The Importance of Pre-Trip Inspections
It’s 5 a.m., it’s 35 degrees and raining pretty hard. Somebody just called in sick and so that’s one extra route to try to cover. You better hit the road quick, right? You looked over the truck as you were walking into the shop last night and everything seemed alright so it’s probably not worth taking the time now when you need to hit the road, right?
Beside the fact that pre trip inspections are a federally mandated regulation and there should be an inspection booklet on board and properly filled out, it’s just good practice. So much can happen in between shifts. Sometimes you may think gremlins have been active all night, letting air out of tires, severing wires to lights or rubbing hydraulic hoses together to the point where they will burst on the 3rd stop of the day.
It may seem like one more thing that will take time away from getting your customers picked up and getting done for the day but think about the potential downtime. How long will you wait for a tire vendor or mobile repair service to show up at the farthest point from your shop and get you going again, an hour, maybe more? 5 -10 minutes in the morning can save you hours during the day.
Pre-inspection booklets should be kept in the truck and filled out after an inspection before leaving the yard. The main things to look for are tire condition, operation of all lights, brakes, fluids, hoses, listen for air leaks and general operation. And don’t forget to look on the ground for fuel, coolant or oil leaks. While the cart tipper functionality is not something a motor carrier officer will be looking at on a roadside stop, it is something that could cost you hours during the day but 5 minutes to fix before you take off.
Speaking of roadside stop, are you ready for that if it occurs? If you haven’t filled out the pre-trip inspection, or don’t have it on board, there’s your first violation. The day only gets longer form there. Should that trigger a DOT audit, your week and month may get even longer. A good friend of mine experienced such an audit. The officer took an entire day calculating the fines.
So, before you leave, is it really worth skipping the pre-trip? If you need help setting up a pre-trip inspection policy, let us know, we’d be glad to help!
Ed Dryfhout
ed@vantholenassociates.com
#afriendinthebusiness
Vantholenassociates.com