One thing that we do tell them is, we don't have to be this thorough when we are driving the same vehicle every day. When we are assigned a truck, we will be able to See, Hear, Smell and Feel any changes that might be going on, in and around the truck.
The time that we want to do a pre-trip like this is when we first get our truck assigned to us. That way, we can acclimate ourselves to our vehicle. We also want to do this when we go onto time off. That way, if there is anything that needs to be fixed, we can have it done while we are relaxing at home as opposed to doing it when we come back and have to put the truck in the shop. Then guess who gets to make the money....the mechanics!
The other time we want to do a pre-trip like this is if we switch truck assignments. Then we need to get to know our new truck that we will be driving. Other than that, a pre-trip can be done in about 10 minutes, because you know what you are looking at, looking for and will notice any changes such as shiny metal, fluid or air leaks, loose components, etc.
During a pre-trip, you will want a good pair of gloves, flashlight, tire thumper and tire gauge. You may also want a good pair of knee pads since you will be getting under the truck also to see things under there.
The very first thing you want to do when you get your truck assignment is take your permit book out. A good driver will always be sure that they have all the permits required and that they are up-to-date. It can be quite costly if the DOT inspectors find that one of your permits is out of date.
I had that happen in Colorado one time. My Colorado HazMat permit was out of date by one week. It cost me only $25 at the time, back in 1994, but it could have cost me a lot more had I been hauling Hazardous Materials. Lesson learned.
Once we have determined that our permit book is good and current, then we can proceed on our inspection on our truck.
The first thing we do is walk to the front of the truck. Here we can see an overall view of what we are about to drive down the road.
What we are looking for here is if the truck is leaning one direction or another. This can be due to the truck sitting in a pothole, having a flat or low tire. The shocks could be bad, or maybe the airbags are low. You could also have bad leaf springs or your cab mounts can be either out of adjustment or cracked. Any number of things.
Then while we are still standing in front of the truck, we want to start from the top. Look to see if there is a tree damage to the top of the truck. Then slowly come down and look at the visor where the marker lights are. Be sure that is in tact and this is a good time to have your lights on.
Next, look at your windshield. Look for any cracks or dings from rocks. You can also see your wipers from here. We'll take a closer look in a little while.
Check that your mirrors are in place and look in tact.
Then scan down the hood to be sure that it is sitting properly in the closed position. Move down the grill to be sure that it is in tact and not broken.
Next, look at the headlights, markers and turn signals. Be sure that they are in tact, working, not broken or missing.
Then look at the bumper. Be sure that it is in tact and that the license plate is present and the tags are current and present.
Now, we will need our knee pads to look under the truck.
What we are looking for here is what is called "cool down leaks." These are leaks that develop over time when you shut your truck off. Much like blowing up a balloon, the hoses and gaskets lose their shape. When you blow up a balloon, let the air out and repeat that several times, the balloon loses its shape, right? So does the hoses and gaskets, so we must look to see if anything has developed that we didn't notice before.
Now we can open the hood and take a look at the inside of the engine compartment.
Once we get the hood open, this is where you want to develop a pattern. If you go full circle around your truck, then you will be less likely to miss something as opposed to checking things as you think of them. Force yourself to look and feel everything so as to be sure of their stability and condition.
We can look inside and see different things. I will have several photos available with arrows pointing to different areas to be able to easily identify what I am talking about.
After opening the hood, the first thing we want to look at is the strap or wire that holds the hood to the radiator. Here at the red arrow, we can see a tightly woven strap that anchors the hood to the truck. We are looking for any cuts or fraying on it that could cause the hood to fall to the ground.
Sure it is also held up by hinges, but without those straps, the hood will open completely and possibly put so much stress on the hinges that the hood will go to the ground. These hoods are very heavy and are not very easy to pick back up. They could also cause great injury, so this is why it is important to check this out.
Once you have inspected the strap, take a quick look at the front of the radiator. Be sure that you haven't picked up any debris that was flying around on the ground. Debris like plastic bags, cardboard, etc. If this gets caught on the front of your radiator, air flow will be restricted and your engine will not cool off properly therefore causing engine damage and possibly having the computer shut the engine down completely while in travel. This could be dangerous as all steering ability is greatly restricted also.
