Ok I am curious to know how you handle your equipment inspections! I want total honesty in a response, but try to answer my survey correctly. I hope I can come up with the best questions here .

1). Before you get behind the wheel (after your 10 hour break or longer) do you take the time to fully inspect your vehichle?
2). Do you prefer to do your full inspection at the end of your hard days work?
3) If you do a pre-trip do you get all repairs done that are required by DOT or do you put some of them things off so you can get your load delivered?
4) If you do your post-trip inspection do you seem to find this helps prepare for your next day a little better or possibly get your truck repaired while doing a 10 hour break so you lose less time for repairs?

Have you ever done a detailed pre-trip and something still goes wrong 2 hours down the road? Elaborate

Have you ever done a detailed post-trip and something still goes wrong 2 hours after you start your "next" working period. After doing your "what could go wrong" pre-trip.

I know my survey questions may not be as detailed but the questions are listed for you to view in detail that at least concerns me.

Ok I messed up on the actual poll, but lets just respond to this as a thread and have some good discussions and some good live situations and everyone can respond maybe how it could of been handled differently I can only give my advice as I don't know much about the "truck" it self

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"Sometimes I wonder if men and women really suit each other. Perhaps they should live next door and just visit now and then."

I have always advocated doing a thorough pretrip prior to the start of the days driving. The current regs were written in regard to ltl and slip seat operations that return to a home terminal each day which facilitates this rule.

My reasoning is it is much easier to detect a problem with a truck in the "light of day" after a good nights sleep rather than attempt to inspect a vehicle at the end of your shift and in the dark, when all your thinking about is going home.

How anyone can knowingly operate a truck that requires repairs is beyond me. It is counterproductive to making money and lets face it thats why we are all out here. Take the time to be sure your rig is sfae to drive first rather than find out a few miles down the road.

The regs are clearly written though and we are all required to fill out a daily vehicle inspection report that has the time and odometer or hub reading for the inspection as well as a list of components that you should have checked. Just 1 more way to trip drivers up in my opinion as it will be used to cross match your logs.

1 good thing about my discussions (and past debates) with logsrus is I am fully aware of the "wording" of the regs and I am in fact complying with them.

I have been doing 2 inspections per day plus walk around visual checks after each stop. Seeing I have an assigned truck I have a "feel" for the truck that alerts me to potential problems right away and I get them fixed at the next possible location. Of course I actually fix alot of stuff myself such as lights, fuses, airing tires up,changing fuel filters, etc so I can keep making money rather than waiting in line at a truckstop repair facility for a "mechanic" to get around to "fixing" my truck.

As for breakdowns after a pretrip sure it happens and has happened. I have had tires blow out due to slow leaks I missed (nails stuck in a tire), I recently had a cracked headlight shield that was letting water into the inner bulb and was blowing the bulbs. After replacing 3 bulbs (all I had for spares on me at the time) in my Volvo I shut the truck down in Indianapolis to wait until daylight to trouble shoot the problem. I discovered the water inside the lens and went directly to the Volvo dealer in town and had the company buy me a new headlight assembly (cost about 165.00 including 2 extra bulbs). I have tools and did the job myself in about 20 minutes rather than waiting half the day for the Volvo dealer to "work me in."

Another in route mishap was again at night; a passing vehicle dropped some debris in the highway and the debris snagged my trailer airlines. The springs broke and my airlines started dragging on the ground. By the time I made it to the shoulder I was losing air pressure. After getting my flashlight out and climbing under the trailer I discovered the dragging airlines. With a couple of bungee cords I was able to rehang the airlines. With some patience and a good amount of duct tape I was able to reduce the air loss so my air compressor could keep up with it. After my tanks were refilled with air I proceeded to a company terminal where I had then old airlines and spring hangers replaced.

Another "mishap" after my 'pre-trip' inspection. A few winters back I was in Minnesota with the air temp around 20 below and wind chills close to 40 below. I setup for a backing maneuver at a customer and stretched the airlines behind the cab too much for the cold plastic to withstand and my red service line broke. I was stuck in the middle of their parking lot blocking their docks. I simply removed the the blue airline (with an adjustable wrench) and put it in the red airline position. I took the broken red airline and put it on the blue airline (service brake) position. I folded the ends of the broken red airline up and used a pair of vice grips to close off the end of the line so I would not lose any air pressure when I stepped on the service brakes. I completed my delivery and then carefully drove 5 miles to the nearest truckstop where I had the truckstop replace both of the airlines in their warm garage. I saved the blue "used" air line just in case.

1 More easy fix. While backing into a parking slot at a truckstop I backed into a rather large pothole that ripped the mud flap off my trailer. Rather than get upset about it I simply picked up the mudflap, flipped it over, cut off the ragged edge with my utility knife, punched new holes in the mudflap and rehung the mudflap. For a driver that is missing a mudflap just take a walk around the truckstops and you will find quite a few usable mudflaps in pot holes or at the back of the parking slots against the curb. My motto is why spend money on a new 1 when you can salvage an old 1 and with a little initiative save yourself time and money (as well as your company) from a possible fine.

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Knowledge is Power

Yes sir, that's what we call "Field Expediency" in the construction industry. Making something from nothing. Heh, that motto of yours without a doubt, proves that you are a real truck driver

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The trouble with the world is not that people know too little, but that they know so many things that ain't so
- Mark Twain

Let's support our new president,
but Obama should remember one thing,
Gray Davis.....

