§ 396.17 adds an annual layer above everything else in this chapter, and it counts vehicles differently from the way a driver does. Every commercial motor vehicle must be inspected against, at a minimum, the parts and accessories in appendix A to Part 396 — an inspection standard that sits outside this book, so what § 396.17 asks of an operation is that a passing inspection against it exists and its documentation is aboard, rather than a list of components to learn — and the term commercial motor vehicle INCLUDES EACH VEHICLE IN A COMBINATION. The section gives its own example: for a tractor, semitrailer and full trailer combination, the tractor, the semitrailer and the full trailer, including the converter dolly if so equipped, must EACH be inspected. So an annual inspection is not one event covering the rig; it is one per unit, and a compliant tractor pulling an overdue trailer is not a compliant combination.

Two consequences follow, and the second is the one a driver meets. A motor carrier must not use a commercial motor vehicle unless each component identified in appendix A has passed an inspection under this section at least once during the preceding 12 months — and DOCUMENTATION OF THAT INSPECTION IS ON THE VEHICLE. The documentation may be the § 396.21 inspection report itself, or another form based on it, such as a sticker or decal, carrying the date of inspection, the name and address of the carrier, provider or other entity where the report is maintained, information uniquely identifying the vehicle if it is not clearly marked on it, and a certification that the vehicle has passed an inspection in accordance with § 396.17. That is what the sticker on the door frame is, and why a missing one is a problem on the road rather than only in an office.

Who may perform the inspection is set by qualification rather than by job title. A carrier may inspect its own vehicles under § 396.17(d), or may instead have a commercial garage, fleet leasing company, truck stop or similar business perform it as its agent under § 396.17(e), provided that business operates appropriate facilities and employs qualified inspectors. § 396.19 then defines qualified: the individual must understand the inspection criteria in Part 393 and appendix A and be able to identify defective components; be knowledgeable of and have mastered the methods, procedures, tools and equipment used; and be capable by experience or training — either having completed a Federal or State sponsored training program or holding a State or Canadian Provincial certificate, or having a combination of training or experience totaling at least 1 year, of the kinds the section lists. The carrier retains evidence of those qualifications while the individual performs its annual inspections and for one year afterwards, except where the inspection was done as part of a State periodic inspection program.

Finally, the rule recognizes work already done elsewhere. Under § 396.17(f), a vehicle passing a periodic inspection performed under the auspices of any State government or equivalent jurisdiction in the Canadian Provinces, the Yukon Territory or Mexico, meeting the minimum standards in appendix A, is considered to have met the annual inspection requirement for 12 months commencing from the last day of the month in which the inspection was performed — note the month-end start, which is not the inspection date. § 396.23 provides a further equivalence route, and § 396.17(g) leaves the underlying responsibility where the chapter started: with the carrier or provider, to ensure parts and accessories are maintained at, or promptly repaired to, the required standards.