Importance of Pre and Post Daily Trip Inspections

Don’t Let This Happen to You

For instance, depending on the terrain you are traversing, brake adjustments can change daily. You can’t always depend on automatic slack adjusters to take up the improper brake adjustment. Lives could be at risk in the event of a serious accident. And driver, your career may be over, and you could even face charges for operating an unsafe vehicle.

When a heavily laden truck traveled from Canada to New York State, on the downward side of the bridge at Niagara Falls, it plowed into a car containing a family waiting in line to clear the border. All   four occupants of that car were killed, including two children. The driver of the tractor-trailer went to prison because he failed to check brake adjustments. The onus was not on the owner or a technician or shop.

That hard truth should inspire truck drivers to complete their daily inspections with great care. Lives cannot be brought back. And the remorse a driver must feel never goes away.

Of course, not all deficiencies of components are easily detectable. Drivers must really inspect their vehicle with care. Daily inspections are compulsory because they are important for saving lives. Never take them lightly. And never take them for granted. Instruct your drivers to always protect themselves and everyone around them by being serious about their daily inspections. We do them to protect everyone. 

Post Trip Inspections can also reveal issues that need to be reported to the fleet so they can be corrected before the truck runs another trip. Impress upon your drivers that there are so many variables in any trip that can combine to end in tragedy. Don’t let it happen to you or your drivers. No life is worth fudging a daily inspection.

And repair shops must do their part by recommending replacement of suspected deficient parts. And if the fleet or owner refuses the repair or replacement, the shop must document the issue. They have responsibility for covering their assets. After all, not everyone in trucking exhibits scruples. Everyone needs to get on board.

Every truck has components and systems that can fail at any time. Everyone’s last line of defense against disaster is you. Concentrate on your Pre and Post Trip inspections.

Trust a shop that’s powered by EMDECS – it helps manage all of the above. You’ll be glad you did. And safer too.