§FMCSR.com
Historical textIn force on Sept. 30, 1998Source: annual CFR edition 1996

§ 396.13 Driver inspection.

Wording first on file in the 1996 annual edition, superseded by the 1998 annual edition.

govinfo, 1996 edition ↗
Before Jan. 1, 2017 the record is one snapshot per annual CFR edition, revised as of October 1. This is the 1996 edition's wording. An amendment that took effect between Oct. 1, 1997 and Sept. 30, 1998 would not appear until the next edition, so check the citations below and the Federal Register for exact effective dates. govinfo does not publish the 1997 edition of Parts 300–399 in machine-readable form, so the 1996 text is shown for that year.
49 CFR § 396.13 — Driver inspection.. Text in force on September 30, 1998. This wording effective October 1, 1996 to October 1, 1998. Source: govinfo, 1996 edition, https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/CFR-1996-title49-vol4/CFR-1996-title49-vol4-sec396-13. Retrieved from FMCSR.com, https://fmcsr.com/reg/396.13?asof=1998-09-30, on October 26, 2026. Unofficial compilation; verify against the official source.

Before driving a motor vehicle, the driver shall:

(a) Be satisfied that the motor vehicle is in safe operating condition;

(b) Review the last vehicle inspection report required to be carried on the power unit; and

(c) Sign the report, only if defects or deficiencies were noted by the driver who prepared the report, to acknowledge that the driver has reviewed it and that there is a certification that the required repairs have been performed. The signature requirement does not apply to listed defects on a towed unit which is no longer part of the vehicle combination.

[44 FR 76526, Dec. 27, 1979, as amended at 48 FR 55868, Dec. 16, 1983]

Amendment history

6 distinct wordings on file since Oct. 1, 1996
  1. March 23, 2026 → presenteCFR, day-precisediff vs. previous
    [44 FR 76526, Dec. 27, 1979, as amended at 48 FR 55868, Dec. 16, 1983; 63 FR 33280, June 18, 1998; 85 FR 50793, Aug. 18, 2020; 91 FR 7896, Feb. 19, 2026]
  2. Feb. 19, 2026 → March 23, 2026eCFR, day-precisediff vs. previous
    [44 FR 76526, Dec. 27, 1979, as amended at 48 FR 55868, Dec. 16, 1983; 63 FR 33280, June 18, 1998; 85 FR 50793, Aug. 18, 2020]
  3. Sept. 17, 2020 → Feb. 19, 2026eCFR, day-precisediff vs. previous
    [44 FR 76526, Dec. 27, 1979, as amended at 48 FR 55868, Dec. 16, 1983; 63 FR 33280, June 18, 1998; 85 FR 50793, Aug. 18, 2020]
  4. Aug. 18, 2020 → Sept. 17, 2020eCFR, day-precisediff vs. previous
    [44 FR 76526, Dec. 27, 1979, as amended at 48 FR 55868, Dec. 16, 1983; 63 FR 33280, June 18, 1998]
  5. Oct. 1, 1998 → Aug. 18, 2020annual editions 1998–2016diff vs. previous
    [44 FR 76526, Dec. 27, 1979, as amended at 48 FR 55868, Dec. 16, 1983; 63 FR 33280, June 18, 1998]
  6. Oct. 1, 1996 → Oct. 1, 1998annual edition 1996viewing
    [44 FR 76526, Dec. 27, 1979, as amended at 48 FR 55868, Dec. 16, 1983]

A new entry appears whenever the regulatory words change between government snapshots. Day-precise from the eCFR (2017 onward); before that, one snapshot per annual CFR edition (revised as of October 1). Bracketed citations are the Federal Register history printed with the section.