396.5 Violation: What It Means and How to Fix It
Data through September 24, 2026 · Last updated October 28, 2026 · By Chad Griffith, founder
Quick Answer
396.5 (Lubrication) was cited 27,188 times in roadside inspections of interstate for-hire carriers with 5 to 50 trucks from September 25, 2024 to September 24, 2026, and 22.4% of those citations put the driver or vehicle out of service. The most common version is 396.5B-L: Lubrication - Oil or grease leak.
27,188
Citations on carriers with 5 to 50 trucks
22.4%
Out of service
172,790
All carriers, same period
What the rule says
Vehicles must be properly lubricated and free of oil and grease leaks (49 CFR 396.5). Leaking wheel seals and hubs are cited here too.
When it puts you out of service
A leaking wheel seal is often out of service (52% in this data); a general oil leak rarely is.
The codes on the inspection report
| Code | What the officer wrote | Severity weight | Citations, 5 to 50 trucks | Out of service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 396.5B-L | “Lubrication - Oil or grease leak” | 3 | 10,694 | 0.1% |
| 396.5B-HWSL | “Hubs - Wheel seal leaking” | 2 | 6,982 | 52.2% |
| 396.5B | “Oil and/or grease leak” | 3 | 5,308 | 0.4% |
| 396.5-HL | “Hubs - Leaking hub” | 2 | 1,524 | 70.1% |
| 396.5B-HWSLIW | “Hubs - Wheel seal leaking - inner wheel” | 2 | 941 | 45.4% |
| 396.5B-HLOW | “Hubs - oil and/or Grease Leaking from hub - outer wheel” | 2 | 473 | 34.5% |
| 396.5B-HLIW | “Hubs - Oil and/or Grease Leaking from hub - inner wheel” | 2 | 417 | 42.9% |
| 396.5B-HWSLOW | “Hubs - Wheel seal leaking - outer wheel” | 2 | 349 | 42.4% |
| 396.5A-HNL | “Hubs - No visible or measurable lubricant showing in the hub” | 2 | 349 | 93.7% |
| 396.5A-HNLOW | “Hubs - No visible or measurable lubricant showing in the hub - outer wheel” | 2 | 120 | 86.7% |
| 396.5A | “Failing to ensure that vehicle is properly lubricated” | 3 | 27 | 14.8% |
| 396.5A-L | “Lubrication - Improper lubrication” | 3 | 3 | 0.0% |
How it scores (violation points)
How it scores: in FMCSA's Safety Measurement System each violation counts its severity weight, plus 2 if it put the driver or vehicle out of service, times 3 in its first 6 months, 2 from 6 to 12 months, and 1 from 12 to 24 months. FMCSA has approved a simpler scale that is not live yet.
How to fix it
- Replace the leaking seal or gasket, clean the area so the next inspection can see it is dry, and keep the work order.
Stop it happening again
- Check hubs and seals at every preventive maintenance service.
Challenging it in DataQs
Use DataQs (dataqs.fmcsa.dot.gov) only when the report is wrong: the wrong carrier or vehicle, a violation that did not happen, or a citation a court dismissed without a fine or found you not guilty of, which removes it from the Safety Measurement System; a conviction of a different charge lowers its weight to 1 (FMCSA adjudicated citations policy). Fixing the defect afterward is not a reason to remove it; keep the repair record instead.
FileFlo reads your public FMCSA record, lists every violation with the rule behind it, and keeps the driver and vehicle records that stop repeats.
Run it yourself: the Audit-Ready Setup, $499 through December 31, 2026, then $199 a month for up to 15 trucks. Or FileFlo runs it: $1,500 a month for up to 15 trucks, Setup included, and your first month back if you are not happy.
About these numbers
Counts are violations cited in roadside inspections used in FMCSA's Safety Measurement System from September 25, 2024 to September 24, 2026 (dataset 8mt8-2mdr on data.transportation.gov, October 2026 run). Carriers with 5 to 50 trucks means 66,936 active interstate for-hire carriers with 5 to 50 power units and more trucks than buses, based in the 50 states or DC, from FMCSA's census file. This is FileFlo's reading of public FMCSA data, not an FMCSA rating. Severity weights are the current SMS weights.