Mo G
Last verified: September 15, 2026
Every California fleet owner remembers their first CHP terminal inspection the way people remember a first flight in rough air. A Motor Carrier Specialist arrives at the yard, asks for a sample of trucks and a stack of records, and spends the day deciding whether your maintenance program is real or theoretical. Nobody gets a ticket. Something more consequential happens instead: your terminal gets a rating, and that rating is published where anyone can read it.
That is the Basic Inspection of Terminals program, and it changed on January 1, 2026. Here is what is actually different, who is still covered, and the one place CHP’s own paperwork will steer you wrong.
What is the BIT program?
The Basic Inspection of Terminals (BIT) program is the California Highway Patrol’s system for inspecting motor carrier terminals, the vehicles operated from them, and the maintenance and driver records behind those vehicles. It is written into California Vehicle Code section 34501.12, which names the program in its own text. Carriers whose vehicles fall under the program must identify every California terminal to CHP and make vehicles and records available on request.
CHP has been inspecting terminals since 1965. The modern program dates to AB 529 (Lowenthal), Chapter 500, Statutes of 2013, which rebuilt what had been a biennial inspection scheme created by AB 2706 in 1988. On January 1, 2016, selection moved from a time-based cycle to a performance-based one driven by the California Performance Safety Score, derived from Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category (BASIC) percentiles.
Three consequences follow from that design, and fleets routinely miss all three:
- Enrollment is automatic, not elective. Once CHP assigns your carrier identification number and you identify terminals with a property-carrying type of operation, you are in the program.
- A terminal can be a house. CVC 34515(a) defines a terminal as any place a regulated vehicle is regularly garaged or maintained, or from which it is operated or dispatched, and CHP states plainly that this includes a private business or residence.
- Your rating is public. CHP publishes terminal inspection safety ratings, along with Controlled Substances and Alcohol Testing ratings, on its Carrier Inspection Results page. Your customers can look you up.
What changed on January 1, 2026
Two changes took effect, both from AB 3278 (Committee on Transportation), Chapter 226, Statutes of 2024, signed September 12, 2024.
The bill rewrote CVC 34501.12 in two versions: one that ran until January 1, 2026, and one that became operative on that date. Comparing them side by side shows exactly what moved.
| Item | Through December 31, 2025 | Operative January 1, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle categories in the BIT cycle | CVC 34500 subdivisions (a), (b), (e), (f), (g), (j), (k) | Subdivisions (a), (b), (e), (f), (g), (k). Subdivision (j) removed. |
| 90-day inspection duty under CVC 34505.5 | Applied to the same list, including (j) | Same list without (j) |
| Reinspection ceiling after a satisfactory rating | CHP not required to inspect more often than once every six years | CHP not required to inspect after a satisfactory compliance rating |
Subdivision (j) is the one that matters. Those are the vehicles the industry calls “j-trucks”: motortrucks not otherwise listed in CVC 34500 that are regulated by the DMV, the Department of Consumer Affairs, or the United States Secretary of Transportation. They were pulled into BIT in 2016. As of January 1, 2026, they are out of the terminal inspection cycle and out of the 90-day inspection requirement in CVC 34505.5.
The Assembly Committee on Transportation explained why in its own analysis: since 2016, most j-truck terminals selected for BIT inspection were selected simply because CHP had no safety data on them, not because anything suggested a problem.
The correction nobody has published: CHP’s own BIT handout is out of date
CHP 800H, the welcome-to-BIT publication CHP hands new carriers and links from its Commercial Vehicle Section page, carries a revision stamp of Rev. 10-16. Its list of vehicles subject to the program still ends with this bullet: any other motortruck not otherwise specified that is regulated by the DMV Motor Carrier Permit, the Public Utilities Commission, or FMCSA.
That bullet is subdivision (j). The statute operative since January 1, 2026 no longer includes it. The form is nearly a decade old and describes a rule that changed this year.
This is not a reason to ignore CHP. It is a reason to read the Vehicle Code before you conclude a truck is or is not covered, and to ask your local Motor Carrier Safety Unit rather than a PDF. If you have been performing 90-day inspections on a straight truck solely because it is a j-truck, that is worth a conversation with CHP before you stop.
