Section 451.150  Completion Procedures for Vehicle Inspection Report (VIR)

 

a)         The VIR shall be completed by a CST for each and every vehicle submitted for an inspection at an Official Testing Station.

 

b)         The VIR remains the property of the Department at all times.

 

c)         Every combination of vehicles (e.g., tractor-trailer) shall be tested as separate units and must have separate VIRs.

 

d)         The vehicle owner's registration card, title, or equivalent proof of ownership shall be presented to the CST at the time of the safety test for all vehicles being tested. For school bus inspections, a valid wheel pull form (SB6) shall also be presented to the CST prior to the safety test.  The safety test cannot begin without proper ownership documentation and wheel pull form (if school bus is tested). The CST must verify that the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) which is recorded on the vehicle registration material is identical to the VIN found on the vehicle VIN plate.

 

f)         The CST must remove the old Certificate of Safety from the windshield of the vehicle before beginning the inspection.

 

g)         The CST shall write legibly and use only a number two lead pencil to record information on the VIR.

 

h)         VIR's are separated into two types: school bus and all vehicles other than school buses.  The school bus VIR is used only for school buses and the other VIR is used for all other vehicles.

            (AGENCY NOTE:  Copies of the Vehicle Inspection Reports are available upon request at the Department's Commercial Vehicle Safety Section)

 

i)          For all vehicles other than school buses, the CST must indicate in Field A whether the vehicle is tested semiannually (IVC) or annually (Interstate).

 

j)          In fields 5, 7, 10, 11 and 21, the required numbers and/or letters shall be written in the spaces above the bubbled area and the corresponding bubbles shall be marked below.

 

k)         The following fields shall be recorded on the VIR in the following order:

 

1)         Field 8 – Date of the safety test.

 

2)         Field 9 – Starting time of safety test.

 

A)        Time recorded must directly correspond to actual time of test.

 

B)        Only one vehicle is to be tested at a time.

 

3)         Field 11 – Official Testing Station and CST identification numbers.

 

4)         Field 12 – CST initials.

 

5)         Field 1 – Manufactured year of the vehicle.

 

A)        Shall be found on the proof of ownership material.

 

B)        If the vehicle's year is prior to 1970, only the bubble labeled "prior to 1970" is marked.

 

C)        For all other years, the appropriate combination of 1970 or 1980 and the appropriate last digit of the year is marked (e.g., for a 1983 vehicle, the "1980" and "3" bubbles would be marked).

 

6)         Field 2 – Type of vehicle to be tested.

 

7)         Field 2A – Vehicle rejected and not returned within 30 days.

 

8)         Field 3 (school bus) – Vehicle chassis

 

            Field 3 (other than school bus) – Vehicle make

 

9)         Field 4 (school bus) – Body type

 

            Field 4 (other than school bus) – Trailer make

 

10)         Field 5 – License Plate Number

 

A)        Enter the exact license plate letters and/or numbers found on the plates attached to the vehicle.

 

B)        Begin filling from the left most box and proceed to the right.

 

C)        Fill only enough boxes to record the number.

 

D)        If no plates are attached to the vehicle, enter "NONE" in the upper fields and mark the appropriate bubbles below.

 

11)         Field 7 – Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)

 

A)        Begin filling from the left most box and proceed to the right.

 

B)        Do not leave any blank spaces between numbers or letters.

 

C)        Blank spaces are acceptable only at the far right if not needed to record the VIN.

 

12)         Field 10 – Odometer Reading

 

A)        Begin filling from the right most box.

 

B)        Mark "0" in any unoccupied boxes (e.g., odometer reading of 17,323 would be written 017,323).

 

C)        Mileage is bubbled in thousands of miles (e.g., odometer reading of 17,323 would be bubbled 017).

 

13)         Field 15 – Number of Axles

 

A)        Mark the number of wheel axles found on the vehicle.

 

B)        Single and double wheel axles are recorded separately.

 

14)         Field 13 – Component Reject Area

 

A)        Mark the appropriate bubble(s) for any defects found on the vehicle during the safety test.

 

B)        Complete the entire test, regardless of defects found.

 

C)        Where several defects are represented by the same bubbled area, the "remarks section" on the second blue sheet of the VIR is to be used for a more detailed description of the defects found (school bus VIR only).

 

15)         Field 16 – Test Fee

 

A)        Enter the test fee charged according to the posted Official Testing Station fee schedule.

 

B)        If a Certificate of Safety is issued, the fee for the Certificate is to be included in this field.  If no Certificate of Safety is issued, only the test fee is recorded.

 

16)         Fields 17 and 18 – Repair Charges

 

A)        The cost of parts used for minor repairs shall be entered in Field 17. No repairs or adjustments shall be initiated without express permission of the vehicle owner or driver.

 

B)        The cost of labor necessary to make minor repairs shall be entered in Field 18.  Labor charges can only be assessed for specific mechanical work performed.

 

C)        The costs shall be rounded to the nearest dollar.

 

17)         Field 14 – Completion Time of Test.

 

A)        Time is determined after testing procedures and Vehicle Inspection Report are complete.

 

B)        Both the front and rear sides of the Vehicle Inspection Report must be complete.

