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

Let's say I find a trailer light that doesn't work, or I find something that I can't fix without getting back to the company yard or repair shop.

I then report it on the inspection report on the ELD, during the Pre trip.

Can I go forward with my day and start driving even after finding these faults?

If I can, then let's say I get pulled over by DOT, and see that the light is not working. If I reported it on the DVIR, can I still get a violation for it?

 

Unless YOU have it repaired at a company approved Facility or YOU repaired it YOURSELF with Parts ON Your Truck, YES you can/may well be CITED since it remains in the "reported" shape, INOPERATIVE.

If You had a FLAT TIRE, would you simply report it on your DVIR then drive on down the road??

Didn't you LEARN things in ORIENTATION or did you even go through an ORIENTATION??

 

If I HAD a FLAT tire, WHY would I drive ON down THE road WITHOUT getting IT fixed FIRST???

Is THERE something WRONG with YOU that CAUSES you TO type LIKE this??

IF I went THROUGH orientation, THEN do YOU think I would BE asking THIS question ON this PLATFORM???

 

If you have an issue that would be deemed a safety issue if the equipment were operated, then you must get it repaired prior to operating it, or risk getting a ticket if you’re inspected by DOT.

Tires, brakes and lights are not issues you want to drive with.

 

UPPERCASE for attention.
lower for normal type.

Thanks B-2-U-4 this:
Is THERE something WRONG with YOU that CAUSES you TO type LIKE this??
Yes, it's called GETTING ATTENTION ( or to some people online it's yelling) yet serves the same purpose.

As to the "wrong with me" part, I drove 70' Combos for various Companies for over 22 years, coast to coast and Local but always repaired tail lights as well Mud Flaps BEFORE moving along when caught in morning or evening light.

Your queries are very Noobyish INSULT REMOVED

If you don't know if you would get cited for an inoperative tail light regardless of "reporting it on the DVIR", maybe trucking is not your venue.
Not everyone who wants to be a Truck Driver becomes a Truck Driver.

INSULT REMOVED
Go to WWW.CDLLIFE.COM and there's one hero that was cited for pulling a 53' Van with 3 FLAT TIRES on Right side. Maybe or not driver reported on dvir, who cares.

SAFE TRAVELS!!

 

ask your company, what their policy is on repairs. BUT, don't let them tell you when there is a major defect to just roll with it.

you can refuse to drive an unsafe truck.

make sure these things are all in the quaalcom or whatever your using, as that is basically " in writing and submissible in court", if there are ever any repercussions to your refusal to operate an unsafe vehicle.

 

There's a guy at our company that will call road breakdown and have them send someone to the truck stop to put coolant in his reservoir...and they do.

If your company balks at sending someone to fix problems or they don't want to reimburse you for parts, find another company. Mechanics work 24/7/365. Someone is always available if the price is right even at 0200 Christmas morning in the middle of Montana in a blizzard.

Here are some problems I have had on company trailers in the last month:

Broken weld on air tank.
Big gap between brake pad and drum.
Chipped brake pad
Bent DOT bumper with broken welds
Worn out glad hand seals

Bottom line: stuff breaks and it has to be fixed and the buck stops with me. Whoever dropped the equipment burned me and they will burn you too.

On drop and hooks, I have made my company load freight onto a another trailer if there is a mechanical problem. Multiple times.

Multiple times I have ended service calls because of clowns with attitude problems.

 

Most of the time when a driver gets nailed on an OOS order it is generally something wrong with the trailer. I would be willing to bet it is 75-25 trailer over the tractor. Very early in my career way back when I was sent to pick up a piece of equipment where a driver had been shot to death about a week before. I have done drop and hooks in drop yards where there was no living person for miles. Just a combination locked gate. I bring this up because, in some extreme situations as a driver, you really are taking your life into your hands if you spend much time at such a place waiting on help. I refuse to get into the firearm debate here. Each of us has to do what we feel better doing. I have been known to drive a trailer with a flat out of a dangerous area to a lighted better area to wait on help. I'm not advising anybody to do this of course. I mean if you are in a place where it is known the cops hate truckers I don't advise doing this. I guess my point is a bit of experience-driven common sense will take you far in this business.

 

1. I don’t care about your “22 years of experience”. Doesn’t mean #### to me. There’s a serious issue with people like you who apparently have all this experience, and are on this forum answering and commenting in very snarky and arrogant way.

2. “If you don't know if you would get cited for an inoperative tail light regardless of "reporting it on the DVIR", maybe trucking is not your venue.
Not everyone who wants to be a Truck Driver becomes a Truck Driver.”

Trucking isn’t my venue because I asked a question about something I did to know? Were you born INSULT DELETED knowing everything about trucking and all the regulations and rules?

3. “Your queries are very Noobyish as in New Driver speak.”

THIS IS LITERALLY THE POINT OF THE FORUM. IT SAYS “QUESTIONS FROM NEW DRIVERS”.

 

Yes you can still get a violation. I would ask your company how they would like you to proceed when you pick up a trailer with issues or have something happen mid-trip.

If I’m within a reasonable distance from a shop I will go there instead of calling road service unless it’s a tire or something somewhat major.

But to answer your original question, noting it on the inspection report won’t keep you from getting a violation.