What 393.75(g) means in plain language
FMCSR 393.75(g) falls under the tire equipment requirements for commercial motor vehicles. In plain terms, it addresses the condition and use of regrooved, recapped, or recut tires on certain axle positions. The regulation restricts where these types of tires may be installed on a commercial vehicle — specifically, certain positions on the front steering axle are off-limits for regrooved or recapped tires, because steering control depends heavily on the integrity of tires at that location.
The core concern is straightforward: a tire that has been cut down to expose or extend its tread beyond original manufacturing limits, or a recapped tire placed in a prohibited position, introduces risk that the federal standard is designed to eliminate. Inspectors look at the tire's physical characteristics and its location on the vehicle to determine whether a violation exists.
If an inspector finds a tire in a position where it is not permitted under this section, the citation is written against the vehicle. The vehicle itself may be placed out of service until the condition is corrected — and as you'll see from the data below, that happens at a strikingly high rate.
What our enforcement data actually shows
Across 13 million inspections in our database, 393.75(g) has generated 15,809 all-time citations, placing it at #165 out of 3,036 FMCSR codes by citation volume. That puts it solidly in the top 6% of all federal motor carrier safety codes by enforcement frequency — this is not an obscure technicality that inspectors rarely pursue.
The out-of-service picture is where this code becomes especially serious. Of those 15,809 citations, 14,766 resulted in the vehicle being placed out of service — an OOS rate of 93.4%. For context, the all-FMCSR average OOS rate across all codes is 31.4%. This code runs nearly three times that average. When an inspector writes 393.75(g), the vehicle is being sidelined almost every single time.
It is worth noting that the last 12 months show 0 citations in our database, and the last 90 days also show 0 citations. This suggests enforcement activity under this specific code has either shifted to alternative citation codes or slowed significantly in recent periods. However, the historical volume and the extremely high OOS rate mean that any vehicle carrying a noncompliant tire configuration remains at serious risk during a Level I or Level II inspection.
Who gets cited most
Our inspection records do not include a state-by-state breakdown for this code in the provided data, so we cannot rank specific states here. What the data does show is a clear carrier pattern. Among fleets, our data shows carriers such as MUNOZ TRUCKING CORP (USDOT 855861) with 385 citations and MENDEZ TRUCKING INC (USDOT 1445326) with 197 citations appearing at the top of the all-time list. These numbers reflect the scale at which this violation can accumulate across a fleet's inspection history — 385 citations against a single USDOT number is a significant compliance footprint for a single regulation.
Looking at the vehicle make data, our database shows KW-badged vehicles with 1,281 citations, MACK vehicles with 900 citations, and PTRB vehicles with 816 citations leading the count. FRHT and KENWORTH follow at 542 and 514 citations respectively. This spread across nearly every major heavy-truck platform confirms this is not a brand-specific problem — it is a maintenance practice and pre-trip awareness problem that appears across the entire commercial fleet.
How severe is this compared to similar codes
To put 393.75(g)'s enforcement profile in perspective, compare it to a few peer codes in the Vehicle Maintenance category.
393.9(a) — Inoperable required lamps is the single most-cited Vehicle Maintenance code in our database at 660,737 citations, but its OOS rate is only 15.4%. Inspectors write it constantly, but vehicles are rarely sidelined for it alone. The gap between 393.75(g)'s 93.4% OOS rate and 393.9(a)'s 15.4% rate is enormous — a cited tire in a prohibited position is treated as a fundamentally more dangerous condition than a burned-out lamp.
396.3(a)(1) — Inspection/repair/maintenance (general) has 236,919 citations and a 45.3% OOS rate. That OOS rate is already well above the 31.4% all-FMCSR average, yet it still sits roughly 48 percentage points below 393.75(g)'s rate. General maintenance failures put about half of cited vehicles out of service; a prohibited tire position puts nearly all of them out of service.
393.78 — Windshield condition defective shows 157,894 citations but only a 0.3% OOS rate. Inspectors cite windshield issues frequently, but almost never shut the vehicle down for them. The contrast with 393.75(g) underscores how seriously federal enforcement treats tire placement violations relative to other equipment defects.
How to avoid it
Given the 93.4% OOS rate, avoiding this citation is not just about passing an inspection — it is about keeping your truck moving and your schedule intact. Here are concrete actions you can take before every dispatch:
- Know which tires are on your steer axle. During pre-trip, physically look at both front tires and confirm they are full-depth, original-tread tires — not recaps or regrooved units. If there is any doubt about a tire's history, flag it to your maintenance department before you leave the yard.
- Check for recap markings on steer tires. Recapped tires are typically marked on the sidewall. If you see a recap marking on a tire mounted on the front steer axle, that is a potential 393.75(g) violation waiting to happen at the next scale or port of entry.
- Inspect tread depth and sidewall condition on all positions. Our data shows KW, MACK, PTRB, FRHT, and Kenworth vehicles are the most frequently cited platforms. Regardless of what you're driving, a thorough tire walk-around catches more than just this violation — it addresses the full range of tire-related OOS criteria.
- After any tire change or shop visit, verify what was installed and where. A tire rotated from a drive axle to a steer axle without confirming it meets steer-axle requirements is how this violation happens most often. Ask the shop explicitly whether the replacement tire is steer-axle legal.
- Log it in your DVIR. If you note a tire concern during pre-trip, write it in your Driver Vehicle Inspection Report before departure. This documents that you identified the issue and gives your fleet maintenance team a clear trigger to inspect and correct before the vehicle goes back into service.