chickenhouse inspection

In 2008, I worked for a company and their policy was if the trailer did not pass the pretrip, you were to drive it to their shop to get it fixed. Could not get road service.

Get caught and who pays the price?

One of the reasons, I state worked there.

 

My Comment goes out to the men and women that are employed as our highway law enforcement (CMV enforcement)

Let me ask you folks a question........

Do you guys really understand what goes on? And what drivers go through?

My point is..........You guys can leisurly throw us a level 1 and take an hour to find 'Something'.....Look hard enough,You will.

We are humans....Getting underpaid for our dedication to this profession..Work WITH us, Not against Us......

If You Find a Chaffed airline UNDER my Truck on axle 3 that required me to see with a flashlight crawling underneath...DONT WRITE ME A TICKET FOR THAT..Use your best judjment for Petes sake......let me know about it and when i stop..I'll fix it..

Ok,I missed it on a PTI........Dont Ruin Me with a citation, Were NOT trying to Run unsafe.....Sometimes we Miss things, Were Human.

Now.....On the Other Hand.....Brakes out of adjustment.leakyWheel Seals,Bad Tires,Bad Chambers..I AGREE with you guys 100%, No excuse for driving that way..OOS i Agree.


But Dont Start Nit-Picking Officers...........Guys that Been out Here like me for 20-30 years Know what were doing..

 

Actually, I do understand what goes on. I drove myself for a number of years, and have been DOT'd in several states.

We do not crawl under a truck and just look for "something." When we perform a North American Standard Level I inspection, it is based on criteria and inspection items selected by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance. They are the ones who tell us what items to look at, and they are the ones who tell us at what point a defect becomes Out Of Service.

"OK, I missed it on a PTI" - if an airline is chafed to the point it is OOS and you receive a citation for it, you must have missed it on quite a few PTI's, not just one.

I can only speak for myself and the folks I work with - we do not write citations for a simple chafinig air line. However, if one is chafed so badly that it becomes OOS, then a driver may receive a citation for it. No excues for driving OOS equipment, you agree, right?

10-4, you know what you are doing. You also know what we are doing. The CVSA Level I procedure and inspection items, as well as the OOS criteria, are puplic information. You can perform an inspection and check every item I will be looking at.

If we find a minor defect - you will be informed of it, given a warning, and be given the opportunity to get it fixed.

If we find a major defect - OOS - you will be shut down and may be cited for it.

Sounds like you agree with me in principle, at least.

 

I would have to fight that one. Where does it say during a PTI that a worn air line is an inspection point. It doesn't. You only are required to make sure it's working correctly. Sure it's smart to check for those things because it saves time and money and maybe your life but not required.

 

By saying "fight that one", do you contend that the air line is not OOS?

Any citation would be for HAVING an OOS air line, the fact that the defect is there. The citation is NOT for failing to find one on a PTI.

A citation is based on the fact that the defect is there - because the wheel is broken, a spring is broken, tires are bald, airbags are flat, etc. Citations are not for what a driver woulda- coulda- shoulda done.

 

I'd have to dig some more but it just doesn't make any sense. How much is it worn before it's OOS? If it's not leaking any air then it's like a hundred different spots on the truck.

 

Here is the CVSA OOS criteria for brake hoses.

Any of the following puts a brake hose OOS:

h. Brake Hose/Tubing
(1) Any damage extending through the outer reinforcement ply. (393.45(a))
NOTE: Rubber impregnated fabric cover is not a reinforcement ply.
NOTE: Thermoplastic nylon tube may have braid reinforcement or color difference between cover and inner tube. Exposure of second color is an out-of-service condition.
(2) Bulge/swelling when air pressure is applied. (393.45(a))
(3) Audible air leak at other than a proper connection. (393.45(a))
(4) Improperly joined such as a splice made by sliding the hose ends over a piece of tubing and clamping the hose to the tube. (393.45(a))
(5) Damaged by heat, broken, or crimped in such a manner as to restrict air flow. (393.45(a))

 

That's good to know. Spec's that a driver can go by. Only problem is checking the entire trucks air system.

 

Sounds to me like drivers do not understand what a pretrip is. Its common sense, if a airline runs over a edge without protection it is going to eventually wear, preventive items that need to be handled by the shop is our job as drivers to make sure it is handled before its a problem. I carry in line connectors just in case and have needed them a number of times over the years.

 

I agree 100%. The more you find before it breaks the better off you are. as far as Pre-Trip none of that is included. We do it because it makes more sense to do it before we start a trip or shift. 392.7 spells out the requirements for Pre-Trip, most do not pay any attention to the statement "unless the driver is satisfied". That statement there leaves open a wide legal door as far as enforcement. But as any driver worth anything will check further so nothing breaks and ends up costing time and money. The Drivers Vehicle Inspection Report that the driver fills out at the completion of each days work is where all the defects are discovered and listed. It never made much sense to me because I feel it should be done before you drive. I do understand that it is very hard to write a requirement for all trucking cases.