Move to the belts just behind the radiator. At the red arrow is our idler pulley or the tensioner. Be sure that this is secure and not loose. If it is loose, the bushings inside may be worn and this will cause the belt to fall off and you may lose power since the alternator will not be in use any longer.
Check that the belts have no more than 3/4 of play in them. Also check to see if they are frayed on the edges or have a mosaic effect on the inside. This is from weathering and cracking. The belt is getting old and my not last for much longer. Go ahead and have the shop change it at this time to prolong the life of your engine.
Check that your fan blade is in tact. Look to see that all the blades are present, not broken or chipped. A chipped blade may indicate a loose clutch fan and it is hitting something.
At the yellow arrow, we have the air conditioning unit. Be sure this is secure by tugging on it with your gloved hand. Also, look for any leaking around the unit. Be sure the belts are secure also.
At the red arrow, we have the alternator. Again, be sure this unit is secure to the engine and the belts are secure. Look at all the bolts and fittings to see if you can notice any new shiny metal. This could indicate that the unit is not secure and is moving with the vibrations of the truck.
Let's move to the windshield area now.
We can get a little bit better view up close like this as opposed to standing up in front of the truck. That's okay. It's never a bad thing to double check yourself. In fact, the more you check the better off you are.
You can see if there are any cracks or rock chips. Also if the windshield needs to be cleaned.
Then we can see our wipers, pointed out by the red arrow. Look to see that the rubber part is intact and present.
Now at the yellow arrow, we can see the coolant reservoir. Be sure that it is at the proper level. Here we can see it is in between the Minimum and Maximum levels. This is good.
We also want to pay attention to the color. This particular product is green in color. Some come in red. What we are looking for is clear, which means we may have too much water in it and not enough coolant. This will not allow the engine to cool down properly. Or too green or red, which means you have too much coolant in the system and not enough water. This will not allow the engine to warm up properly. Another thing we want to look for is any black which could lead to gaskets that are breaking down and mixing in the system.
Here, we can see the coolant reservoir a little better along with a few other items.
At the red arrow is a sensor. If our coolant level gets to that point, our truck may shut down to protect the engine from overheating. This is critical to keep our coolant above this level so that we don't have engine failure. This could happen either while you are driving down the road or idling in a parking lot somewhere.
Next, at the yellow arrow, we see our windshield washer reservoir. It is a good idea to keep this full all year long, because rain happens all year long.
One thing I have found out that really helps is by putting about 2 ounces of simple green in that reservoir. This helps to cut down on the oil that gets sprayed up from the water on the roads. Therefore, I can see a lot better at night when the headlights are glaring against me. One blast of washer fluid with Simple Green will last about 20 minutes.
At the blue arrow, we see many wires. There is actually wires, hoses and air lines mixed in with that. We want to be sure that none of them are rubbing against each other freely that will cause them to create holes. These are held together tightly by a couple of wire-ties. It's a good idea to be sure that they are still intact.
Then at the two green arrows, we have braces that help to keep the engine compartment together. We want to physically tug on them to be sure they are still tight and not coming loose. Visually look at the ends to see that the bolts are not showing any new metal.
Next we have the area where we put in the oil.
The red arrow is where we put our oil in at. The yellow arrow is where we check the level. It is best to check this twice.
The first time you take the dipstick out, you will not get a true reading, especially after driving for several miles. The oil splashes up the dipstick and will give you an inaccurate reading. So, you can use this first pull to your advantage.
Look at the condition of your oil. Look at the color. Is it black? This is okay. If there is any marbling, this is not good. Are there any water bubbles in the oil? This is not good. You could have water, coolant, or diesel in your oil.
One way to tell if you have diesel in your oil is after you pull out the dipstick, lay the end of it gently on a napkin or paper towel. If there is any diesel in the oil, that will separate instantly from the oil on the paper towel. Report this immediately to your shop so that they can check the engine further.
