Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/147778
Introduction to Trucking by Tim Brady What It's Really Like Trucking, Part 20 Pre-Trip Inspections PTI: how important is the daily safety activity required by FMCSA Regs? Let's see how Naomi and Ben handle their PTIs. List the three biggest challenges completing a PTI. Naomi: I'm small; even opening the hood is tough so I don't hurt myself. Also, I had my shop teach me in detail what to look for and what I'm looking at. My three challenges are lighting: most of the time it's dark, so invest in a good, lightweight but heavy-duty flashlight. Tire wear: make sure you measure wear and recognize trouble. Weather: ice, rain, sleet, snow, sun... all are brutal when doing a proper pre-trip. In cold weather, it can take shoveling snow to even get your hood open. Wear proper clothes. Ben: The only real problem I have is picking up equipment in bad shape and figuring out what to do to get it fixed. Not uncommon to have marker lights out, or a bad airline grommet, or an air leak. Seems the attitude by many drivers in my fleet is, "Let the next trucker take care of it." How often in a month do you find a deficiency that requires repair before you can 2 intro trucking 0813.indd 1 get OTR? Naomi: Only twice I've found issues requiring major repair before I can drive. Once was a steer tire with a huge gash. Second was a leaky water pump. So I may go several months before I find something. Otherwise, it's usually lights - I find those at least twice a month. Unless I'm picking up in Laredo; that's a whole other ballgame. Ben: Probably two to five times a month. Honestly, the more times I do drop and picks of loaded or unloaded trailers, the more times I find problems that need to be fixed. What are the three most common problems you find requiring correcting before you can get OTR? Naomi: Airline grommets/seals need replacement. Lights need changing. Fluids filled. Ben: Tires are torn up, flat, or bald; brakes are worn/don't work, landing gear's broken and won't let up or down. Most of these problems have to be known by the trucker that pulled the trailer last, but they've chosen to ignore things that need fixing. So the next poor sap who's to pull that trailer www.studentdriverplacement.com August '13 7/19/13 9:56 AM