What motivates you to do a thorough pre-trip inspection?

Give them a free tire pressure gauge and a flexible 50 ft hose for each truck to air up the tires if they find one low.

 

This is where I make sure if the truck has a problem, it gets fixed ASAP, even if I have to pull the driver out of it and put them into another one for a while.

I tell them straight up to trust that if they bring an issue to me or someone at the office, it will be addressed - it may take a little bit like a day depending on the problem before we get to it but it will be done.

I also stress this is my responsibility to fix it, not theirs but I have to know about it to get it fixed.

Sure I have drivers who nitpick about things like plastic panels squeaking (which I hate too) but when we get a call that a tire is bad or something doesn't feel right like an engine under accretion, then it goes to the shop.

The trucks are also serviced to replace parts at the end of their service life, like fan belts and shocks - no hesitation about that.

Brakes are closely watched to prevent the DOT problems, running thin - they get replaced. The cans have a life so they will get replaced if they meet that time.

If we get dinged by the DOT in a state that hates trucks (NY or California or Ohio) for something wrong that the driver could of caught it, I asked them why and remind them the truck uptime is as important to them as it is to me because we all make money when that truck is moving it makes them nothing if it is sitting.

 

Amen to that.

 

Fines?!? Oh I'm sure that's great for morale and thus compliance.

I think that drivers who do not complete their PTIs should lose a portion of their bonus.

 

@AAABrothersLLC
Our terminal has 22 drivers.
We're all local, so the trucks are at the yard 2x a day.
Most of us have dedicated trucks, and take great pride in our ride, and that includes our opposite shift drivers..
Whenever I have an issue, it's corrected very fast.
Our shop manager is pretty solid in having things on hand to remedy the little crap that pops up, like lights, belts, and tires.
Each truck is checked over weekly by a mechanic, to avoid problems that would cost tons more if handled on the road.
I have an excellent rapport with everyone in the shop, I ask questions to ensure I'm seeing what I think I'm seeing, and in turn, my ride is top shelf.
Anything significant gets fixed on my off days, so when I hop in it on my Monday, it's ready to make us all money.
Only once have I had an issue that necessitated me going over his head to the tm to get remedied...
My steer tires were at 5/32 (after seeing they were getting thin, I gauged them) and I wrote it up.
Came back after my days off, and was surprised they weren't replaced. Still legal, so I ran them that day, and spoke with sm directly about it, face to face... He said he'd handle it.
I ran them until they were right at the bottom of the mark at 4/32...parked the truck in front of the shop, spoke with shop manager, and said the truck won't move until they get replaced... And informed him my next conversation would be with our tm.
I watched him pull the truck up to the upper lot, and walk back to the shop. (Bay was empty) I texted the photo I took of the tire gauge to our tm.
Next morning I had new sneakers up front.
Point being this- the easier you make it to get things fixed, the more likely they will be, instead of being shined over.
Want buy in on pretrip and post trip inspections?
Make it easy to win.
When drivers bring their equipment in at the end of their week, have a mechanic go over it, remedy the stuff they find, and leave a printed list in the cab for the driver to find, telling them so.
Coolest thing ever was getting a text the day before I came back, from the mechanic, telling me he fixed x, y, and z on my truck.
That got him a case of soda, a bag of ice, and a big bag of doritos (his favorite... I checked his station...) when he walked in the next morning.
When your drivers do it right, recognize them for it.
The more you catch them doing it right, the more "right" stuff you'll get.
Hammering them makes them hide stuff.
Use that only as a last resort.

 

I don’t ask much as a driver, but a mechanically sound truck is one thing i do.

Ridge from what i’ve read from you over the years, i’d be quite happy in one of your trucks.

 

A 15,000 dollar fine.

 

My guess is that THIS might be your biggest winner, also, truck stop prices are extortionate, so issue each truck with an extra 1 or 2 lights and the tools to change it. Have a box where they can drop an old for a new light off set up.
(It wouldnt hurt to add in a small toolbox and training of how to do it in orientation, like someone mentioned, many people today are not savvy to the concept that they can fix something themselves, its either never been taught, or in more unfortunate cases the desire killed in them usually at a young age)

 

Timely reimbursements.

I used to steal lights at 3rd party drop yards from my companies trailers because mine took me months to give me my money back and I wasn't dealing with that.

 

try this, "it's your job, do your pretrip, posttrip or your fired"