Electronic pre-trip

OP was talking about a Pre Trip, not DVIR.

 

Read more carefully

 

Yep. 16th word in. Pretrip

 

Well someone needs to read carefully anyway. Not seeing as it's Mark though.

 

You legally do not have to show any time for pre or post trip, you can combine a 15 minute vehicle inspection with fueling, loading, unloading etc, you can just flag pre and post trip, depending on your companys requirement.

I combine a VI with unloading everyday and have for years.

 

Let me chime in on a couple points of clarification, and a bit of a warning.

1. The ELD mandate has nothing to do with pretrip and DVIR
2. That said, the reputable ELD devices out there have both pretrip and DVIR functionality as it would be foolish to pay good money for an electronic system that didn't accommodate all of your regulatory compliance needs.
3. VDO elected to leave in the pretrip requirement upon logging in with RoadLog even though the DVIR requirement was changed awhile back (only need to complete DVIR in the case of a found defect) because our fleet customers still wanted to have their drivers sign off as safe to operate as evidence they did the pretrip. Only takes seconds of time so it isn't a major hassle.

Here's the warning, communicated to us by a couple of our customers that were warned. Suppose you are in the sleeper and your countdown clock says you have 5 minutes to go before you gain your hours for the day. You start the truck and warm it up. When your ELD says your have your 8/14, you immediately drive off. You get a roadside inspection at the scales later that day. The officer notices you have exactly 10 hours in line 2 (SB) , then immediately go into line 3. He asks you "did you do your pretrip?", what do you say? You cannot say you did it while in line 2, not legal. You obviously cannot do it while driving.

So the caution is to allow some time in line 4 between line 2 &3, whatever you budget for your pretrip in this situation. In the cases above, the drivers were verbally warned, not cited.

 

No one said the Mandate has anything to do with the Pre-trip or DVIR, the question the OP asked is how do you do the Pre-Trip... Since before the paperwork reduction act stopping the DVIR you logged the Post since you had to do the DVIR, now the DVIR is not required, but still you should make your walk-around, hence you log the Post.

Even on Paper or ELD, the Pretrip does not have to be logged.. only flagged.. so not going to line 4 is not a violation. Since it is only flagged you do not have to drop to line 4.

 

Inspection, Repair, and Maintenance; Driver-Vehicle Inspection Report (DVIR)

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 4910-EX-P

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

49 CFR Parts 392 and 396

[Docket No. FMCSA-2012-0336]

RIN 2126-AB46

Inspection, Repair, and Maintenance; Driver-Vehicle Inspection Report (DVIR)

AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), DOT.

ACTION: Final Rule.

SUMMARY: FMCSA rescinds the requirement that commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers operating in interstate commerce, except drivers of passenger-carrying CMVs, submit, and motor carriers retain, DVIRs when the driver has neither found nor been made aware of any vehicle defects or deficiencies. This rule also harmonizes the pre- and post-trip inspection lists. It responds in part to the President’s January 2011 Regulatory Review and Reform initiative, removing a significant information collection burden without adversely impacting safety. The Agency also makes a technical change to section 396.11 to eliminate redundant language.

 

396.13

Is a pre-trip inspection required?

The federal safety regulations require the driver to be “satisfied” that basic parts and accessories are available and "in good working order" prior to driving the vehicle. Although not required to be in writing, this pre-driving determination must include specific parts and accessories. The driver must also ensure that all cargo and vehicle components are properly distributed and/or secured. Finally, when available, the driver must review the last driver’s vehicle inspection report (DVIR) and sign it if defects or deficiencies were reported.