FMCSA roadside violation code
392.8 — Failing to inspect/use emergency equipment
Raw code: 3928. Description, BASIC, weights, and appearance count below come from the public SMS violations snapshot dated 2026-07-31.
What this code counts in
- Raw FMCSA code
- 3928
- Description
- Failing to inspect/use emergency equipment
- Group
- Emergency Equipment
- BASIC
- Vehicle Maintenance
- Observed severity weight
- 2. Public FMCSA SMS violations file, snapshot 2026-07-31.
- Observed out-of-service addition
- 0. Public FMCSA SMS violations file, snapshot 2026-07-31.
- Appearances in this file
- 4,553 violation rows. Public FMCSA SMS violations file, snapshot 2026-07-31.
The out-of-service addition is constant for this code in this file. No out-of-service addition is recorded for this code in this snapshot.
How time changes the weight
SMS uses a 24-month inspection window. The time weight is ×3 through 6 months back from the snapshot date, ×2 for more than 6 through 12 months back, and ×1 for more than 12 through 24 months back. Older inspections are outside that snapshot's calculation window.
These bands are measured back from the snapshot date in calendar months. At a band boundary, the inspection remains in the more recent band. This describes snapshot calculations, not a promised date for a record to disappear.
Method and band numbers: SMS methodology used for snapshot 2026-07-31; calculation sources and explanation.
The inspection cap
Within each inspection and BASIC, severity weights including any out-of-service additions are summed, capped at 30, and only then multiplied by the time weight. Violations in other BASICs do not enter that cap.
If the sum still reaches the 30-point cap after a violation is removed, the inspection's contribution is unchanged. The effect of removing a violation is the difference between the measure with it and the measure without it, keeping the other snapshot data fixed.
Cap and order of operations: SMS methodology used for snapshot 2026-07-31; how it works.
A worked example for 392.8
Illustration using the most frequent observed pair for this code: severity 2 and out-of-service addition 0, recorded together in 4,553 violation rows in snapshot 2026-07-31. Assume no other violations in this BASIC on the inspection. Other records can have different weights.
Inspection severity total: min(30, 2 + 0) = 2. At time weight ×3 it contributes 2 × 3 = 6 to the BASIC numerator; at ×2, 2 × 2 = 4; at ×1, 2 × 1 = 2. These are derived example values using the method for snapshot 2026-07-31.
Pair counts preserve joint observations from the public SMS violations file; they do not identify a carrier or inspection. Formula source: FMCSA SMS methodology v3.21, June 2026, sections 3 and Appendix A.
These example weighted numerator points are not a change in the BASIC measure or estimated position. A reference code does not establish support for a personal report. The measure also depends on its denominator and the other inspections. Read how a violation moves the measure.
Related codes in Emergency Equipment
- 393.95F — Emergency Equipment - Stopped vehicle warning devices missing or improper
- 393.95A1 — Emergency Equipment - Fire Extinguishers - no fire extinguisher present or not properly rated.
- 393.95A4EEUS — Emergency Equipment - Fire Extinguishers - unsecured
- 393.95A — No/discharged/unsecured fire extinguisher
Related codes use the same group and BASIC in snapshot 2026-07-31, ordered by appearances in that file.