OUTSIDE THE TRUCK PRE-TRIP INSPECTION
I will start at the front of the truck and check my lights. Clearance lights at the top are secure to the vehicle and are not cracked, damaged, or broken and they are of the proper color. The turn signals are secure to the vehicle and are not cracked, damaged, or broken and they are of the proper color. The headlights top are secure to the vehicle and are not cracked, damaged, or broken and they are of the proper color.
At the front of the truck I am also going to look for leaks underneath and I am going to note if the truck is leaning to one side which could indicate a suspension or frame problem.
Next, I’m going to raise the hood so we can check underneath. Starting on the far side we will look for the four driven components under the hood.
My belt driven alternator is secured to the vehicle and it is not cracked, damaged or broken. I also check the belt. It is secure and there are no cuts or frays in it and there is not more than ¾ inch of deflection in the belt.
My gear driven water pump secured to the vehicle, and it is not cracked, damaged, broken, or leaking.
Now we can move around to the driver’s side.
I will check my coolant reservoir to make sure it is at the correct operating level which is between the min and the max. The oil I will check by pulling the dipstick, wiping it off, putting it back in and then checking that it is in the correct operating range which is between the min and the max. The power steering fluid is also between the min and the max.
My gear driven air compressor is secure, and it is not cracked and is not cracked, damaged, broken, or leaking.
The gear driven power steering pump is secure, and it is not cracked, damaged, broken, or leaking. I am also going to check the hoses going to and from the power steering pump to make sure there are no abrasions, bulges or cuts on the lines and that the lines are not leaking.
The next thing I will check are the steering components. First, I will check the steer shaft. It is secure, not cracked, damaged or broken and it does not have excessive play. (grab and twist the steering shaft) This should not have excessive play which would be more than 10 degrees. The steering gearbox is secure, and it is not cracked, damaged or broken and it is not leaking.
I will check the three piece steering linkage (the pitman arm, the drag link, and the tie rod). You can name these all as one “three piece steering linkage”. These are secure and not cracked, damaged or broken. They are held in place with castle nuts and cotter pins.
Next, I will jump to the suspension. The spring hangers, both front and rear, are secure to the vehicle. They are not cracked, damaged or broken. My leaf springs are secure and are not cracked, damaged or broken. There is none missing. (I can have up to ¼ of the springs missing and still be in compliance) The “U” bolts are secure. They are not cracked, damaged, broken, or missing. The shock absorber is secure and is not cracked, damaged, or broken and is not leaking.
The brakes are next. I will check the brake hose to make sure it is secure and is has no abrasions, bulges, or cuts, and is not leaking. I will check the brake chamber. It is secure and has no abrasions, bulges, or cuts, and is not leaking. The push rod and slack adjuster is secure and not cracked, damaged or broken. It is held in place with a clevis pin. To check this I would release my brakes and it should not have more than 1 inch of play in it. The brake drum inside is secure and is not cracked, damaged, or broken. The lining is secure and is not cracked, damaged, broken, or worn dangerously thin. I also note that there is no oil or contaminants on the brake linings.
I will check the tire. My steer tire is secure. There are no abrasions, bulges, or cuts anywhere on the tire. It is not leaking. It has a minimum of 4/32 of an inch of tread depth with even tread wear. I will also make sure that it is properly inflated with a tire pressure gauge on the valve stem. Next, I will check the wheel (rim). It is secure. It is not cracked, damaged, or broken. I do not see any illegal welds on it. I will check the lug nuts. They are all secure and are not cracked, damaged, broken, or missing. I see no signs of looseness which would be shiny metal on an aluminum rim or rusty streaks on a steel wheel. The hub seal is secure. It is not cracked, damaged, or broken. It is not leaking, and it is at an adequate level.
Moving to the driver’s door I will first check the mirror which I can see is secure and is not cracked, damaged, or broken. The driver’s door itself is secure and is not cracked, damaged, or broken. It latches and unlatches properly and the weatherstrip is secured and not cracked, damaged or dry rotted.
