The safe and reliable operation of a railroad system is dependent upon the integrity of the rolling mechanisms of the vehicles traveling over the rails. The wheel sets and bogies of train vehicles are routinely inspected to ensure that they are in proper operating order. Periodic inspections during maintenance intervals are effective for identifying failed and degrading components. However, the frequency of such inspections is not always adequate due to the nature of certain modes of degradation. For example, a wheel may develop a flat spot during operation due to the application of vehicle brakes causing the wheel to skid along the track. Once a flat spot, or some other defect, is created, there may be excessive vibration and other impacts and defects that leads to mechanical failures generated in the vehicle suspension system that leads to premature failure of other rolling stock and/or rail components. An improved system and method for inspecting rail vehicle rolling mechanisms is desired.