Logging Pretrip

Honestly, I can do a complete pre-trip *without brake check or getting under the trailer* in 15 minutes. Here's how/why:

I drive the same tractor all the time, I don't need to do a brake check, and heres why: First of all, are the reasons that lovesthedrive gave. Second, I know my slack adjusters are working and I know the brakes are adjusted properly because: 1) i had an FHWA inspection done last month, by the rare werner/gra-gar mechanic that actually cared. 2) I know how to make them adjust.

As far as getting under the trailer, there is not a single thing that requires that other than making sure that your fifth wheel is properly latched. And even if the jaws are around the shank of the kingpin, it can still come lose in some situations. The brakes on one side of the tractor and trailer can be checked from looking between the tires from the opposite side. Ha!

And you have to get good at checking your tire pressure. And you have to check it often. And only when the tires are cold. I can check all 10 of my tractor tires in just a couple of minutes. If your tires wear out early, thats your time you're wasting by being in the shop, and it takes a couple of hours to change tires on a tractor..

I've only had two air brake failures, and neither one could have been found on the pretrip. First one, I had a blue air line pop off. Sure, i couldve bent the plate on the gladhand to fix that, but i didnt think it was too loose. But it was. didn't realize it until i was going down a small mountain and came up to road construction and was literally sweating bullets with my brake pedal all the way on the floor. I think I learned my lesson, thank you.

The second one, the unloader valve went out while i was driving, i looked down at my gauges and noticed i had 160psi of air pressure. Pulled over and shut it down to make sure the safety valves on the air tanks had opened properly, and when i was positive the truck wasnt going to blow up, i drove to a nearby freightliner dealer. It happened passing through my hometown, so I knew where a freightliner dealer was... ....anyhow, you can't physically examine an unloader valve on a pretrip, but your gauges will let you know when it fails.

 

anything between 7.5 and 22.5 minutes can be logged as fifteen minutes, therefore you are performing a 15 minute pre-trip, likely the same method i use.

And you dont have to get under the trailer to check under it, and as for the airlines, i have a big lever next to my stereo to test that and my fifth wheel

 

I missed watching this by literally a minute or two because i had to pee.

I was sitting in my truck in the front row by the scale at the TA in Gary, went inside to pee, came back out to leave and this guy was in the middle of Burr St setting out triangles...


needless to say, I check it every time i let the truck out of my site. You can just look at the release arm while walking up to the truck, dont even have to bend down. Such a simple way to save a career.

 

I'm glad that a well season driver like yourself knows nothing can happen to your brakes in a month so you don't have look them over or test them. Plus you're right no one needs to get under the truck to satisfy themselves with the safety of the truck. You need to make a training film so the rest of us can check air pressure in 2 minutes. However, in the real world I'd never take your word as being satisfied with the safety of the truck and neither would my company.

 

I don't think I could stand having to watch a 30 second video on the proper way to do a....WALK AROUND CHECK!

 

Im sure DOT would be interested in a way that you dont have to check your breaks

 

You mean that you have never been through the level 1 inspection that doesn't include brakes in all those 35 years?

 

lol, I have had plenty of them, phrozak said he didnt need to check brakes and he could tell the condition of the brakes by looking thru the tandems.

 

That is why they have those cool looking holes scattered all around the tires "rim unit"...for easy viewing of the brake drum and shoe...I thought everybody knew that! It also helps to cool the brakes with all around ventilation!

Hey, did you guys and gals notice(?)...I used the same word in two different sentences with two different meanings...HOW COOL IS THAT?

oh my goodness...I used it again!!!!!!!

 

Cool , just don't do it with "rim"