Which vehicles are still subject to BIT in 2026
CVC 34501.12(a) now points to six subdivisions of CVC 34500. Read with the limits in 34501.12(c)(3), the covered set looks like this.
| CVC 34500 subdivision | What it covers | Limits that apply |
|---|---|---|
| (a) | Motortrucks of three or more axles that are more than 10,000 lbs GVWR | None additional |
| (b) | Truck tractors | None additional |
| (e) | Trailers and semitrailers, pole or pipe dollies, auxiliary dollies, logging dollies used in combination with listed vehicles | Excludes camp trailers, trailer coaches, and utility trailers |
| (f) | A motortruck and trailer combination exceeding 40 feet coupled | Only where the towing vehicle exceeds 10,000 lbs GVWR. Not a pickup truck as defined in CVC 471. Not a combination never operated commercially. |
| (g) | Vehicles transporting hazardous materials | Only where placards are required under CVC 27903, a license is required under CVC 32000.5, or hazardous waste transporter registration is required under Health and Safety Code 25163 |
| (k) | A commercial motor vehicle of 26,001 lbs GVWR or more, or a CMV of any GVWR towing a subdivision (e) trailer over 10,000 lbs GVWR | Excludes combinations including camp trailers, trailer coaches, or utility trailers |
One correction worth making, because it circulates constantly in fleet forums: the 26,001-pound threshold is not new. Subdivision (k) has been part of the BIT vehicle list since January 1, 2016. AB 3278 did not create it and did not raise a weight threshold. What AB 3278 removed was the catch-all category, not a weight tier.
Vehicles that are not subject to BIT
CVC 34501.12(c)(3) and CHP’s own guidance exclude the following: vehicles displaying special identification plates under CVC 5011, historical vehicles under CVC 5004, implements of husbandry and farm vehicles as defined in Division 16, vehicles owned or operated by a federal agency, vehicles used only incidentally on the highway, motor vehicles not designed, used, or maintained primarily for transporting property, and firefighting apparatus.
Agricultural vehicles: check the current status before you assume
CVC 34500.6 defines an agricultural vehicle as a vehicle or combination with a gross combination or gross vehicle weight rating of 26,000 pounds or less that meets five conditions at once: it is operated by a farmer, a farmer’s employee, or a credentialed agriculture instructor; it is used exclusively in agricultural operations when in commerce; it is not used for hire or compensation; the towing vehicle is rated at 16,000 pounds or less; and it operates solely in intrastate commerce.
That exemption has been extended twice. AB 1960 (Lackey), Chapter 748, Statutes of 2016 created it with a sunset of January 1, 2023. AB 2415 (Lackey), Chapter 209, Statutes of 2022 extended it to January 1, 2026. AB 525 (Lackey) was introduced in February 2025 to remove the sunset and extend the exemption indefinitely, and the Assembly Committee on Transportation analyzed it on that basis in April 2025 with support from the California Farm Bureau Federation, the California Cattlemen’s Association, and Western United Dairies, and no registered opposition.
We are not publishing a final status for AB 525 here, because we could not read the chaptered text at the Legislature’s site at the time of writing. If you operate farm vehicles in the 26,000-pound-and-under band, confirm the current status of the agricultural exemption with your local CHP Motor Carrier Safety Unit before you assume your vehicles are in or out. That single question is worth a phone call.
The 90-day inspection: what it actually covers
CVC 34505.5 requires carriers operating covered vehicles to inspect each one at least every 90 days, or more often if needed for safe operation. The statute sets a floor of five items:
- Brake adjustment
- Brake system components and leaks
- Steering and suspension systems
- Tires and wheels
- Vehicle connecting devices
Note what is not on that statutory list: lighting. Lighting is inspected plenty elsewhere, including during a CHP terminal inspection of the vehicle itself, but the five items above are what CVC 34505.5 names as the minimum periodic inspection. Fleets that build their preventive maintenance form straight off a generic template often assume the list is longer or shorter than it is. Build from the statute.
Three more rules in the same section that fleets get wrong:
- A vehicle out of service for more than 90 days does not need 90-day inspections while it sits, provided it is inspected before it operates on the highway again.
- A vehicle with listed defects may not be operated at all, except to a place of repair, until the defects are corrected and attested by the signature of the carrier’s authorized representative.
- Interstate vehicles not physically based in California do not have to keep their 90-day records in California. If CHP inspects one in California and the results suggest maintenance program deficiencies, CHP can require the records within 10 working days.
The CVSA Level 1 trap
This one costs carriers real money, and it cuts in two directions at once.
A CVSA Level 1 roadside inspection cannot be used to satisfy your 90-day inspection requirement. CHP says so directly in CHP 800H. A clean Level 1 at a scale house does not reset your 90-day clock on that unit.
But CHP can use a CVSA Level 1 report to fill the vehicle sample during your terminal inspection, provided the Level 1 was completed within 90 calendar days of the BIT inspection. So the same piece of paper that does nothing for your compliance file can still count toward CHP’s sample. Understand the asymmetry and keep doing your own inspections.
