Short answer: a DOT annual inspection is good for 12 months from the date each required component passed. That comes straight from 49 CFR 396.17(c): a motor carrier must not use a commercial motor vehicle "unless each component identified in appendix A to this part has passed an inspection in accordance with the terms of this section at least once during the preceding 12 months and documentation of such inspection is on the vehicle." Proof can be the inspection report itself or a sticker or decal based on it. Where exactly that sticker goes is not spelled out in the federal rule, which is worth knowing before you assume there is a mandated spot.
The 12-month window, explained
The clock starts on the date the vehicle actually passed inspection, not the date of the last renewal or a calendar-year cutoff. If a truck passed its annual inspection on March 4, it is due again by March 4 of the following year. Run it past that date and the vehicle is out of compliance with 396.17(c), regardless of how recently it was last serviced for something else.
What counts as proof
396.17(c) recognizes two forms of documentation:
- The inspection report prepared under 396.21(a), which identifies the inspector, the carrier, the inspection date, the vehicle, and the results for each inspected component; or
- "Other forms of documentation, based on the inspection report (e.g., sticker or decal)."
A sticker or decal is not a standalone substitute for doing the inspection. It is a shorthand reference back to the underlying report. That is why the rule specifies exactly what the decal itself has to show.
What the decal has to contain
Per 396.17(c), a decal used as alternative documentation must show:
- The date of the inspection.
- The name and address of the location where the inspection report is maintained.
- Information uniquely identifying the vehicle.
- A certification that the vehicle passed an inspection in accordance with 396.17.
This is why our annual inspection labels are built around a company info panel, a logo box, and a year-and-month grid rather than just a bare date. It maps to what the decal is actually required to display, not decoration for its own sake.
Where the sticker actually goes
Here is the part that is genuinely not federally mandated: 396.17(c) requires only that documentation be "on the vehicle." It does not specify a door, a panel, or a particular side of the truck. Common practice, not a federal rule, is to place the annual inspection decal on the driver's side door or door frame, often near the USDOT number marking required under a separate rule (49 CFR 390.21) for legibility during a roadside stop. Some fleets place it on the frame rail near the fuel door or inside the driver's door jamb instead. Any of these can satisfy "on the vehicle" as long as an inspector or officer can actually find and read it. If your fleet has an internal placement standard already, keep it, the rule does not require you to change it, only to have documentation on the vehicle somewhere.
How long the underlying report has to be kept
Separately from the sticker on the truck, the inspection report itself has its own retention rule. 396.21(b)(1) requires the motor carrier to retain the original or a copy of the inspection report "for a period of fourteen months from the date of the inspection report," available on demand to authorized federal, state, or local officials. If the carrier did not perform the inspection itself, 396.21(b)(3) still requires it to obtain the last annual inspection report on official demand. Fourteen months, not twelve, gives a two-month buffer past the sticker's own 12-month validity window so the paperwork for a just-expired inspection is still on file when the new one is being processed.
What happens when the 12 months runs out
Nothing carries over automatically. A new annual inspection has to be performed and pass before the vehicle can be used again under 396.17(c), and a new decal reflecting the new inspection date replaces the old one. Running a fleet on a shared spreadsheet or a simple calendar reminder tied to each vehicle's actual pass date, not a fixed fiscal-year cutoff, is the most common way carriers avoid a lapse. For background on who is allowed to perform that inspection in the first place, see who can perform the inspection, and for exactly what gets checked, the full Appendix A checklist covers the Appendix A categories.
Shop
- FHWA/FMCSA annual inspection labels, personalized with your company name, logo, and a 2026-2030 year grid built around the date, location, and vehicle-identification fields 396.17(c) requires on a decal.
- If your fleet also runs a California 90-day cycle alongside the annual inspection, see how the annual and California 90-day inspections differ for how the two intervals work together.
- Browse the inspection labels collection or the DOT inspection label guide to compare every format we offer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the 12 months start from the sticker date or the last renewal?
From the date the vehicle actually passed the inspection, per 49 CFR 396.17(c). Track each vehicle by its own pass date rather than a shared calendar cutoff.
Is there a federally required spot to place the inspection sticker?
No. 396.17(c) requires documentation to be "on the vehicle" but does not specify a location. Placing it near the driver-side door, often close to the USDOT number marking, is common practice, not a mandated rule.
How long do I have to keep the actual inspection report?
Fourteen months from the date of the report, per 396.21(b)(1), even though the sticker itself is only valid for 12 months on the vehicle.
Can a sticker alone prove I passed inspection?
A decal is accepted as documentation only when it shows the inspection date, the location where the full report is kept, vehicle-identifying information, and a certification statement, per 396.17(c). It stands in for the report; it does not replace having one on file.
Complete guides
- 90-day inspection labels for trucks: what they are, who uses them, and how to order
- FHWA inspection stickers: what FHWA means on a truck label
- FMCSA annual inspection labels: what must be on the sticker
About Wood Unlimited
We print DOT inspection and compliance labels on weatherproof vinyl, printed in Alabama, USA, for single trucks and full fleets. A label is a visual indicator on the vehicle. The inspection itself, performed by a qualified inspector and documented under the applicable rule, is what the regulation actually requires.