I can see the fire extinguisher from here so I am going to name all three necessary pieces of emergency gear from this spot. First, is my properly rated and fully charged fire extinguisher that is secured to the vehicle. I have three red reflective triangles in the storage compartment here and I have spare fuses in the cab.
The steps on the truck are secure and they are not cracked, damaged or broken. The fuel tank is secure and not cracked, damaged, broken, or leaking. The cap is on tight.
The turn signal on the side of the cab is secure. It is not cracked, damaged, or broken. It is of the proper color.
The reflectors and lights on the back of the truck are secure, not cracked damaged, or broken and are of the proper color. I am not missing any panels or rivets on my truck. The steps and catwalk are secure and not cracked, damaged, or broken.
The drive shaft is secure. It is not cracked damaged or broken and there is no debris in the “U” joints. The frame to the truck is secure. It is not cracked or damaged. There are no illegal holes or welds on the frame.
Next, I will check the air lines. I must check both the truck end and the trailer end of the red emergency line and the blue service line. The air lines have no abrasions, bulges, or cuts. They are not leaking. I will check the glad hand seals on both ends of each line to make sure they are properly seated and that the seals are not worn, cracked, or in need of replacement. The electric line is secured to both the truck and the trailer. It has no abrasions or cuts. There are no burnt or open wires.
The exhaust is visible from this point so I will note it now in my inspection. It is secured to the vehicle and not cracked or damaged. There are no signs of leaks which may be an obvious hole or black soot on the vehicle.
Moving on to the rear drives. I am checking my wheel, my tire, my brakes, and my suspension just like I did at the front of the truck. There are a few differences. The rear suspension here has air bags. I need to make sure they are secure and have no abrasions, bulges, or cuts and are not leaking. I need to also check the air bag mounts that attach it to the frame. These mounts are secure and are not cracked, damaged, or broken. The rear wheels are dual so I need to check the bud spacing between them to make sure the tires are not touching and that there is no debris between the tires and wheels. The tread depth on the drive tires needs to be a minimum of 2/32”. The last difference I need to mention on the drive axles is the torsion bars or torque arms that go from the frame to the differential. I need to ensure that they are secured and are not cracked, damaged, or broken.
The apron of the trailer is secure. It is not cracked, damaged or broken. The apron is resting on the skid plate. The skid plate is secure. It is not cracked, damaged, or broken and is properly greased. There is no gap between my apron and my skid plate. There is a release arm. The release arm is secure and is not cracked, damaged, broken, or bent. It is locked in place. The skid plate is resting on the platform. The platform is secure and is not cracked, damaged or broken. All my mounting bolts are secure and are not cracked damaged or broken.
Up underneath I will check the kingpin which comes down from the apron. It is secure and not cracked, damaged, or broken. The locking jaws that are around the kingpin are secure and not cracked damaged or broken.
My mudflaps are secure and are not cracked, damaged, or broken. The reflective tape is secure and not cracked, damaged, or broken. It is the proper color. The lights on the back of my truck are secure. They are not cracked, damaged, or broken. They are the proper color.
I am going to check to make sure I have proper clearance between my landing gear and the truck. The landing gear is secure. It is not cracked, damaged, or broken. The feet are fully raised. The crank handle is secured.
I’m now going to start on the trailer. I will start at the front and work my way back. The bulkhead of the trailer is secure. It is not cracked, damaged, or broken. There are no missing panels or rivets. I have a clearance light up top. It is secure. It is not cracked, damaged, or broken. It is the proper color. Looking down the side of my trailer I am going to make sure there are no missing panels or rivets. Everything is secure and it is not damaged. I have 50% DOT tape running down the side of my trailer.
