Professional drivers learn early to maximize their hours for rest by minimizing their hours spent on other activities. In a career field where many over-the-road drivers are paid on a per-mile basis — or at least the number of miles specified in the load assignment — it’s no wonder that they don’t want their time eaten up by activities that don’t add to their paychecks.
Unfortunately, this is one reason many drivers don’t bother with daily pre-trip inspections.
Another reason for skipping this vital step is complacency. Modern trucks are incredibly durable. Inspecting the same components every day without finding a discrepancy gets boring and leads to a “Why bother?” attitude.
There are other reasons that drivers forego pre-trip inspections, but the reality is that none of them are good enough.
Any component on any truck can break at any time, even on a brand-new one.
While a thorough pre-trip inspection doesn’t guarantee that a breakdown won’t occur after five minutes of driving, catching a problem early CAN help prevent catastrophe later.
Check the tires.
Tires are one area that take a tremendous beating. Objects in the road, potholes, heat and even manufacturing defects can result in failure. Slow leaks, for example, are often undetected. In a tandem configuration, as the pressure in the damaged tire goes down, the adjoining tire takes on more weight. This causes a build-up in heat that can cause more damage.
Even tires that maintain proper pressure can have problems. Objects imbedded in the tire tread can work their way into the tire’s interior, potentially ruining the tire. Bruises to the tire’s side wall can blister, eventually causing a failure.
Many drivers, however, don’t check tires — or if they do, it’s with a thump and a quick look at the outside sidewall. The spaces between tandem tires and the sidewalls of the inside tire rarely get a good look; tractor side fairings and fenders make inspection more difficult.
Air supply is critical
With so many of today’s trucks equipped with airbags instead of springs, the air supply is critical — and there are more air lines and valves to be inspected and observed. In addition, airbags must be mounted, just as springs are, so there are always mounting brackets and fasteners that need inspecting.
Air dryers are commonplace these days, so some drivers rarely bother with draining air tanks. But air dryers can fail, and most need the desiccant replaced. As they age, air compressors can develop piston “blow-by,” introducing oil vapor into the air lines that can accumulate in valves and components. Add a little dust and some cold weather, and the resulting sludge can cause valves to malfunction. Inspecting air dryers and keeping them in tip-top shape is important, and so is occasionally bleeding the air tanks to see if moisture has accumulated.
Check fluids
Modern tractors are equipped with sensors that indicate when fluid levels are low, but good drivers don’t wait for a light to come on. A thorough pre-trip inspection includes checking fluid levels and topping them off when necessary. Windshield washer fluid won’t cause a shutdown — but when it runs out during a period of poor visibility, accidents can occur.
Oil and fluid leaks can be detected before they form puddles on the ground beneath the vehicle. It’s important to look over the engine, checking for oil, fuel or coolant leaks. Small leaks today can lead to big problems tomorrow.
Don’t forget the nuts, bolts and lighting
Nuts and bolts are critical to holding things together, and some of them are under tremendous stress on a truck. Your truck’s fifth wheel is bolted directly to the frame; it handles not just the weight of the trailer, but also huge amounts of side-to-side and forward-and-backward stress.
Mounting bolts can loosen or break, and they can easily go undetected without an inspection. Lug nuts also absorb stress and can work themselves loose, or even break. Rust trails coming from any nut or bold are an indication they may be loosening. Chrome lug nut covers can make rust more difficult to see.
LED lighting has helped to make your truck’s marker, clearance and other lights much more dependable than in the past … but bulbs still fail and wiring still corrodes. Lights should be inspected daily, but don’t skip taking a look at wiring. Inspection may mean getting under the trailer, but it’s worth it.
Follow a routine
A good pre-trip inspection follows a routine process, so items aren’t neglected. Always start at the same spot — for example, the driver’s door — and proceed in the same direction each time you inspect. An internet search for an inspection checklist turns up all kinds of options published by safety groups, carriers and insurance companies. Your state’s CDL manual will have an excellent checklist.
If you’d like your inspection to match what the inspectors look for during roadside inspections, you can get a checklist directly from the agency who decides the inspection process, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance. They provide a “cheat sheet” here.
Don’t neglect periodic inspections during your trip, too. Stopping at a rest area for a quick restroom break? You can check the tires and lights on one side of your vehicle on the way to the restroom and the other side on the way back. You can observe running lights, leaks under the truck and loose or missing equipment as you walk. Finding problems early allows you to make good decisions about how and when to make repairs.
It’s easy to get out of the habit of performing pre-trip inspections. Some drivers still “inspect” by thumping the tires and looking at the lights, risking a miss of a critical problem.
Fix what you find
When you do find problems, make good decisions about what to do. Dropping a trailer with defects for the next person to deal with could put someone in danger later and doesn’t say much for the driver’s integrity. Ignoring problems on the tractor can be risky. Nobody wants their trip interrupted by a stop for repairs, but a delay might be preferable to a service call on the side of the road later.
Cliff Abbott is an experienced commercial vehicle driver and owner-operator who still holds a CDL in his home state of Alabama. In nearly 40 years in trucking, he’s been an instructor and trainer and has managed safety and recruiting operations for several carriers. Having never lost his love of the road, Cliff has written a book and hundreds of songs and has been writing for The Trucker for more than a decade.