Records: what to keep, where, and for how long
Inspection records live at the terminal designated under CVC 34501.12, and the carrier retains them for two years. Each record must include the vehicle identification (make, model, license number, company vehicle number, or other positive identification), the date and nature of each inspection and any repair performed, and the signature of the carrier’s authorized representative attesting to the inspection and to completion of required repairs.
Records may be kept electronically. CVC 34505.5(d) accepts computer printouts in place of signed records if they carry the vehicle identification and the date and nature of inspection and repair.
Beyond maintenance records, a BIT inspection reaches driver records (Employer Pull Notice enrollment where a commercial driver’s license is required, timekeeping records, proficiency records, employment applications) and, for hazardous materials carriers, HM training, cargo tank, shipping paper, and safety plan records.
Ratings, and what happens after one
CHP assigns a safety compliance rating in each applicable category: regulated vehicles, maintenance program, driver records, and hazardous materials. The ratings are satisfactory or unsatisfactory. A conditional rating exists but CHP applies it only in limited circumstances on reinspections, which is a detail most summaries of the program get wrong by presenting three equal grades.
The mechanics after that are fixed by statute:
- Motor Carrier Specialist personnel do not issue citations for what they find. They assign ratings.
- If you fail to produce vehicles and records on request, CVC 34501.12(b) requires CHP to issue an unsatisfactory rating. Not being ready is itself the failure.
- An unsatisfactory terminal is reinspected within 120 days.
- You may request a review of an unsatisfactory rating within five business days of notification, and CHP must conduct and evaluate that review within 10 business days of the request.
- If an unsatisfactory rating suspends your Motor Carrier Permit or PUC operating authority, CHP will not reinspect for reinstatement until DMV or the PUC asks it to.
That last point is where a CHP problem becomes a DMV problem, and it is the reason fleet owners should not treat BIT and registration as separate worlds.
How to enroll, step by step
- Get a US DOT number first. CVC 34507.5 requires it before you can apply for a California carrier identification number.
- Submit a CHP 362, Motor Carrier Profile, to your local CHP Motor Carrier Safety Unit, or apply online through CHP’s CA number system. There is no fee for the CA number.
- Identify every terminal, including any private business or residence from which regulated vehicles are regularly garaged, maintained, operated, or dispatched.
- You are now enrolled. BIT enrollment happens automatically once the CA number is assigned and terminals are identified with a property-carrying type of operation.
- Handle the fee side at DMV, not CHP. CHP stopped collecting BIT fees on January 1, 2016. DMV collects Carrier Inspection Fees alongside the Motor Carrier Permit, applied for on form MC 706 M.
- Start the 90-day cycle immediately and keep two years of records at the terminal.
One wrinkle: some carriers are exempt from the DMV Motor Carrier Permit requirement but still face BIT inspections. CHP names state and local government agencies, household goods carriers regulated by the PUC, and interstate-only carriers regulated by FMCSA. Federal agencies are exempt from BIT entirely.
BIT versus the federal annual inspection
California fleets running interstate carry both obligations. They are not the same inspection and one does not replace the other.
| California 90-day inspection (CVC 34505.5) | Federal periodic inspection (49 CFR 396.17) | |
|---|---|---|
| Interval | At least every 90 days | At least once every 12 months |
| Scope | Five statutory minimum items | All components in Appendix A to Part 396 |
| Proof carried on the vehicle | Not required by the section | Required. Inspection report or a sticker or decal carrying the date, the responsible party’s name and address, vehicle identification, and a certification |
| Who may perform it | Carrier or its representative, attested by signature | Carrier self-inspection, or a commercial garage, fleet leasing company, or truck stop acting as agent with qualified inspectors under 49 CFR 396.19 |
| Record retention | Two years at the terminal | Documentation on the vehicle, per 49 CFR 396.21(a) |
| Credit for state inspections | CVSA Level 1 does not satisfy it | A qualifying state periodic inspection counts for 12 months from the last day of the month it was performed |
Failing to perform the federal annual inspection exposes the carrier to the penalty provisions of 49 USC 521(b). Failing the California side costs you a terminal rating, and potentially your permit.
Where the DMV side of this lives, and how to stop losing days to it
CHP owns the inspection. DMV owns the paperwork that keeps the fleet legal to operate while you pass it: the Motor Carrier Permit and its Carrier Inspection Fees, registration renewals, declared weight under CVRA weight fees and decals, permanent trailer identification on every trailer in a subdivision (e) combination, and the Clean Truck Check hold that blocks renewal outright until it clears.