Under the trailer I will check the cross members to make sure they are secure. That there are none missing and that they are not cracked, damaged or broken. The turn signal on the side of the trailer is secure. It is not cracked, damaged, or broken, and it is the proper color.
Now at the rear axles I will check the wheels, tires, brakes, and suspension just like I did on the drive axles. One exception is the sliding tandem assembly. The slide rail is secure. It is not cracked, damaged, or broken. The frame that the slide rail is resting on is secure. It is not cracked, damaged, or broken and there are no illegal welds on it. The pins that are locked in are secure. They are not cracked, damaged, or broken. There is also a release handle. It is secure. It is not cracked, damaged, or broken. It is locked in place.
I am checking the ABS light. It is secure. It is not cracked, damaged, or broken, and it is the proper color. The marker light is secure. It is not cracked, damaged, or broken, and it is the proper color.
The mud flaps in the back are secure and not cracked, damaged, or broken. At the back of my trailer I will check the clearance lights at the top. They are secure. They are not cracked, damaged, or broken, and are of the proper color. The door is secure. It is not cracked, damaged, or broken. There are no missing panels or rivets. It is latched properly. The lights on the back of my trailer are secure. They are not cracked, damaged, or broken, and are of the proper color. I have 100% DOT tape on the width of the trailer.
I will check the right side just the same as I would on this side.
Now ask the evaluator to help you with a light check from the outside of the truck. If they want you to do so run through all the lights and watch for them to signal you.
IN CAB PRE-TRIP INSPECTION
The first thing I am going to do is check and fasten my seat belt. I make sure it is secure and has no abrasions or cuts. I will then perform a safe start so the truck can build air while I do the rest of my in-cab pre trip inspection. I am going to check my mirrors and make sure they are adjusted to me. I’m going to check my windshield to make sure it is secure and not cracked, damaged, or broken. I also check to make sure there are no illegal stickers or anything else obstructing my view. I check the windshield wipers and washers to make sure they operate properly. I check the heater and the defroster for proper operation as well. The headlights are turned on and working properly. They work in both the low beam and high beam settings.
I will check the city horn and the air horn for proper operation. Now I will check the gauges on the instrument panel. I check the left turn signal and right turn signal to make sure the indicator lights work on the dashboard. The 4-WAYS are tested next to make sure they work too. My oil pressure is at safe operating level. My water temperature is rising toward a correct operating range. My voltmeter is at a safe operating level. My primary and secondary air gauges are rising toward a safe operating level. I also have enough fuel for the trip.
AIR BRAKE PRE-TRIP INSPECTION
I need to make sure I have a fully charged air system before I start my air brake inspection. Once the system is fully charged I am going to turn off the truck and then turn the ignition back to the on position so that my electronics are active.
The first test is a static test. I put the truck in gear and release the brakes. After the initial loss I should not lose more than 3 psi in one minute. Next I am going to apply the service brake. After the initial loss I should not lose more than 4 psi in one minute. I will time this so that I ensure that 1 minute has elapsed. Once that is done I will fan the brakes to let the air pressure come down. At about 60 psi my low air alarm and warning light should come on. I continue to fan the brakes. Somewhere between 20 and 40 psi the spring brakes will pop out and the truck and trailer brakes will come on. I will now perform another safe start on the truck to build air pressure. Now that the truck is warmed up I can rev it to 1500 rpm to build pressure faster. The truck should build pressure from 85 to 100 in less than 45 seconds.
Once my pressure is build back up I will do a tug test on both the tractor and trailer. First I will set the trailer brakes, release the tractor brakes, put the truck in a low forward gear, and slip the clutch a little bit to check the brakes. Then I will set the tractor brakes, release the trailer brakes, and give it a little tug to make sure those brakes hold. Now I will release both parking brakes and put the truck in a little bit higher gear and do a rolling stop test. I’m going to pull forward at about 5 miles per hour, push in the clutch, and apply the service brake. The steering wheel should not pull to one side and the truck should stop.