Checking brake lights for pre-trip

Not always. Some trucks/trailers use a separate brake light circuit. Outside lights are signals and inside are brake lights. On a four light trailer, anyway.

 

Mine has the light check system in the settings area. Cycles through signals, brakes and high beam lights. If it's dark, then I watch the ground while checking the signal and brake lights. One side, then the other and a couple taps of the brakes.

 

If your truck still has a Jonny bar aka trolley brake, you can quickly wrap the seatbelt/shoulder belt around it and the tension should be enough to activate the lights. Otherwise, a screw driver jammed into the tread of the brake pedal and against the dash also works.

 

What's a pretrip?

 

It's that thing you do before driving in to a company terminal where an actual inspection may happen.

 

It's where you count the tires and kick the lights!


Something like that, anyway.

 

When checking the applied brake stoke and listening for leaks I check the brake lights also.

Lots of ways to apply the brakes to check.

I use a clamp with the ends reversed between the steering wheel and brake pedal or sometimes a bungee to hold the trolley if hooking to a new trailer.

 

I use a Blue Point hood prop (you can find something similar at any auto parts store or Harbor Freight). Even in a truck with a light test feature, I do all switches manually, because all the light test does is tell you that the circuits from the chassis node to the lights are good… it doesn't guarantee that your switches or the circuit from the switch to the chassis nose input is.