean for fleet operators.
Vermont's Roadside Inspection Story: What 24,000+ Checks Tell Us
Over three years of roadside inspections, Vermont's out-of-service rate hit 20.2%—three points above the national average. Vehicle violations dominate, and when they're found, they're serious enough to stop trucks. Here's what the numbers say.
393.78: Why Your Wipers Matter More Than You Think
Over 316,000 wiper violations on record—but most are avoidable. Here's what the regulation actually requires and how to stop failing inspections on something this simple.