You should add a survey to this thread

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I'm glad you have the graciousness to ask us

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The trouble with the world is not that people know too little, but that they know so many things that ain't so
- Mark Twain

Let's support our new president,
but Obama should remember one thing,
Gray Davis.....

What I want to know is how many of us actually do a "detailed" pre/post trip? I mean, thump tires, check lugs, climb under trailer, check brake pads, brake lines, drive shaft, etc. and not just open the hood and walk around. I have seen alot of drivers get to the truck and just start it up and go not even check the oil or lights. My biggest thing is finding that the clutch is out of adjustment and the prior driver drove it for 15 or so hours and did not have the sense to get it adjusted when he came in or just did not know there was no slack at the pedal. I am anal about pre/post trips. I have found cracked cross members, chafed braked lines and even the simplest issues like no fire ext and reflctors. I really dont need CHp to point this out to me and it sure doesnt take me 15 minutes to do a proper one. Sorry to rant

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::FOKAI::SINCE EVER SINCE


EXHAUST THE BODY
PROCEED THE MIND
CULTIVATE THE SPIRIT

It takes 50000 nuts to put a car together, but only one to scatter them all over the road

Well Logsrus I know the company you work for wanted everybody to log the 15 minutes at the end of the day.. I did log that at the end of the day (so I would not get a violation) but to be honest with you thats not how I do it..



1). Before you get behind the wheel (after your 10 hour break or longer) do you take the time to fully inspect your vehicle?

Honestly I would say 95% of the time I do.. Sometimes I may have taken to long doing something when I should of been checking the truck..
If I don't then I always do at some point during the day (usually when I get to the shipper or receiver.. But 95% of the time I do it befor I move my truck after 10 break)

2). Do you prefer to do your full inspection at the end of your hard days work?

No, I usually just do a walk around checking basics... I don't want to wake up and find out I have a tire low ext.. making me late to the customer..
At the end of my day the last thing I want to be doing is a complete inspection, all I want to do is eat go bs around and rest...

3) If you do a pre-trip do you get all repairs done that are required by DOT or do you put some of them things off so you can get your load delivered?


This would all depend on what I may find wrong And or how long of a wait is at the nearest shop.. Could be a 4-5 hour wait, depending what it is I am not going to wait that long..


4) If you do your post-trip inspection do you seem to find this helps prepare for your next day a little better or possibly get your truck repaired while doing a 10 hour break so you lose less time for repairs?

Most defiantly, A simple walk around at the end of your day will save you time the next day...

I like to log 15 minutes in the morning and a simple walk around at the end of my day..... Becuase this is how I do it..

5) Have you ever done a detailed pre-trip and something still goes wrong 2 hours down the road? Elaborate

Have you ever done a detailed post-trip and something still goes wrong 2 hours after you start your "next" working period. After doing your "what could go wrong" pre-trip.

I am going to put these together cause it would not matter if you did the inspection at the end or morning, something always has the possibility in gong wrong..

I was on I80 heading into Cali, after I passed Reno I pulled over before going threw Donners Pass.. (I always check my truck before heading threw bad spots like that) I found a cotter pin had busted on the left front slack adjuster retaining pin (or pork chop pin lol) The pin was almost all the way out and barley hanging.. Well being around trucks I know always to carry such items and fixed it right there.. That may have been a very bad thing hitting the mountains with a break about to fail..

[quote=jlkklj777;385475]I have always advocated doing a thorough pretrip prior to the start of the days driving.

I'm confused here with your reply. On another thread you listed a pre-trip as just a walk around and done in 2 minutes which is clearly a violation. I understand what you are saying and I agree with MOST of what you say. I know that with the same truck you can feel some items but not all. You've got to get into the truck to satisfy yourself it's safe before going out on the road.

To answer LogsRus op here's what we did.
My company had pre-printed a tablet that covered every safety and working part of the truck. IIRC it had over 50 items. It covered all the requirements for pre-trip and post-trip and more.

1. When we came to work we did our pre-trip that took anywhere from 20 mins. to 30 mins. to complete. We keep that tablet in the truck to show the past 30 days of the vehicle inspections. We would review the post-trip and sign the report after we verified any repairs were done. We took both reports seriously but we look at the pre-trip as being more important than the post-trip simply because we were hauling gasoline.

2. We do the pre-trip and post-trip the same.

3. If it's noted on the inspection book we make sure it was fixed. We we find something during the inspections we get it fixed. I carry a flight bag that has tools and spare parts so I can fix the small stuff.

4. Doesn't really apply to my line of work. But if you do a poor post-trip you'll hear it from the other driver. Nobody wants to get a truck that needs repairs right from the start. And besidesthat we got paid by the hour so you lost nothing by going to the shop.

You are not ranting in a bad way I want to hear it.

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"Sometimes I wonder if men and women really suit each other. Perhaps they should live next door and just visit now and then."

[quote=GasHauler;386000]Yeah the line of work you do I would definately be inspecting it ALL THE TIME . L.O.L. (laughing out loud is what L.O.L. means incase you don't know)

Thanks though!
A driver that does a good post-trip and can repair it BEFORE their 10 hour break is definately saving time on their 14 hour clock for the next day .

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"Sometimes I wonder if men and women really suit each other. Perhaps they should live next door and just visit now and then."