Tire violations are the second-highest cause of out-of-service orders in commercial trucking — 21.4% of all vehicle OOS violations during the 2025 CVSA International Roadcheck, with 2,899 tire-related shutdowns in just 72 hours. Tires also cause 53.5% of all roadside breakdowns, making them the single largest breakdown category in the industry. Yet every tire OOS violation is detectable with a proper inspection before the truck leaves the yard. The problem isn't that tire defects are hard to find — it's that most inspections aren't thorough enough, or aren't using the right tools, to catch what CVSA officers catch in under 2 minutes. This guide provides the complete tire inspection checklist for 2026: what to check at every position, the exact pass/fail criteria that CVSA inspectors use, the DOT age code system, wear pattern diagnostics, and the digital tools that make tire inspections faster and more effective.
Tire Inspection by Position
Not all tire positions fail the same way. Steer tires have stricter tread requirements (4/32" vs 2/32") and different failure modes than drives or trailers. A thorough inspection checks position-specific criteria because what you look for on a steer axle is different from what matters on a trailer tandem.
Steer Axle
Min 4/32" tread
Tread depth in all major grooves (3 points across face)
No retreads on buses (prohibited). Retreads on trucks must exceed 4,920 lb capacity
No regrooved tires on front axle of Class 7-8 vehicles
Shoulder wear pattern (underinflation) or center wear (overinflation)
One-sided wear indicates alignment — schedule check immediately
Both sidewalls: inner AND outer for cuts, bulges, weathering
Drive Axle
Min 2/32" tread
Tread depth at shallowest point in major grooves
Dual spacing — tires must NOT be touching (OOS violation)
Matching sizes on same axle (mismatched = violation)
Inner tire condition — most missed defect: inner dual damage invisible without looking between duals
Heat indicators: discoloration, rubber degradation, unusual hot spots
Check for nails, screws, embedded objects in tread
Trailer Axle
Min 2/32" tread
Tread depth — trailers often overlooked during quick inspections
Flat spots from sitting loaded in one position (common on yard trailers)
Sidewall weathering and ozone cracking from sun/weather exposure
DOT age code — parked trailers accumulate age without mileage
Dual spacing check (same OOS criteria as drives)
Valve stems and caps present and undamaged
Tread Depth: How to Measure Correctly
Visual tread estimation is the #1 reason tire violations get missed on pre-trip inspections. A tire at 3/32" on a steer axle looks "fine" to the eye but is 1/32" below the OOS threshold. Use a calibrated tread depth gauge every time — they cost under $10 and take 15 seconds per tire.
Steer
4/32"
Below 4/32"
5/32" — replace before reaching minimum
Drive
2/32"
Below 2/32"
3/32" — schedule replacement at next PM
Trailer
2/32"
Below 2/32"
3/32" — especially trailers with variable loads
Measurement Method
1 Measure in major tread grooves only — NOT at tie bars, humps, or fillets
2 Take readings at 3 points: inside edge, center, outside edge of each tire
3 Use the shallowest reading — if any point is below minimum, the tire fails
4 Record all readings digitally for wear-rate calculation over time
Pressure, Sidewall, and Damage Inspection
Tread depth gets the most attention, but pressure and sidewall condition cause the most catastrophic failures. A tire with good tread but dangerously low pressure is a blowout waiting to happen — and a tire with acceptable tread but a sidewall bulge is an OOS violation that shuts you down instantly.
Pressure Check
Use calibrated gauge — not visual or thumper test
Check cold (before driving or 3+ hours parked)
Compare to target PSI for position and load
Below 50% of max sidewall pressure = immediate OOS
Note: each 10 PSI low = 15-20% tire life lost + 2% fuel penalty
Sidewall Inspection
Check BOTH inner and outer sidewalls (inner most missed)
Cuts exposing cord or ply = immediate OOS
Bulges or blisters = immediate OOS (internal failure)
Tread/sidewall separation = immediate OOS
Weathering/ozone cracking (note severity for monitoring)
Wheel & Hardware
Lug nuts: all present, torqued (rust trails = loosening)
Rims: no cracks, bends, or weld repairs
Valve stems: present, capped, not leaking
Spacers on duals: intact, no missing segments
Hub seals: no oil leaks contaminating brake components
Load & Matching
Load rating on sidewall must exceed actual axle load
Matched sizes on same axle (no mixing)
No mixing radial and bias ply on same axle
Speed rating appropriate for operation
Dual tires not contacting each other (OOS)
HVI's digital tire inspection captures pressure, tread depth, and condition data at every pre-trip — with photo documentation and OOS threshold alerts.
