What is a "real life" pretrip?

I love me some cigs too on occasion but I can't sit there all day and smoke myself to death going down the road. Out of sight out of mind.

 

I once found a busted airbag on a trailer during my pre-trip. Company had already loaded her up. Maintenance couldn't get a replacement for a few days.

Dispatch had the trailer unloaded and reloaded on another trailer. My stops came off a few days late.

Got a few weeks of ####ty runs after that. I don't think dispatch wants your pre-trip to be super thorough.

BUT, it's not them that's going to be broken down on the side of the highway or put out of svc at the weigh station, or worse.

Do it for you and the other people on the road.

 

The company that I'm with now, when I went for the road-test, I started to open the hood, the old codger said, what are you doing?
I paused, thought, then said, just how extensive a pre trip do you want me to do?
He said, if it starts were good. I already know the #### ac doesn't work.
I started it, hit the lights and flashers and started walking around it
He said, what're ya doing?
I said, can I at least see if we have lights?
He grumbled and said to hurry up
I told him, we don't have any right turn signals.
He said, that's OK, we won't be turning right.
I looked at him and said, I hope you don't get me a ticket before I've made my first dime.
I passed.

 

You can't be serious, here's a note to all newbez. When using flasher switch during pretrip!!! The little flashy things ARE your brake lights.. Gezzz!!

 

If you work in a drop or relay yard post trips on trailers are important because you can catch a problem so the line haul or transit drivers do not catch it. That way you can report it up the ladder and they can get someone out there and get it fixed so it does not delay night time road operations, just something to think about.

As far as pre trip on truck I used to before it got in an accident and kind of mucked up and the weather got to bloody hot, I used to wash my truck my self, which is good and I'll tell you why. It's good because it really forces you to look at everything real close instead of just a quick glance around.

When you open the hood and I had this happen once look for oil leaks and stuff one time my truck was leaking oil because of a lose oil filter, I crawled underneath the truck and tightened it up my self. Also check the oil usually 90% of the time it's right where it should be. On the Volvo's checking the coolant is easy because the tank is see through you don't really have to do anything, but pop the hood.

Also on the Volvo's they have an automatic light check feature where you can go into the computer menu check pre-trip and it flashes the lights automatically in sequence so you can check all the lights. Really I will say Volvo has made it pretty easy. The fact of the matter is with your truck everything should be the same day in and day out and my truck is.

Usually if something is wrong or off or getting off I usually write it down and compile a list so when the truck goes to the shop twice a year they know what's wrong and fix it.

Like for instance my seat was broken the back could not be adjusted because the knob was stripped that's nothing that is going to shut you down DOT wise, but it makes the day uncomfortable. So I wrote that up and the shop fixed it horray for the shop and now my seat is much more comfortable.

So you know, knowing what's going on with your truck is good because it can make your life easier too. I know the shop sometimes won't fix everything i.e. you have a 9 year old truck that has got one more year to go and then it's slated to be put on the replacement list and say the A/C on it breaks, your probably stuck with the broken A/C there not going to fix that because what they will say is "That trucks almost 10 years old and next year it's going on the sell list when we get our new batch in."

I can't speak for everyone, but usually these bigger outfits buy new pieces of equipment every year they don't replace the whole fleet, but generally there isn't a year that goes by where they haven't bought a new truck or trailer some years they may buy more heavy then others. I know at our warehouse this year they had 14 brand new trucks come in which was a lot, but considering they were out of tractors and were usually running short they needed those 14 new tractors and now there not short of tractors anymore and if they have trucks that age out of the system next year they will buy trucks to replace those trucks. Anyhow sorry long rant off topic.

 

Eh?

 

A member said he rarely wedges stick to check his brake lights. I'm saying the flashers are the brake lights..

 

tick tick tick tick tick

 

Uummm...no, they're not. Typical setup, the inside lights are your brake lights, outside are your turn signals/four ways. Unless you've got some kind of completely different setup I've never seen.

 

No, sir.
No they're not.
Those blinky things are called turn signals!