You know that feeling when you hear an air brake hiss behind you, and you just know someone’s about to have a bad day? That’s kind of what the 2025 International Roadcheck results felt like this year.
The numbers are out — and they didn’t whisper. They roared.
From May 13–15, inspectors across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico rolled out for the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) annual 72-hour enforcement blitz. They checked everything from brake systems and tires to logbooks and load securement.
When the dust settled, 10,148 commercial vehicles were taken off the road, and 3,342 drivers were parked right alongside them. The rest? They either passed or prayed.
The Big Picture: The 2025 Roadcheck Scoreboard
In three days, inspectors completed 56,178 inspections across North America. That’s an average of nearly 15 trucks per minute, every minute, for three straight days.
Out of those inspections:
⭐ 10,148 vehicles were placed out of service
⭐ 3,342 drivers were removed from operation
⭐ 13,553 vehicle violations and 3,317 driver violations were recorded
⭐ 177 hazmat/dangerous goods violations were issued
⭐ 16,521 CVSA decals were proudly slapped on vehicles that passed with flying colors
That adds up to an 18.1% vehicle OOS rate and a 5.9% driver OOS rate — up from last year.
To put it simply: 2024 was a warm-up. 2025 brought the heat.
And if you’re wondering who actually passed — 81.6% of vehicles and 94.1% of drivers made it through clean. That’s good news for some… but a serious gut check for the rest.
Driver Violations: When Paperwork Turns Into Parking Paperwork
Each year, the CVSA picks focus areas for the blitz. In 2025, the spotlight landed on false Records of Duty Status (RODS) — or as some drivers call it, “creative writing.”
Inspectors weren’t buying it.
They dug into ELD transfers, cross-checked logs, and watched for any trace of manipulation or missing data. And when the smoke cleared, the biggest driver violations looked like this:
⭐ 1,076 Hours-of-Service (HOS) violations – 32.4%
⭐ 810 drivers with no CDL – 24.4%
⭐ 493 drivers with no medical card – 14.9%
⭐ 332 drivers caught with false logs – 10%
⭐ 170 suspended or invalid CDLs – 5.1%
These aren’t complicated mistakes. They’re preventable failures. No CDL? That’s not a gray area — that’s a career-ending red flag. False logs? That’s not “strategy.” That’s a trust problem.
Hours-of-Service remains the biggest driver violation year after year. And it’s not because the rules changed — it’s because habits didn’t. You can’t outsmart the system. You can only get ahead of it.
Vehicle Violations: Brakes and Tires Still Reign Supreme
Now, let’s talk iron and rubber.
You’d think after decades of Roadchecks, we’d see fewer trucks sidelined for the same issues. But no — brakes and tires still top the charts, year after year.
Here’s how the numbers stacked up:
⭐ 3,304 brake system violations (24.4% of vehicle OOS)
⭐ 2,899 tire violations (21.4%)
⭐ 2,257 for 20% defective brakes
⭐ 1,737 lighting violations
⭐ 1,549 cargo securement violations
When you combine brake system failures and 20% defective brakes, that’s over 41% of all vehicle OOS violations.
If your brakes aren’t functioning, nothing else matters. Tires came in second, and inspectors weren’t just eyeballing tread — they checked for bulges, sidewall cuts, improper repairs, tread separation, and plugs where they shouldn’t exist.
Let’s be real: these aren’t surprises. Every pre-trip inspection checklist has them. And yet thousands of trucks failed for the same issues again. That’s not bad luck — that’s a pattern.
Hazmat Haulers: Zero Room for Error
If you’re hauling hazmat, the margin for error drops to zero.
This year, loading violations topped the list of hazmat/dangerous goods issues, accounting for nearly 29% of all OOS cases. Improper labels, unsecured containers, incorrect placards — inspectors flagged them all.
One loose strap can turn a shipment into a shutdown. Or worse, a safety hazard that ends up in the headlines.
