What do i do if I find a fault during pre trip?

In my experience if it's something minor and you tell the cop you are going to the shop they let you go if you act in a professional manner. If they want they can still ticket you.

 

Here's a NON "snarky & arrogant response":
Here you will find ALL YOUR ANSWERS TO ALL YOUR QUESTIONS IN SAFE OPERATIONS OF/IN TRUCK DRIVING:
Regulations | FMCSA

 

Yes, the driver can get a ticket for anything reported on the DVIR. If it's noticed the best practice is to fix it before driving.
Good luck.

 

Understandable question BUT you do need to know the company poilcies and understand the criteria for the severity of any violations.

Most important lights, headlamps, turn signals and brake lights are considered out of service violations while one of ten, or so, clearance lamps is not out of service BUT will still be considered a violation on the report.

Pre-LED and sealed wiring connections lights were huge problem yet often easy to repair and drivers were often upset when they were inspected to see a light 'that worked this morning' come back on with a smack so they felt that it shouldn't be on the inspection report...

Noting a defective lamp on your pre-trip inspection report is not a get out of jail free item the same as correcting an un-lit lamp does not change the fact that both cases were discovered as a violation by the DOT inspector.

 

Simply put: if you move it, it’s your baby. You are responsible for your baby.

What should you do?

No one here can answer that. That’s dependent on your company and their policy. They can tell you one thing, but when you REALLY need someone to make a decision about repairs, suddenly everyone becomes indecisive. That’s a huge waste of time when the HOS clock is turning. If there is one person that is decisive and everyone else is a failure, remember that name. Saves loads of time and frustration.

If everyone available is indecisive, do not pull that load. They can either repower it or have a service truck fix it on site. Your travel agent might get upset, but I probably wouldn’t even notice.

Luck in battle.

 

I am guessing this is going to open a can of worms here but how can a trucking company have a policy that does not abide by the law. If the law states X but the company policy states do Y instead, seems like a real solid lawsuit down the road. If you have a vehicle that is not in compliance with all safety requirements than driving it outside very rare/extreme cases is illegal and you as the driver are subject to legal action by the state. If you have a company policy that does not agree with this then your best option would be to say Sure I will follow the company policy but I need it in writing with my bosses signature. You essentially have a get rich card in your hand at that point.

 

Wrong point.

Every driver needs to know the how and why to contact their superors when a defect is discovered BEFORE leaving the lot for the first time in order to be able to handle the situatiion as it develops.

 

Case in point about @wis bang 's comment. During my last several years driving I was yanking reefers. We had a lot of drivers that would ignore (or not pay any attention) the warning lights that the reefer was throwing codes. They would wait until stopping for the day to contact the company. TK road call rates are some of the highest rates in the business. It got so bad that I was stopped in Indiana overnight my reefer stopped. It was running and the tank was full of fuel. I was hauling a -10 load and even while on my 10-hour break had to call roadside. That afternoon I got a QC message to call the head of the shop, he accused me of playing games. This is what observing carrier policies mean. You would be shocked at the number of drivers that will take a flat tire to where they plan to take their 10-hour break as opposed to where ever they are getting the time fixed during their day. Stuff like this goes on all the time.

 

Well said...The level of carrier responsiveness varies across the board.

Orienting a husband/wife team while at Matlack explaining how 1-800 MATLACK would get them a spill response 24/7/365 the told me about their experience with a leaking tank in a rest area in Lousiana where their boss, at ten PM told them to keep pouring the bucket back into the tank as it filed collecting the leak and call the office at 9am....