Virginia Administrative Code › Title 19 - PUBLIC SAFETY › Agency 30 - DEPARTMENT OF STATE POLICE › Chapter 70 - MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY INSPECTION REGULATIONS › Part III - Inspection Requirements for Passenger Vehicles and Vehicles Up to 10,000 Pounds (GVWR) › Section 19VAC30-70-120 - Frame, engine mounts, coupling devices and emergency chains

Current through Register Vol. 40, No. 24, July 15, 2024
Inspect for and reject if:
1. Frame or unitized (monocoque) body of any
				  motor vehicle, trailer or semitrailer possesses one or more of the following
				  defective characteristics: rust holes; any area of the frame or its components
				  is broken, cracked, sagging, or bent; or damaged at any location to include any
				  welded joint; the frame is corroded to the point where it is weakened; or any
				  holes are drilled in the top or bottom rail flanges of the frame or the frame
				  or cross-member (except as specified by the manufacturer).
NOTE: Any welded repair of the frame must be in accordance
					 with the vehicle manufacturer's recommendations.
NOTE: All sections of a unitized frame are considered
					 stress-bearing to include pinch and side rails, floors, and all support
					 framework.
2. Engine or
				  transmission mounts and hardware is broken or missing. This includes all
				  hardware bolts and bushings used for mounting to the vehicle's frame, engine,
				  or transmission. Any engine or transmission mount shall be rejected if they
				  allow the power train to come in contact with the firewall or other body parts.
				  Any body, truck bed, or bumper mounts or mounting hardware shall be rejected if
				  they do not properly secure these components to the frame as originally
				  designed.
3. Trailer hitch or
				  pintle hook is not securely attached. Reject if the pintle eye or trailer
				  drawbar has any cracks or if any welding repairs have been made to the pintle
				  eye.
4. Chains, cables, etc., used
				  to attach a towed vehicle are not securely attached or are broken, worn or
				  abraded.
5. Fifth wheel does not
				  lock in position or have a locking mechanism in proper working order.
6. Fifth wheel assembly system has any leak
				  of fluid or air.
7. Fifth wheel has
				  any broken, missing, or damaged parts; or is not securely attached to the
				  frame.
8. Trailer king pin is not
				  secure, or is broken or worn so as to prevent secure fit in fifth
				  wheel.
9. Any movement is detected
				  at any location where any device has been placed between the body and the
				  chassis.
10. Trailer is not
				  equipped with an emergency chain or steel cable.
NOTE: Fifth wheel assembly system does not require an
					 emergency chain or cable. A fifth wheel is defined as a device which interfaces
					 with and couples to the upper coupler assembly of a semitrailer. The upper
					 coupler assembly is a structure consisting of an upper coupler plate, king pin
					 and supporting framework which interfaces with and couples to a fifth wheel.
					 Ball and socket connections also referred to as hitch and coupling connections
					 are not fifth wheel assemblies and do require an emergency chain or steel
					 cable.
Statutory Authority: §
												46.2-1165
						of the Code of Virginia.