Pre-trip inspections are one of the most important things you need to do before any trip. Not only will this simple process keep you safe, but it also the law. A simple pre-trip inspection helps you get in tune with your truck before your drive. It lets you know if anything is wrong with the truck or needs to be fixed before hitting the road. Not only will this keep you safe, but it also helps keep others on the road safe as well. Before we get into the importance of pre-trip inspection, let us first dive into what a Pre-trip inspection is.
What is a Pre-Trip Inspection?
A Pre-trip inspection is a practice of inspecting your vehicle before you start driving on the road. Just some of the things you need to check during a pre-trip inspection include brakes, tires, leaks, lights, and gauges. Pre-trip inspections generally take around 30 minutes, but this time is very crucial to the safety of you as well as the others on the road.
4 Reasons Why Trucker Should Perform Pre-Trip Inspections
Safety
Safety is the main importance of doing a Pre-trip inspection. Without a Pre-Trip inspection, you might have missed your truck’s brakes needing repair, or your tires not having the right pressure, or many different other safety concerns with your truck. Being in tune with your truck helps you know how it needs to be driven.
Keeps you driving
Though you have to stop to do the initial inspection, it will save you time in the long run. If you were to catch an issue before your trip, like a bad brake, you can fix it and then be on your way. However, skipping this pre-trip inspection could mean that you are involved in an accident resulting in a total loss of your truck. This accident will prevent you from driving and could potentially keep you off the road for a while.
Reduces Liability
Being involved in an accident and not being able to provide proof of a pre-trip inspection can increase your liability for the accident. Regardless of fault, it has been proven that with no proof of a pre-trip inspection a truck driver can be found liable. The proof of a pre-trip inspection can show no negligence on your part when it comes to the integrity of the truck being the reason for the accident.
Legal Obligation
Ensuring vehicle safety is a legal obligation of a truck driver. One way you do this is by performing a pre-trip inspection. Any issue that you find during the inspection has to be reported in case of an audit. If not, violations can be issued. Unreported issues can result in an increased CSA score.
In Conclusion
Don’t skip out on your Pre-trip inspection. As you can see, there are important reasons why drivers should always perform them before setting out on the road. Keep you and others safe and always perform your inspection.
Let us know in the comments below any other reasons why a pre-trip inspection is always important to perform.
For more trucking safety tips check out our blog Emergency Trucking Safety Equipment Every Truck Driver Needs.
