Pre-Trip & Post-trip Survey

If a drove a different truck everyday or slip seated, I would do a 100% by the book inspection everyday.

Mark

 

I guess if you really want to be anal about it I suspect very few of us do a thorough pre-trip or post-trip each day especially for those of us in an assigned truck that does not slip seat and is out for a week or so at a time.

I think we are seeing a paradigm shift in the trucking industry. 25 years ago and longer a driver had to be mechanically inclined to drive a truck. Now a days it is a job rather than a lifestyle to many people. A job equates to: do the minimum amount of work required for your paycheck and go home.

I know I do not have a creeper to roll around under my truck nor do I do the duck walk under it either to check for cracked ribs, or chafed lines like some of these other fellas claim.

I am not a mechanic but I will fix something if I catch it and am able to figure it out. Otherwise I take it into the company shop to let them do their job.

I think there will come a time when the drivers will only check the fluids, tires, and lights. All the other stuff will be overlooked until it breaks. Human nature I guess or plain laziness you choose.

Owner operators have a much bigger stake in their equipment and operation. Moreso than a company driver does. The owner ops know it is essential to catch things before they break to keep hustling. Company drivers may have a blase' attitude about maintenance especially when they figure they can just switch trucks and keep moving on down the road. I mean it only takes a couple of hours to slip seat all your gear (for an otr driver that carries alot) and even less if the driver travels light. Besides just look at all those trucks parked on the line waiting to be used.
Definitely a reflection of our "throw away society."

 

You are speaking the truth here.

I have seen pretrips where they just walk around to make sure the tires are still there.

 

Funny you should say that! I recall a fella hooking up to a trailer and never even doing a walk around. He had an entire side panel missing from the passnger side of the trailer! Fortunately he was stopped before he left the yard and was told it was downed for repairs. Imagine his surprise when he saw an entire 4 foot wide panel missing from top to bottom. His excuse at the time was; "uhhhh well dispatch told me this trailer was empty."

It was too! I could see right thru the side lol! I suspect he didnt make that mistake again.

 

Well, to be truthful he was actually counting.

 

Logs look on my hubby's logs he puts on his logs that he does it but really do one no i kept telling him that his steer tires looked bad he blew it off well he got into one of the terminals to have them look at his powersteering and they told him that he would have to go to wingfoot now every time he calls me i now remind him to do his post trips

 

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

2). Do you prefer to do your full inspection at the end of your hard days work?
YES - lets me worry all night about forgetting something that's broke!

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? SAFETY drives all repairs.

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? Gitter done!!!