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DOT Age Codes and Tire Aging
The DOT doesn't mandate a specific tire age limit for commercial vehicles, but NHTSA and tire manufacturers recommend replacement at 6-10 years regardless of tread depth. Aging tires develop internal degradation — rubber compounds break down, belts separate, and sidewalls weaken — that no visual inspection can detect. The DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN) on the sidewall tells you exactly when the tire was made.
Reading the DOT Date Code
DOT XXXX XXXX
= Manufactured in June 2022 (3.7 years old as of Feb 2026)
0-5 years Normal service — monitor per standard inspection schedule
5-7 years Increase inspection frequency. Check for sidewall cracking and rubber degradation quarterly.
7-10 years Plan replacement. Closely monitor for belt separation and blowout indicators. Many manufacturers void warranty.
10+ years Replace regardless of tread condition. Internal degradation makes failure unpredictable.
Wear Pattern Diagnostics
Tire wear patterns are diagnostic signals — they tell you what's wrong with the vehicle, not just the tire. Replacing a tire showing abnormal wear without fixing the root cause means the replacement will wear the same way. A proper tire inspection reads wear patterns as maintenance intelligence.
Center Wear
Overinflation
Reduce pressure to manufacturer spec for load. Check target PSI chart. Verify gauge calibration.
Both Shoulders Worn
Underinflation
Increase pressure. Check for slow leaks. Implement daily pressure monitoring program.
One-Sided Wear
Alignment (toe or camber)
Schedule alignment check immediately. Fix before mounting new tires or the same pattern repeats.
Scalloping / Cupping
Worn shocks or suspension
Inspect shocks, bushings, and suspension components. Replace worn parts before rotating or replacing tires.
Feathering
Toe misalignment
Run your hand across the tread — if it feels smooth one direction and rough the other, toe is off. Align immediately.
Flat Spots
Hard braking or locked brakes
Check ABS function and brake adjustment. Flat spots can also indicate a tire was parked loaded for extended periods.
Digitizing Tire Inspections
Paper tire inspections capture a checkmark — digital inspections capture data. The difference is the difference between "tires OK" and a complete tread depth, pressure, and condition history that predicts failures, triggers alerts, and feeds cost-per-mile analysis. FMCSA officially finalized eDVIR authorization effective March 23, 2026, removing all ambiguity around digital inspection forms.
Paper Tire Inspection
Checkmark: "Tires OK"
No actual measurements recorded
No photo evidence of condition
No trending over time
No wear-rate calculation
No automatic OOS threshold alerts
vs
Digital Tire Inspection
Actual PSI per position (required field)
Tread depth measurements logged per tire
Photo capture of damage geotagged + timestamped
Wear-rate trending: 32nds per 10K miles
Predicted remaining life and pull-point alerts
Auto-alert when any reading approaches OOS threshold
CSA Driver Observed: Tire Violations Scored Separately
The February 2026 CSA overhaul splits Vehicle Maintenance into two categories. Tire conditions a driver should catch during walk-around — low pressure, visible damage, insufficient tread, touching duals — now score in the
"Vehicle Maintenance: Driver Observed" category. This makes your tire inspection quality directly visible in CSA scoring.
Book a demo to see how HVI prevents Driver Observed tire violations.
2025 Roadcheck: 2,899 Tire OOS in 72 Hours
Tires were the 2025 Roadcheck vehicle focus area. Inspectors found 2,899 tire OOS violations (21.4% of all vehicle OOS). Year-round, FMCSA reports 65,184 "inflation less than 50%" violations as the 4th most-cited violation nationally. Over the past 5 years, more than 456,000 flat/audible leak violations have been issued.
