FMCSR 393.30 Battery Improperly Secured: Driver Q&A

Almost certainly not. Across 11,292 all-time citations in our inspection records, only 12 vehicles were actually placed out of service — a 0.1% OOS rate. For context, the average OOS rate across all FMCSR codes is 31.4%, so 393.30 sits far below the norm. While the violation is technically OOS-eligible on paper, inspectors almost never pull a truck for it. You will receive the citation and it will hit your CSA record, but you should be able to continue driving after the inspection is complete.

A 393.30 citation carries a severity weight of 3 in the Vehicle Maintenance BASIC. That base score is then multiplied by a time weight depending on how recent the inspection is — violations from the last 6 months carry the highest multiplier (3×), dropping to 2× between 6 and 12 months, and 1× between 12 and 24 months. After 24 months, the citation ages out of your CSA score entirely. At severity 3, this is a low-end violation, but if inspectors are finding it alongside other issues on the same inspection — which our data shows happens frequently — those additional violations stack their own points on top.

Take these steps immediately after the inspection:

1. Secure or replace the battery hold-down hardware before your next dispatch. The fix is usually a bracket, strap, or cover — cheap and fast at a shop or truck stop.
2. Check your lamps. Our inspection records show 393.30 co-occurs with inoperable required lamps (393.9) in 197 shared inspections and inoperative turn signals (393.9TS) in 87 — inspectors writing one often write the other.
3. Check your windshield. Code 393.78 shows up alongside 393.30 in 130 shared inspections in the last 90 days.
4. Verify your periodic inspection paperwork — 396.17C appeared on 98 of those same inspections.
5. Document the repair with a shop receipt or a signed driver vehicle inspection report (DVIR) noting the correction.

Relative to its peers, 393.30 is on the low end of severity. Its 0.1% OOS rate compares favorably to nearly every peer code in the Vehicle Maintenance category — for example, 396.3(a)(1) general inspection and maintenance violations carry a 45.3% OOS rate, and 393.9(a) inoperable required lamps run a 15.4% OOS rate. Even lighter-looking violations like 393.11 lighting devices hit a 1.8% OOS rate. At 0.1%, 393.30 is one of the least likely codes in the category to bench your truck. That said, it is ranked #211 out of 3,036 FMCSR codes by total citation volume — 11,292 citations means inspectors actively look for it.

Yes, you can submit a DataQs Request for Data Review (RDR) to challenge a 393.30 citation. Because this is an equipment condition finding — not a documentation issue — a successful challenge typically requires evidence that the battery was, in fact, properly secured and covered at the time of inspection. Useful supporting documentation includes timestamped photos taken shortly after the inspection, a shop inspection record from around the same date, or a signed statement from a mechanic. If the citation was written in error (wrong vehicle, wrong driver, data entry mistake), DataQs is the correct channel. Note that DataQs does not remove valid violations — it corrects inaccurate data.

Texas dominates by a wide margin. In the last 180 days, TX recorded 1,008 citations for 393.30, with only 2 resulting in an OOS order (0.2% rate). The next closest states are Illinois with 55 citations, Iowa with 37, North Carolina with 29, and New Mexico with 14. If you run lanes into or through Texas, your exposure is dramatically higher than in any other state in our database. Texas-based fleets and owner-operators should treat battery securement as a standard pre-trip checkpoint item, not an afterthought.

Fix it before your next trip. Even though the OOS rate is only 0.1%, the citation volume trend shows this violation is being written at a steady and elevated pace — 2,380 citations in the last 12 months and 547 in just the last 90 days. Monthly totals have stayed consistently above 200 per month from May 2025 through March 2026. Inspectors are clearly checking for it. Beyond the CSA severity weight of 3 adding to your Vehicle Maintenance BASIC score, the real urgency is that a loose battery is a genuine safety hazard — vibration can cause shorts, acid spills, or fire. The repair cost is minimal compared to the risk.

Both. Under FMCSA's CSA methodology, vehicle maintenance violations like 393.30 are attributed to the carrier's Vehicle Maintenance BASIC score. However, the citation is also tied to the driver's inspection record and can appear on a driver's Pre-employment Screening Program (PSP) report, which carriers review when hiring. Our inspection records show that among the top cited carriers, some accumulate these citations in the double digits — for instance, MARTIN SANCHEZ NEVAREZ (USDOT 3026535) has 18 all-time citations and ATS OPERATIONS LLC (USDOT 1750006) has 15 — suggesting that fleet-level maintenance culture plays a large role, but the individual driver's PSP record is still affected.