DOT Inspection in St. Catharines, ON

DOT Inspection in St. Catharines, ON, L2S 0B3

What is a DOT inspection?

To increase safety on the road, the United States Department of Transportation performs inspections on commercial motor vehicles, or CMV's, to ensure all its parts and accessories are working properly and efficiently. If you are in St. Catharines, Fonthill, Jordan, Lincoln, Niagara Falls or surrounding areas, we at Boyd Automotive & Tire in Ontario Province can perform DOT inspections on your vehicle. In addition to commercial motor vehicles, we also repair vehicles from Toyota, Honda, Ford, Hyundai and more.

There are six levels of DOT inspections to assess the vehicle's driveability. These inspections can only be performed by a state police officer or a certified DOT inspector (which our award-winning local technicians at Boyd Automotive & Tire in St. Catharines are). The inspection levels are as follows:

Level One: North American Standard Inspection

This is the most common level of DOT inspections as well as the most thorough. The DOT official will inspect the driver's documents (their license, logs, medical certificates, Hazmat endorsements, HOS documentation, inspection reports, etc.) and will make sure the driver is not under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The official will also do a complete inspection of the vehicle, including its seat belts, tires, suspension, windshield wipers, brakes, turn signals, steering wheel, headlamps, and fuel systems. This level of inspection usually takes 45-60 minutes to complete.

Level Two: Walk-Around Driver and Vehicle Inspection

This level of inspection is very similar to that of level one, except the DOT official only inspects that can be examined without physically getting under the vehicle. This type of inspection only takes around 30 minutes to complete.

Level Three: Driver-Only Inspection

In this level, the DOT inspector will not check the vehicle, just the driver. They will review their skill performance evaluation certificate, driver's license, HOS documentation, medical card, endorsements, RODS, and HAZMAT requirements. They will also check the driver's seat belt usage and their use of alcohol and drugs. This level of inspection only takes 15 minutes to complete.

Level Four: Special Inspection

This level of inspection involves a one-time check of a specific item. The length of time a level four inspection takes depends on the part of the vehicle that needs to be inspected.

Level Five: Vehicle-Only Inspection

A level five inspection consists of only the vehicle inspection portion of a Level One inspection and must be conducted without the driver present. In this inspection, the DOT certified inspector will check the vehicle's brakes, fuel, cargo, exhaust, steering, lighting, suspensions, tires, steering wheel, trailer, windshield wipers, emergency exits, engine, and battery. This should take no more than 30 minutes to complete.

Level Six: Enhanced NAS Inspection for Radioactive Shipments

This DOT inspection is only for vehicles that are hauling radioactive cargo. A level six inspection is the enhanced version of a level one inspection; the radiological shipments are checked to make sure the cargo and the driver are defect free before they can leave for delivery. Each decal for a level six inspection is valid for only one trip. This is the longest inspection out of the six and takes around an hour to complete.

Your award-winning local Shop for DOT Inspection

We at Boyd Automotive & Tire in St. Catharines are experts in all things auto repair. We've been fixing cars since 2002 and our owner Stu Boyd and technicians have decades of combined experience. We can perform oil changes, fluid services and tune-ups, transmission repair, and more on your vehicle.

Here are some reasons why you should choose us:

We have a review score of 5 based on reviews from 800 satisfied customers.

Locally owned and operated since 2002
Only OEM and OEM-approved parts/components
Shuttle on all services, loaner on major service, free towing (limited)
Alternative payment options (see our financing page)
Our diverse team is sure to have an expert in the make and model of your vehicle

To schedule an appointment with Boyd Automotive & Tire in St. Catharines, give us a call at 905-685-5821 or schedule an appointment online .