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Pre-DOT and DOT Inspections

Comply by checking the vehicle for seating, emergency exits, axel capacity, tire capacity, Chassis capacity, manufacturers tags and all mechanicals as brakes, front end, complete suspension, lighting, body panels, bumpers, glass, gravity brake testing for all buses, limousines, ambulances and school buses.

• Weights ranging from 5000 lbs to 50,000 lbs.
• Independent Wheel Lifts for any size vehicle.
• We also install emergency roof hatches.
• As a builder if your vehicle does not have a manufacturer or your manufacturer is out of business we can remanufacture the vehicle and apply new data plates.
• We will modify your vehicle to meet federal safety standards and insure its safety.

We can assist you in getting you rcertificate of authority documents. Your operating authority D.O.T # M.C # compliance for federal and New York.

Vehicle Inspection Program

All vehicles subject to inspection by the New York State Department of Transportation are required to be inspected at least every six months. The operator is responsible for providing an adequate inspection facility as the NYSDOT does not operate facilities for the inspection of vehicles.

Vehicles subject to NYSDOT inspection include the following:

• Vehicles transporting passengers under the age of 21 years, to and from schools, for hire, or owned and/or operated by school districts or any public or private school. Also included are vehicles used to transport passengers under the age of 21 years between school programs and community residences.
• Vehicles operated in New York State, pursuant to or requiring a certificate or permit for the transportation of passengers, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) or the Commissioner of NYSDOT.
• All buses operated pursuant to or requiring regulatory authority from any city that has adopted an ordinance, local law or charter to regulate a franchise bus line operation pursuant to the New York State Transportation Law.
• Double-decker sightseeing buses regulated by the New York City Office of Community Affairs.

Definitions

School

Every place of academic, vocational or religious services or instruction of persons under the age of 21 years, except places of higher education. It shall include every child care center, every institution for the care or training of the mentally or physically handicapped (certain exceptions apply) and every day camp.

School Service

The transportation of persons under the age of 21 years to and/or from school or school activities, with or without adult supervisory personnel, either:

• In vehicles owned and/or operated by school districts or any public or private school or school district; or
• By others for hire except for parents who enter into a contract with a school to provide transportation exclusively for their own children.

Operator

The person, firm or corporation who has control or directs the operation of the motor vehicle, leases or otherwise.\

Inspection Procedures and Criteria

Vehicles are inspected at an operator provided facility every six months. NYSDOT Motor Vehicle Inspectors (MVIs) contact the vehicle operator in advance of the inspection certificate expiration, to arrange for a date for the next inspection of the vehicle. Usually, the MVI will go to the operator's facility and conduct the inspection of the vehicles that were previously scheduled for inspection with the operator. Normally an inspection will take approximately 60-90 minutes to complete, depending on the size/type of vehicle. Initial inspections of new vehicles take somewhat longer. In addition to the actual vehicle inspection, required maintenance records, preventive maintenance program and driver inspection reports are also checked.
Inspections are conducted based on the requirements contained in Sections 720 and 721 of the NYS Transportation Regulations. Contained in these regulations are the passenger vehicle Out of Service (OOS) Criteria. Discovered defects that meet the OOS criteria, will result in the following actions depending on the class of defect discovered:

• "A" rated defect - vehicle is placed Out of Service, no inspection certificate is issued until the defect(s) is repaired and a re inspection is conducted;
• "B" rated defect - vehicle is issued an inspection certificate but defect must be corrected prior to carrying passengers;
• "C" rated defect - vehicle is issued an inspection certificate but defect must be corrected within 15 days from the date of the original inspection.

Copies of the regulations and OOS criteria may be obtained by contacting the Motor Carrier Safety Bureau at (518) 457-6512 or by downloading the:

• Passenger Vehicle Out of Service (OOS) Criteria  .
• Bus & Passenger Carrier Safety Rules & Regulations 
• Bus & Passenger Carrier Safety Regulation Interpretations 

What if the Vehicle Fails Inspection

Vehicles placed out of service as a result of the discovery of a serious ("A" rated) safety defect, are not issued an inspection certificate and may not carry passengers. An out-of-service decal is affixed to the vehicle which permits the vehicle to be operated on the highway for the purpose of getting repairs, for a period of 15 days.

If the out-of-service defect can be repaired and the MVI has available time before leaving the operator's inspection facility, the OOS vehicle can be re inspected the same day. If the OOS defect(s) is properly repaired, a valid inspection certificate is issued. If repairs are not completed before the MVI leaves the facility, the operator must arrange with the MVI for a date for re inspection of the vehicle.

Vehicles that have accumulated in excess of 100 miles or 15 days or more have passed since the vehicle was placed out of service, will require a complete inspection of the vehicle rather than just a re inspection of the OOS items discovered at the original inspection.

Out-of-Service Appeal Instructions and Appeal Form

The Department allows an operator to appeal an out of service designation on a vehicle which it feels is incorrect. The details of this process can be downloaded from this web page:

• Instructions for an Appeal of an Out-of-Service Determination 
• Out-of-Service Defect Appeal Form 

Inquiries can be addressed by sending an e-mail to this Department or by calling 518-457-6512.

Bus Performance

NYSDOT performs semi-annual vehicle safety inspections on a wide variety of vehicles that are subject to inspections by the NYSDOT. Of approximately 154,000 inspections conducted each year, almost 80% are performed on vehicles used in school transportation service, either directly by a public or private school or by a contractor hired to provide that service. The remaining inspections are performed on vehicles used in other services regulated by NYSDOT: motor coach charter service, transit, ambulette (transit disabled) and "for hire" passenger service.

The following documents are an alphabetic listing of all passenger vehicle operators that have one or more vehicles inspected under NYSDOT's semi-annual vehicle safety inspection program by state fiscal year. This listing is intended to assist you in identifying operators of interest, and provide the information you need to compare the inspection record of your local operator with other similar sized operators in your area or elsewhere in New York State.