After you have done the initial check of the oil, wipe of the end of the dipstick. Look at where the Add and Full marks are. Then replace the dipstick, lock it down so that you get an accurate reading, pull it out and now look at the level. From the Add to the Full should be exactly 1 gallon, no matter how long your stick is. The markings are made so that you know if you are full or need any oil and how much.
At the green arrow, is the steering rod. Grab a hold of this, turn it and try to jiggle it. If it turns freely without much movement, this is okay. If it doesn't jiggle at all, this is also good. We don't want loose or sloppy steering. This could result in poor tire wear and possible control issues.
Just behind where you check and put the oil in at is the air compressor and governor. The compressor is run by oil and push rods. You want to check for leaks in this area. The air compressor is pointed out by the red arrow and the governor is at the yellow arrow.
Sometimes, you will hear a tickey sound that sounds similar to a low oil sound in your engine. More than likely this is the air compressor building up pressure. From inside your truck, watch your air gauges as they build pressure. When the air dryer (which we look at later) spits, you will hear that tickey sound disappear. This is a normal sound.
Now we are looking at the power steering reservoir. The level is important here so that we have good steering capabilities.
Right now, at the red arrow, we see that our level is just about at the full mark on the cold side. This is good, since our engine hasn't been running, this is where we want our level to be at.
Just below the power steering reservoir is the power steering box at the red arrow. Look for any leaks there.
Then at the yellow arrow is the pitman arm. Look for any looseness or shiny metal.
At the orange arrow is a castle nut (shaped like the top of a castle) and a cotter pin. Be sure that they are both present and tight.
Let's move to the fuel filter. This is indicated by the red arrow. Not all trucks are equipped with a see-through glass like this, but it sure is nice. Some trucks have a solid metal cover where you can't see the filter readily. At the yellow arrow is the top of the filter. We can actually let our fuel level get up to that point, but the truck will begin to run rough at this time. This means that the filter is getting dirty and no longer able to clean out the dirt that is in the diesel fuel. It is time to have the filter changed.
Here, we have a photo of the leaf spring assembly. We can see the shock absorber, as seen by the yellow arrow. Feel that the bushings on both ends are tight, shown by the lavender arrow. You can also visually see their condition. Look to see that that shock doesn't have any leaks or shiny metal on it.
Next, you can see the leaf springs themselves, pointed out by the purple arrow. Be sure that they are in line, not broken or missing.
Then look at the U-bolts, next to the blue arrow. These can be easily identified because they are shaped like a U. Be sure that you don't see any new shiny metal that may show that they have moved recently.
Then, this last part, pointed out by the red arrow, most people don't know about. In fact, until an inspector in California was kind enough to tell me about it, I didn't know either.
This is a rubber stop. This is a DOT requirement because when you are driving down the road, the tires, springs and shocks are all taking the brunt of the bumpy road. When that spindle under the rubber stop moves up and down with the tires, it may hit the frame of the truck. The rubber stop prevents it from breaking down therefore loosening up the U-bolts that will allow the springs to get out of alignment which could lead to serious steering problems.
Here we have our slack adjuster for our brakes. This is indicated by the red arrow. At the yellow arrow, this is the pin that we pull out to make our adjustments. We will go over how to adjust brakes at a later time.
With your brakes released, pull on the slack adjuster to be sure that they move freely and no more than 1 or 1 1/2 inches. If they move more than that, they may need to be adjusted. It only takes about 1 minute to properly adjust one of these brakes.
While you are in that area, take a look at the inside of the tire. Be sure that there are no abrasions, bulges or cuts. Some people call those the ABC's of a tire. Also, look to see that the rim is not bent, compromising the seal to the tire.
See that your brake pads are more than the DOT minimum of 1/4 inch and that they are in good shape and not missing. Also, look to see that there is no grease splashed up on the inside of the rim. This could indicate a blown or leaky wheel seal. Get this taken care of as soon as possible to prevent serious damage to your truck.
Next, look at the frame of the truck, indicated by the red arrow. Be sure that all the bolts are present and tight. None of them are loose, as felt by grabbing on to them.
At the yellow arrow, we want to look at the tire tread and the depth. As stated by the Department of Transportation, the minimum tread depth is 4/32 on the steer tires. Recap tires are not allowed on the steer positions either. