{ "slug": "most-common-hos-roadside-violations", "title": "The Most Common HOS Violations at Roadside Inspections", "url": "https://fleetregulators.com/research/most-common-hos-roadside-violations", "published": "2026-11-06", "snapshot": "FMCSA SMS monthly data run published 2026-10-13; inspections 2024-09-25 to 2026-09-24", "data_basis": "FMCSA SMS Input files (Inspection, Violation, Motor Carrier Census), via data.transportation.gov; 49 CFR Part 395 section headings from the eCFR", "headline": { "hos_relevant_inspections": 5678181, "inspections_with_hos_violation": 432739, "hos_violations": 612853, "hos_oos_violations": 144658, "inspections_with_hos_oos": 130051, "hos_violations_not_part_395_code": 4812, "eld_section_violations": 264607, "texas": { "hos_relevant_inspections": 694798, "share_with_hos_violation": 4.1, "hos_violations_per_100": 6.1, "share_with_hos_oos": 1.4, "hos_violations": 42116 }, "other_states": { "hos_relevant_inspections": 4983383, "share_with_hos_violation": 8.1, "hos_violations_per_100": 11.5, "share_with_hos_oos": 2.4, "hos_violations": 570737 }, "texas_inspection_mix": { "All carriers": { "texas_level_iii_share": 5.4, "rest_level_iii_share": 40.6, "texas_crude": 4.1, "rest_crude": 8.1, "texas_standardized": 4.8, "texas_inspections": 694797, "rest_inspections": 4981290 }, "Interstate carriers only": { "texas_level_iii_share": 5.6, "rest_level_iii_share": 41.7, "texas_crude": 4.5, "rest_crude": 9.0, "texas_standardized": 5.4, "texas_inspections": 533115, "rest_inspections": 4364678 } }, "texas_intrastate_carrier_inspections": 161682, "distinct_hos_codes": 154, "false_log_group_codes": 15, "section_395_8_violations": 256556, "section_395_8_eld_related_violations": 19777, "national": { "hos_relevant_inspections": 5678181, "share_with_hos_violation": 7.6, "hos_violations_per_100": 10.8, "share_with_hos_oos": 2.3, "hos_violations": 612853 }, "texas_top_groups": [ [ "Incomplete/Wrong Log", 13892 ], [ "EOBR Related", 11146 ], [ "Other Log/Form & Manner", 6754 ], [ "False Log", 4698 ], [ "Fail to transfer ELD records", 4186 ] ], "fleet_size": { "1 power unit": { "hos_relevant_inspections": 693148, "share_with_hos_violation": 13.3, "hos_violations_per_100": 19.3, "share_with_hos_oos": 5.6, "level_iii_share": 33.9 }, "2-10 power units": { "hos_relevant_inspections": 1529937, "share_with_hos_violation": 9.9, "hos_violations_per_100": 14.4, "share_with_hos_oos": 3.6, "level_iii_share": 34.2 }, "11-50 power units": { "hos_relevant_inspections": 1269615, "share_with_hos_violation": 7.2, "hos_violations_per_100": 10.2, "share_with_hos_oos": 1.7, "level_iii_share": 36.4 }, "51-150 power units": { "hos_relevant_inspections": 760445, "share_with_hos_violation": 5.7, "hos_violations_per_100": 7.7, "share_with_hos_oos": 1.0, "level_iii_share": 38.4 }, "151+ power units": { "hos_relevant_inspections": 1404627, "share_with_hos_violation": 3.8, "hos_violations_per_100": 4.9, "share_with_hos_oos": 0.5, "level_iii_share": 38.5 }, "Not reported or 0": { "hos_relevant_inspections": 20409, "share_with_hos_violation": 6.8, "hos_violations_per_100": 9.0, "share_with_hos_oos": 3.7, "level_iii_share": 24.8 } } }, "findings": [ { "id": "finding-overall", "value": 7.6, "text": "Between 2024-09-25 and 2026-09-24, 7.6% of 5,678,181 HOS-relevant roadside inspections recorded at least one Hours-of-Service violation. Those inspections produced 612,853 HOS violations in FMCSA's SMS data." }, { "id": "finding-top-group", "value": 28.7, "text": "The largest SMS violation group is Other Log/Form & Manner, with 176,194 violations, 28.7% of all HOS violations." }, { "id": "finding-top-codes", "value": 63024, "text": "The three most frequently recorded HOS violation codes are 3958A1HOSP (HOS (Property) - Failing to have a record of duty status using the method prescribed): 63,024; 39524 (HOS (ELD) - ELD Form and Manner): 60,445; 3958EHOSPD (HOS (Property) - No driver may make a false report in connection with a duty status. Explain): 58,973." }, { "id": "finding-eld", "value": 43.2, "text": "Violations of the ELD sections of Part 395 (395.20 through 395.36) make up 43.2% of HOS violations. Violations of 395.8, the record of duty status section, make up 41.9%; violations of the property-carrying driving limits in 395.3 make up 13.7%." }, { "id": "finding-oos", "value": 23.6, "text": "23.6% of HOS violations were recorded as out-of-service violations, and 2.3% of HOS-relevant inspections included at least one HOS out-of-service violation. The Jumping OOS/Driving Fatigued group has the highest out-of-service share among groups with at least 1,000 violations, at 89.2%." }, { "id": "finding-fleet-size", "value": 14.4, "text": "Carriers with 2 to 10 power units received 14.4 HOS violations per 100 HOS-relevant inspections, and 9.9% of their inspections had at least one. For carriers with 151 or more power units the figures were 4.9 and 3.8%." }, { "id": "finding-texas", "value": 4.1, "text": "In HOS-relevant inspections conducted in Texas, 4.1% recorded at least one HOS violation, compared with 8.1% in all other report states (694,798 Texas inspections). This is a descriptive comparison, not a measure of compliance: Level III driver-only inspections are 5.4% of Texas HOS-relevant inspections versus 40.6% elsewhere, and 23.3% of Texas inspections involve intrastate carriers, which can operate under Texas hours rules. Reweighted to the other states' inspection-level mix, the Texas share is 4.8% for all carriers and 5.4% for interstate carriers only, against 8.1% and 9.0% in the other states." } ], "citation": "Fleet Regulators. \"The Most Common HOS Violations at Roadside Inspections.\" Published November 2026. Analysis of FMCSA SMS data (2026-10-13 run). https://fleetregulators.com/research/most-common-hos-roadside-violations", "modified": "2026-11-07" }