2026 Roadcheck May 12-14: Load Rating Checks
While cargo securement is the 2026 vehicle focus, inspectors verify tire load ratings as part of securement — tires not rated for the cargo weight are an immediate OOS. Fleets hauling variable loads should verify every tire's sidewall load rating against maximum expected cargo per axle.
eDVIR Finalized: Effective March 23, 2026
FMCSA's final rule (Docket FMCSA-2025-0115) explicitly authorizes electronic creation, maintenance, and signature of DVIRs including tire inspection data. Digital tire inspections with required PSI entry fields and photo documentation are now unambiguously compliant.
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2 Minutes Per Side Prevents the #2 OOS Violation
Tire inspections are the highest-return activity per minute invested in fleet safety. Two minutes per side with a tread gauge and pressure gauge catches every tire condition that CVSA officers check — and every tire failure that causes the 53.5% of all roadside breakdowns attributed to tires. With CSA now scoring Driver Observed tire violations in a separate category and the 2025 Roadcheck producing 2,899 tire OOS in 72 hours, the quality of your tire inspection has never been more visible or more consequential. Check pressure. Measure tread. Photograph damage. Read wear patterns. Document digitally.
Make Every Tire Inspection Count
HVI's digital inspection platform captures tire pressure, tread depth, and condition at every pre-trip and post-trip — with photo gates, OOS threshold alerts, and wear-rate trending across your entire fleet. Catch what paper misses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What tread depth fails a DOT inspection?
Steer tires below 4/32" and drive/trailer tires below 2/32" fail under FMCSA 393.75 and CVSA OOS criteria. Measurements must be taken in major tread grooves, not at tie bars or humps. The shallowest reading on any point of the tire determines pass/fail. Best practice: pull steers at 5/32" and drives/trailers at 3/32" to avoid operating near OOS thresholds.
Q: How often should commercial tire pressure be checked?
At minimum, during every pre-trip inspection (daily). Use a calibrated gauge on every tire, not a thumper test. Readings should be taken cold (before driving or after 3+ hours parked). TPMS provides continuous monitoring between manual checks. 55% of commercial vehicles operate with at least one tire 10+ PSI low — daily pressure checks are the single highest-ROI tire activity.
HVI requires PSI entry at every inspection.
Q: What does the DOT date code on a tire mean?
The last four digits of the DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN) on the sidewall indicate manufacturing date — the first two digits are the week and the last two are the year. "2422" means week 24 of 2022. While DOT doesn't mandate age limits for commercial vehicles, NHTSA and manufacturers recommend replacement at 6-10 years regardless of tread depth due to internal rubber degradation.
Q: What tire conditions cause an immediate out-of-service order?
Immediate OOS: tread below minimum depth, exposed cord or belt material, flat or audible leak, tread/sidewall separation, bulges, inflation below 50% of max rated pressure, dual tires touching, tire not rated for load, and regrooved tires on front axle of heavy trucks. Each OOS tire violation carries a severity weight of 2 under the new CSA scoring (February 2026).
Q: What do different tire wear patterns indicate?
Center wear = overinflation. Both shoulders worn = underinflation. One-sided wear = alignment (toe or camber). Scalloping/cupping = worn shocks or suspension. Feathering = toe misalignment. Flat spots = hard braking, locked brakes, or extended parking while loaded. Always fix the root cause before replacing the tire or the pattern repeats on the new tire.
Q: How do tire violations affect CSA scores in 2026?
Under the February 2026 CSA overhaul, driver-observable tire violations (low pressure, visible damage, insufficient tread) score in the new "Vehicle Maintenance: Driver Observed" category. OOS violations receive a severity weight of 2 (vs. 1 for non-OOS). Only violations from the past 12 months count toward percentile scores. A clean year with zero tire violations in that category resets the score entirely.
Book a demo to see how HVI tracks your fleet's tire compliance.