A suspended Motor Carrier Permit stops the trucks just as effectively as a mechanical defect does. Here is how fleets typically handle that side.
| Approach | DMV office visit | Turnaround on documents | Tracking across a fleet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sticker Quicker (recommended) | None | DMV-connected real-time processing with next-day FedEx delivery | Virtual Garage dashboard with automated renewal-deadline tracking and proactive alerts |
| Handle it in house by mail | Sometimes | Weeks, depending on DMV processing and mail | Whatever spreadsheet someone remembers to update |
| Walk into a DMV office | Every time | Same day if nothing is missing | None |
| Let it lapse and fix it later | Usually | Slowest, plus penalties | None, and the trucks are parked |
Sticker Quicker is a licensed California DMV Business Partner with full online access, DMV Occupational License #90656, one of only a handful in the state at that level. We do not perform CHP terminal inspections, and no one outside CHP can. What we do is keep the DMV half of fleet compliance current so that a BIT finding never compounds into an expired registration, a lapsed permit, and a yard full of trucks that cannot legally move. Our DMV fleet services include the Virtual Garage, a single dashboard for an entire fleet’s renewal deadlines, documents, and fee estimates, and the Managed Solution, which functions as your in-house DMV department.
Frequently asked questions
Does BIT still apply to j-trucks in 2026?
No. Effective January 1, 2026, AB 3278 removed CVC 34500 subdivision (j) from the vehicles subject to CVC 34501.12, and from the 90-day inspection requirement in CVC 34505.5. Note that CHP’s own publication CHP 800H (Rev. 10-16) still lists j-trucks as covered. Confirm with your local CHP Motor Carrier Safety Unit before changing your program.
How often does CHP inspect a California truck terminal?
There is no fixed interval. Since January 1, 2016, selection has been performance-based, driven by the California Performance Safety Score derived from FMCSA BASIC percentiles. CHP prioritizes terminals never previously inspected, terminals flagged by the selection system, and terminals operating hazardous materials vehicles. A satisfactory rating removes the requirement to reinspect unless your scores cross the threshold again.
What does the California 90-day inspection have to cover?
CVC 34505.5 sets a minimum of five items: brake adjustment, brake system components and leaks, steering and suspension systems, tires and wheels, and vehicle connecting devices. The record must identify the vehicle, state the date and nature of the inspection and any repair, and carry the signature of the carrier’s authorized representative. Records are kept at the terminal for two years.
Can a roadside CVSA inspection replace my 90-day inspection?
No. CHP states that a CVSA Level 1 on-highway inspection may not be used to satisfy the carrier’s 90-day inspection requirement. CHP may, however, use a CVSA Level 1 report toward the vehicle sample during a terminal inspection if it was completed within 90 calendar days of that inspection.
Can my house be a terminal?
Yes. CVC 34515(a) defines a terminal as any place a regulated vehicle is regularly garaged or maintained, or from which it is operated or dispatched, and CHP confirms this includes a private business or residence. Carriers must identify every terminal from which regulated vehicles operate.
What happens if my terminal gets an unsatisfactory rating?
CHP reinspects within 120 days. You may request a review within five business days of notification, and CHP must conduct and evaluate it within 10 business days. If the rating suspends your Motor Carrier Permit or PUC operating authority, CHP will not reinspect for reinstatement until DMV or the PUC requests it. Motor Carrier Specialist personnel do not issue citations.
Are there fees to be in the BIT program?
CHP stopped collecting BIT fees on January 1, 2016, and there is no fee for the CA number itself. DMV now collects Carrier Inspection Fees in conjunction with the Motor Carrier Permit, applied for on form MC 706 M.
Primary sources
- AB 3278 (Committee on Transportation), Chapter 226, Statutes of 2024, full text, including both versions of CVC 34501.12 and the amendment to CVC 34505.5
- AB 2415 (Lackey), Chapter 209, Statutes of 2022, full text, including CVC 34500.6
- Assembly Committee on Transportation analysis of AB 525, April 28, 2025
- CHP 800H, Welcome to BIT, the Basic Inspection of Terminals Program (Rev. 10-16)
- CHP Commercial Vehicle Section, including Carrier Inspection Results and the CHP 362 Motor Carrier Profile
- 49 CFR 396.17, Periodic inspection (Title 49 current as of September 11, 2026)
- California DMV, Motor Carrier Permitting
About the author
Mo G is the founder of Sticker Quicker, California’s DMV Express Services. Sticker Quicker is a licensed California DMV Business Partner with full online access (DMV Occupational License #90656), one of only a handful in the state at that level, serving all of California online from its Fremont headquarters. Over decades and more than 500,000 customers served, the team has handled registrations, titles, and fleet compliance filings with DMV-connected real-time processing and next-day FedEx delivery. Need the DMV side of your fleet handled correctly the first time? Start with Sticker Quicker’s California fleet registration service, or review heavy weight and commercial vehicle registration if your declared weight is changing.