If you’re moving materials that can explode, ignite, or corrode through metal, “close enough” isn’t close at all. Inspectors expect perfection, and you should too.
Focus Areas for 2025: Tires and False Logs
Every year, CVSA zeroes in on one driver focus and one vehicle focus to encourage fleets to pay extra attention where violations tend to spike.
For 2025, those focus areas were:
⭐ Driver: False Records of Duty Status (RODS)
⭐ Vehicle: Tires
Inspectors checked tire condition, tread depth, and visible defects. They also monitored false log activity, ELD tampering, and HOS compliance.
The results showed that both issues — physical and digital — are still tripping fleets up. The irony? They’re the simplest things to fix.
The Trend: Compliance Isn’t Seasonal
Here’s the truth no one wants to admit: most fleets only think about compliance twice a year — during Roadcheck and right before an audit.
That’s like brushing your teeth the night before the dentist. It might make you feel better, but it’s not going to change the outcome.
Compliance isn’t a May-only mindset. It’s a leadership practice — daily, intentional, and repeatable.
The best fleets don’t just prepare for inspections; they live ready. Their drivers understand why rules matter. Their managers set expectations. Their systems work quietly in the background so no one has to panic when the CVSA shows up.
If your fleet treats compliance like a last-minute fire drill, it’s only a matter of time before something catches flame.
What the Numbers Really Say
Behind every stat, there’s a story.
10,148 trucks sidelined means 10,148 business disruptions.
3,342 drivers benched means 3,342 livelihoods temporarily paused.
Each one represents an opportunity missed — or a lesson learned.
But here’s the silver lining: 81.6% of vehicles passed inspection. 94.1% of drivers did too. That’s proof that the majority of fleets out there are getting it right.
So why do the rest keep struggling? Simple — they react instead of prepare.
Prevention costs time. Noncompliance costs everything.
Eclipse DOT’s Take: Don’t Fix the Fire — Prevent It
At Eclipse DOT, we’ve seen it all. Fleets that scramble right before Roadcheck, hunting for missing paperwork. Managers running around printing logs. Drivers hoping their tires pass the “eyeball test.”
We’ve also seen the other side — fleets that walk into an inspection calm, confident, and compliant. That’s not luck. That’s leadership.
Here’s how we help companies bridge that gap:
⭐ Mock Audits: We help you find problems before the FMCSA does.
⭐ DOTDocs.com: All your compliance records, digital, organized, and audit-ready.
⭐ Training Programs: Real-world education that drivers actually understand (and remember).
⭐ Custom Compliance Systems: Built for your operation, not the one-size-fits-all rulebook.
When you work with Eclipse DOT, compliance stops being chaos — and starts becoming culture. Because success doesn’t come from scrambling. It comes from systems that actually work.
The Takeaway: Be the Fleet That Passes With Confidence
Here’s the real headline:
The fleets that pass Roadcheck aren’t the biggest or richest. They’re the ones who care the most about doing it right.
They know that:
⭐ Every pre-trip matters.
⭐ Every log tells a story.
⭐ Every leader sets the tone.
Roadcheck 2025 isn’t a gotcha moment — it’s a mirror. It shows where you stand when no one’s watching.
If you’re one of the 10,148 vehicles that got parked, don’t take it as defeat. Take it as direction.
Fix your systems. Train your people. Lead better.
Because at the end of the day, success in this business doesn’t come from avoiding the rules. It comes from mastering them.
The Bottom Line
This year’s Roadcheck results weren’t just numbers on a chart. They were a message — one written in citations, violations, and brake dust.
You can ignore it and hope next year’s kinder. Or you can get ahead now.
The fleets that lead tomorrow are the ones who prepare today. And the easiest way to start is with a free DOT Micro Audit.
👉 Schedule yours at EclipseDOT.com and let our team help you build compliance systems that last.
Because in this industry, “We’ll fix it later” usually translates to “We just got parked.”