How Does Your Pre-trip Go In The Industry?

What order do you do things in, and where do you encounter the most maintenance issues?

The most maintenance issues are mainly found on the trailer. Most air line and air bags and brakes but they can pop up anywhere.

Does not matter where you start the PTI as long as you do it the same every single time. I start with standing in the front of my truck and work my way down the right side of the truck and around the back of the trailer and up the left side. Then I start with a detailed inspection of the trailer tandems. Checking brake and all hardware and brake pad. I also check brake adjustment.

Then I start on the tractor at the drives and work towards the engine compartment and check the fluids. Then I do the inside of the cab. If you do a PTI the way its supposed to be done it will take no less than 30 minutes but only log 15 minutes.

But remember to always do it the same way EVERYTIME. That's very important.

What do you mean...

< ... it will take no less than 30 minutes but only log 15 minutes.

Thanks

What do you mean...

< ... it will take no less than 30 minutes but only log 15 minutes.

Thanks

When dealing with log books all actions are broken down into 15 minute segments. According to Dot each action you do during the day can be no less than 15 minutes but there are a few rare exceptions that I will not go into here cause it would just confuse the issue more. Though you are truly using 30 minutes to do a pretrip it is acceptable to only log 15 minutes in your logbook. The reason this is allow is because unless a dot officer sat there and watched you do the PTI there is no way it can be proven you did not use only 15 minutes. Since it can not be proven one way or the other DOT rather not argue something that they will not win so they do the next best thing...make it mandatory that you have to long at least 15 minutes.

Not that I have problem with your logging, but I was told that 30 minutes was the minimum. Why would you not want it to be 30? Do you need that 15 minutes for something else in the log?

The most maintenance issues are mainly found on the trailer. Most air line and air bags and brakes but they can pop up anywhere.

Does not matter where you start the PTI as long as you do it the same every single time. I start with standing in the front of my truck and work my way down the right side of the truck and around the back of the trailer and up the left side. Then I start with a detailed inspection of the trailer tandems. Checking brake and all hardware and brake pad. I also check brake adjustment.

Then I start on the tractor at the drives and work towards the engine compartment and check the fluids. Then I do the inside of the cab. If you do a PTI the way its supposed to be done it will take no less than 30 minutes but only log 15 minutes.

But remember to always do it the same way EVERYTIME. That's very important.

Thanks for the rundown.

Not that I have problem with your logging, but I was told that 30 minutes was the minimum. Why would you not want it to be 30? Do you need that 15 minutes for something else in the log?

Just did a little reading on the FMCSA website and there is no specific time stated but since you can flag action that take less than 15 minutes you will be hard press to explain how you were able to check and examine at least 108 items on the truck for a good PTi. Companies that say it requires you to log 30 minutes...that is a company policy not a federal reg.

There is not specific time stated in the FMCSA ruling governing PTI's. Only thing it really demands under that ruling is that you must do a PTI BEFORE moving or operating the truck which in layman's terms means every time you are done with your 10 hour break.

I think it would be a good thing to log the 30min in case something did go wrong, it would be accounted for that I inspected each component for a couple seconds (two looks instead of one).

Make that 20 seconds instead of 10. I haven't actually timed mine yet (somebody also told me they only get 20 minutes to get off the yard for a local job).

Anyhow, I hope the trailer is not loaded when those maintenance issues come up.