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Data · Roadside inspections · 3 minute read · For release October 2026

Violations by type for dump truck haulers

Weigh station entrance, westbound I-94, New Buffalo Township, Michigan. Photo: AlphaBeta135, via Wikimedia Commons. CC BY 4.0.

We reviewed every violation written on dump truck haulers at roadside in the last 24 months: 342,920 violations from 222,050 inspections. Lighting and brakes make up 47%.

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342,920

violations reviewed, last 24 months

47%

lighting or brakes

87%

on the truck, not the driver

Violations by type

Share of all violations. Out of service: share of that type that stopped the truck or driver.

TypeShareOut of service
Lighting24.5%8%
Brakes22.9%22%
Tires and wheels10.5%53%
Windshield, glass, markings8.7%0%
Emergency equipment4.7%0%
Inspection reports4.3%0%
Other vehicle defects3.4%6%
Cargo securement2.6%85%
Speeding2.5%0%
Hours of service2.3%27%
License1.9%93%

FMCSA SMS Input files: violations (8mt8-2mdr) and inspections (rbkj-cgst), 24 months

Mostly the truck

Equipment accounts for 87% of violations: lights, brakes, tires, glass. Speeding is 2.5%, seat belts 1.5% and phone use 0.3%, which fits short local runs.

Some nearly always stop the truck

Most lighting violations don't: 8% put the truck out of service. Cargo securement does 85% of the time, and license violations 93%. An untarped load or a driver without a valid CDL parks the truck on the spot. Overall, 20.7% of violations stopped the truck or driver (what puts dump trucks out of service).

Next steps

A hauler's mix says more than its count. Each hauler page in HaulStanding shows its violations by type against the dump truck average. Check a hauler, then watch the ones you hire.

Violations by type, 24 months

53 violations in 52 inspections, 13 out of service. Share of inspections with each type. Line: dump truck average.

HaulerAvg
Lighting
19.2%22.1%
Tires and wheels
17.3%13.1%
Brakes
15.4%18.1%
Glass and markings
7.7%11.6%
Cargo securement
7.7%3.5%
Emergency equipment
5.8%6.1%
Inspection reports
3.8%6.4%
Hours of service
1.9%2.7%

Sample hauler, not a real carrier.
Dump truck average: 85,326 active dump truck haulers, 222,050 inspections, run 10/16/2026

How we counted. FMCSA public tables on data.transportation.gov, counted October 15, 2026. "Dump truck haulers" are active for-hire carriers that describe their cargo as dirt, rock, aggregate, asphalt, frac sand or dump work, or whose name says the work. FMCSA does not record truck body type. How we define the groups. Driver violations are FMCSA's driver groups: speeding, hours of service, license, medical certificate, seat belt, phone, dangerous and reckless driving, drugs and alcohol, and driver qualification; the rest are on the vehicle. One inspection can carry several violations.

Public records as FMCSA publishes them, which can contain errors. Figures describe groups, not any one carrier. Not legal advice.

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