Truck Inspection On A Company Vehicle.

I think I saw soothing similar to what I am thinking about a couple of months ago but I would like to get some input on this for my own education and potential safety later on. I know of a box truck where I work that I use when my truck is in for servicing( oil change, tires etc.) that has serious issues such as a bald tire on the rear axle for one. Other then refusing to drive an unsafe vehicle , writing it up which I have done is there anything I can do to get the point across.

I know the truck is due for inspection this month and I heard that you can get a complete inspection on a truck with minimal risk to your license, is this true?

The yard this truck in in is less then 10 miles from an inspection station and I am reasonably sure the truck will get to it if the weather is dry.

Trust me when I say my supervisor knows my opinions on the truck and that I will refuse to take an unsafe vehicle on the road. I just worry that he will get someone else to do it and I don't want that on my conscience if I can help it.

Todd, the answer to that used to be "take it to a scale house and ask them to inspect it." That's been done many, many times. But unfortunately today it's not that simple. You have the CSA Program (Compliance, Safety, and Accountability) which holds both the companies and the drivers responsible for keeping the vehicle in safe operating condition. So taking it for an inspection could lead to a bunch of tickets, but would also hurt your CSA score. So you really don't want to be the one driving it when it gets a bunch of tickets.

To be honest, I'm not sure what you could do at this point other than refuse to drive it.

Not knowing more on this "box" truck lol looks to me like the supervisor/company isn't worrying too much. Being an auto mechanic by trade, I can deadline ANY car I feel is unfit, legally. Have only had to do this once, working @ Ford dealer. Car had NO brakes left, and customer didn't want to get it fixed. So I dead lined it, and they had to have it towed out!

I wasn't going to risk being sued if they had crashed, knowing the brakes were bad. (Document everything)

Todd, the answer to that used to be "take it to a scale house and ask them to inspect it." That's been done many, many times. But unfortunately today it's not that simple. You have the CSA Program (Compliance, Safety, and Accountability) which holds both the companies and the drivers responsible for keeping the vehicle in safe operating condition. So taking it for an inspection could lead to a bunch of tickets, but would also hurt your CSA score. So you really don't want to be the one driving it when it gets a bunch of tickets.

To be honest, I'm not sure what you could do at this point other than refuse to drive it.

I had a feeling that this would be one of the replies I would get so I have already take action on it. I have pointed this stuff out to my supervisor and have written it up in a company inspection report so they know.

Yes you are right I do not want to get a bunch of tickets and I have said that I will refuse to drive this vehicle on the road so it is up to them the next time my truck has to go in for service. As always I do appreciate the time and effort that goes into the answers I get in this forum.

While I realize this is a very old thread I thought I would shed some light on it for others to share in. The answer to this is fairly simple, fill out your driver vehicle inspection report indicating the things that you believe are defective and do not drive the vehicle until a mechanic has signed off on the statement of "vehicle not needing repairs to be safe to operate" Your job as a driver is not to be a mechanic and make the determinations of what is or is not safe, your job is to perform a proper inspection of the vehicle, record and report (in a written format) anything you believe is defective. It is then up to the carrier to determine if the items you listed as defective on your report are or are not defective. Those items the carrier finds to be defective must be repaired and signed off on as repaired by the mechanic performing the repairs on your inspection report. Those items that do not require repair must be signed off on by the mechanic performing the inspection of the component as not needing repair for the vehicle to be safe to operate. For more detail see CFR 49 Part 396.11 and I dont know if the link will work but regulatory guidance should give you a clearer idea of what to do in such circumstances. Specifically look at #7 in the guidance section.

Absolutely right, Slowpoke. I want to add this:

Once you put your truck Out Of Service you won't be going anywhere until it's fixed. What you do next is to contact your company's Shop or repair service. Follow their instructions. Depending on your situation you may have to drive, with a loaded trailer, to the designated repair shop.