Do you do a full Pre Trip everyday of driving?

I call my pre trip a first pre trip, start in the morning with the basic walk around. If the truck has been sitting for a day or longer I do a more thorough inspection, during the daily drive each time I stop do some supplemental walk arounds with a slow pace. Just keep a constant check on things is easily realistic.

 

Check the lights and go most days.

Top fluids off and give a good "thorough" look once a week. Open the hood while fueling sometimes to peek at the belts and stuff to see if they are still on there.

But I always had newer equipment. Didn't really need to get out after starting the truck to see if an airbag inflated or whatever. If I had an older truck I would check it more but in my situation that would've been overkill....wouldn't hurt to do it still.

One thing I always checked though no matter what is if my kingpin was locked.

Keep doing your full pre trips. It is a great habit.

 

You can do it incrementally. Example, when I stop for fuel I’ll generally check everything under the hood. Including bolts, fluids, slack adjuster on front and brakes etc. what’s the point of doing that at 3 AM in the morning when it’s pitch black dark and you’re in some urine filled truckstop? But I do check it daily….Now I will get out and check the tires every single time. I’ll look underneath. I’ll check the king pin, I’ll check the hoses lights and airbags and stuff like that.

 

Here's how many drivers do the pre-trip:

 

Walk around at night. Full Monte in the AM. Auto slack adjusters so just an eyeball to make sure they are working. Always check the kingpin. Most drivers won't mess with your stuff, but there is always one jerk who thinks it is funny.

 

If you don’t at least open the hood and check oil & coolant levels everyday you suck at your job