If you go to DOT for an inspection.....

Really? Thanks for the info SM, I always thought that if you requested a Level 1 you could get one.

 

You can. Sometimes I think there is more bad information on here than good. Only believe half of what you read and none of what you hear.

 

You just have to choose which half you want to believe. I know who's got my vote.

 

I can only speak for my agency. Other states may allow inspections upon request.

 

I used to be leased to a company that would give you $150.00 for a clean Level 1. I would get one every chance I could.

 

1. Can you volunteer for an inspection? The answer to that question has as many answers as there are scale houses. Some agencies have policies regarding volunteer inspections and some do not. The policy within a single agency can even vary from one inspection facility to the next within the same state. In California for instance, the Gilroy Inspection Facility may not handle volunteer inspections in the same manner as the Cordelia facility. I worked for 13 years at the Dunsmuir Grade Inspection Facility (Mount Shasta, Ca.) and during that time we always accommodated a driver who wanted to have his/her truck inspected.

2. They have to inspect and document. Not so. They don't have to.

3. ...but they cannot cite you. Don't believe that for a second. You could be cited as well as placed out-of-service if an OOS defect is detected.

If I were you I would stop into the scale house that you pass through most frequently and ask them what their policy is regarding volunteer inspections. Some drivers (as passion4polishing pointed out) like the option of having an inspection done when they are not on a tight schedule and are confident that their ducks are in a row.

 

Is it a requirement to have a CVSA decal from the DOT or is it ok to just have a decal showing that a DOT level inspection was performed at a shop or dealer during a service?

 

Roadside inspectors will recognize a CVSA inspection decal for the month of issue plus two months.

 

Got 2 level ones in the same week.

 

Somebody spent to much time at the doughnut shop and was short on their,,,, ah-hem, Quote's, er, ah, I mean "contact's" for the month.