Do trucks and buses in Illinois need windshield safety inspections?

Two layers of rules for commercial glass

Commercial vehicles in Illinois answer to two sets of rules at once. Illinois requires safety tests for some trucks and buses, and those tests examine vehicle condition including the glass. On top of the state requirement, commercial motor vehicles are held to the federal 49 CFR 393.60 windshield standard wherever they operate.

The federal standard governs the condition of the windshield on a commercial vehicle — cracks, discoloration, and damage that fall outside what the rule allows. A windshield that fails the federal standard can fail a roadside or terminal inspection, and the vehicle can be placed out of service until the glass is brought into compliance.

This is a different regime from the one most passenger cars face. Illinois does not require periodic safety inspections for most passenger cars, so the family vehicle never meets an examiner; the truck or bus operating commercially meets one regularly. Our commercial truck windshield rules answer covers the federal standard in more detail.

For a fleet operator, the inspection schedule shapes maintenance planning. A truck or bus that fails a windshield inspection is taken out of service until the glass meets the standard, which means a cracked pane found at inspection becomes a same-day repair rather than a next-quarter item. Scheduling glass replacement proactively — before the inspection catches it — keeps the vehicle earning instead of sitting, and it keeps the federal standard satisfied at every check rather than only when an examiner is watching.

Who faces a windshield inspection in Illinois

The federal standard applies to commercial motor vehicles regardless of the state that issued the plates.

More questions about commercial glass inspections