What happens when you're cited for a regrooved tire on your truck's front axle? Direct answers backed by 13M inspection records.
Ranks #2,295 of 3,146 FMCSR codes by citation frequency • OOS rate of 12.5% is below the FMCSR-wide average of 33.3%.
Regrooved Tire on front of truck or truck-tractor
Direct answers grounded in TruckCodex inspection data
No—most likely not. Across our inspection records, 393.75E citations result in out-of-service placement only 12.5% of the time. Of the 8 all-time citations in our database, just 1 vehicle was placed out of service. That's well below the national average out-of-service rate of 31.4% across all FMCSR codes. However, the citation itself is still a violation that will appear on your inspection record and affect your carrier's safety rating.
Immediate steps:
Don't delay—regrooved tires on the front axle are a visible defect that can trigger additional violations.
It's on the lower end of severity. Regrooved tire citations rank #2,269 out of 3,036 FMCSR codes by enforcement volume, meaning inspectors cite it rarely. The 12.5% out-of-service rate also signals that most officers don't remove vehicles from service for this violation alone. By contrast, 393.9 (inoperable required lamp) has been cited 180,097 times with a 6.9% OOS rate, and general maintenance failures (396.3a) pull vehicles out of service 45.3% of the time. Your regrooved tire is a compliance issue—fix it—but it's not treated as urgently as structural failures or lighting defects.
Very few. Our inspection records show only 4 citations for regrooved tires in the last 12 months across 13 million inspections. In the last 90 days, there were 2 citations. Over the past year, citations have been scattered: 1 in June 2025, 1 in September 2025, and 2 in March 2026. This low frequency means regrooved tires on the front axle are not a widespread enforcement focus, but when they are found, they're still documented as a violation.
Texas leads enforcement in the last 180 days with 2 citations and a 0% out-of-service rate. Our database shows only one state with documented enforcement activity during this period. Because the overall citation volume is very low (just 8 citations all-time), this violation is not concentrated in any single geographic region. This suggests enforcement is sporadic and depends on inspector discretion rather than a coordinated state or regional compliance sweep.
Yes, you can file a DataQs (FMCSA's Roadside Inspection Dispute Resolution) challenge if you believe the citation is inaccurate. However, success depends on the facts. If an inspector physically observed a regrooved tire on your front axle at the time of inspection, the violation is factual and difficult to contest. If there's a documentation error—wrong vehicle ID, wrong axle position, or wrong date—you have grounds to dispute. File your challenge through the FMCSA's DataQs portal within 60 days of the citation. You'll need photos or repair receipts showing the tire was replaced before the inspection, or proof of a mistaken identity.
Our inspection records reveal that 393.75E rarely travels alone. In the last 90 days, the most common co-occurring violation is 391.11B2-Z (driver English language proficiency issues) appearing in 2 of the same inspections. Other violations cited alongside 393.75E include: 393.55C1 (coupling device defect), 393.75A2 (tire tread/sidewall separation), 393.75C (insufficient tread on other axles), 393.9 (inoperable lamp), 393.9H (inoperable headlamps), 393.95A (missing fire extinguisher), and 396.3A1 (general maintenance defects). If you received a 393.75E citation, expect the inspector to have also flagged other equipment issues—address all of them.
Freightliner trucks (FRHT) account for 4 of the 8 all-time citations for regrooved front tires. Hyster (HYTR) and International (INTL) each have 2 citations. This doesn't mean these brands are more prone to the violation—it reflects that these are common truck types in the fleet and in roadside inspections. The low overall citation count (8 all-time) means make-specific patterns aren't statistically significant. Focus on your own vehicle's tire maintenance regardless of manufacturer.
Where 393.75E is most commonly cited (last 180 days)
TruckCodex aggregates official public-sector datasets. See the Source registry for dataset-level coverage and the Freshness log for last-import timestamps.
Census, SAFER, SMS, Licensing & Insurance (L&I), roadside inspections, crashes, and authority history.
Vehicle recall campaigns, defect investigations, and consumer safety complaints (SCRS).
Cross-border carrier registry and Canadian recall campaigns where applicable.
TruckCodex is an independent aggregator; it is not affiliated with FMCSA, NHTSA, EIA, or Transport Canada. Always verify compliance-critical information directly with the originating agency.