 

18)         Fields 19, 20 and 21 – Certificates of Safety Issued

 

A)        Certificates of Safety shall only be issued to a vehicle meeting or exceeding the minimum safety test requirements.

 

B)        The date the Certificate is affixed to the windshield shall be entered in Field 19.

 

C)        The time the Certificate is affixed shall be entered in Field 20.

 

D)        The complete eleven-digit Certificate serial number shall be entered in Field 21.

 

19)         Field 22 – Total Costs for Safety Test

 

A)        Field 22 is mandatory for all Official Testing Stations (OTS) other than Private OTS.  Field 22 is optional for Private OTS.

 

B)         Subtotal fees are separated into the following categories:

 

i)         Test fee;

 

ii)        Labor charge;

 

iii)       Parts charge;

 

iv)       Sales tax; and

 

v)        Certificate of Safety fee categories.

 

l)         The legal section on the reverse side of the second and third copies of the Vehicle Inspection Report must be completed.  The CST can either complete both copies or remove the last page of carbon paper and reinsert it back into the VIR between the second and third copies of the form.  This allows the information which is required on the back of the VIR to also be shown on the back of the second copy.

 

1)         Item 1 – Vehicle Owner's Identification

 

A)        Enter the complete name and address of the owner as shown on the proof of ownership or registration material.

 

B)        Information shall be printed legibly and no abbreviations are acceptable.

 

2)         Item 2 – Driver's signature

 

3)         Item 3 – CST name and signature

 

A)        Must be complete name.

 

B)        Legal signature only.

 

4)         Item 4 – Retesting CST Signature

 

A)        Completed only when a rejected vehicle returns for retest.

 

B)        The CST performing the retest and signing Item 4 does not have to be the same CST who performed the original safety test.

 

m)        For interstate vehicles, the CST must complete the pass/fail check off list on page two.  Only those components that apply to the unit being inspected can be checked.

 

n)         For each replacement Certificate issued, field numbers 1-7, 10-13 (code only "Replacement Certificate of Safety" bubble at right end of "Glazing" line), 15, 16 (code amount of Certificate of Safety fee if charge was made; skip this field if no charge was made), and 19-21 shall be completed on a VIR.

 

o)         The Certificate of Safety fee shall not be charged to the driver until the Certificate is issued.

 

p)         It is the responsibility of the Official Testing Station Owner to issue, submit and file the completed Vehicle Inspection Report copies as listed below:  

 

1)         Top Copy:  Submitted to the Department.

 

A)        Copy is held at the Station until the first Monday following the test.

 

B)        Each Monday all VIRs completed the previous week are to be mailed to the following address:  

 

            Illinois Department of Transportation

            2300 S. Dirksen Parkway

            Room 022

            Springfield, IL 62764

 

2)         Second Copy:  Filed at Official Testing Station.

 

A)        VIR's completed for interstate (annual) inspections must be filed separately from all other VIRs.  All VIR's, including interstate VIR's, must be filed in the following order:

 

i)          Certificate of Safety code (i.e., TRK, TRL, SHB or RBV).

 

ii)         Certificate of Safety serial number (Field 21).

 

iii)        Date and time Certificate of Safety is applied.

 

iv)        Month Certificate of Safety is applied.

 

B)        For school bus inspections, the corresponding wheel pull form (i.e., SB6) shall be attached to the second copy.

 

C)        The second copy shall be preserved, protected, and retained for a minimum of eighteen months from Certificate of Safety issuance date.

 

D)        The second copy shall be available for inspection by Department personnel during regular business hours which are listed in Section 451.70(1)(1)(B).

 

3)         Third Copy:  Issued to Driver.

 

q)        Vehicle Inspection Reports – Rejected Vehicles:

 

1)         First and second copies are to be retained at the Station for thirty days.

 

2)         Third copy allows thirty days for repair and return to the original Station for reinspection of only previously rejected components.  If the vehicle passes inspection, only the Certificate of Safety fee ($1) can be charged.  The cost of the original inspection covers the cost of reinspection for thirty days.

 

3)         If the vehicle is returned for retest within the thirty day period of time, the VIR is to be completed and copies distributed as in subsections (p)(1), (2) and (3).

 

4)         If at the end of thirty days the vehicle has not returned for a retest, field 2A is completed and the first (top) copy of the VIR is forwarded to the CVSS with the following Monday's VIRs.  The second copy is filed in the eighteen month file by month of original test.

 

r)         Vehicle Inspection Reports – Incomplete Vehicles:

 

1)         The first and second copies of the VIR shall be held at the Station for sixty days.

 

2)         The third copy allows sixty days for completion and return to the original Station for retest.

 

3)         If the vehicle is returned for retest within the sixty day period, the VIR is completed and copies distributed as in subsections (p)(1), (2), and (3).

 

4)         If at the end of the sixty days the vehicle has not returned for retest, field 2A is completed and the first (top) copy of the VIR is forwarded to the CVSS with the following Monday's VIRs.  The second copy is filed in the eighteen month file by month of original test.

 

(Source:  Amended at 17 Ill. Reg. 12839, effective July 27, 1993)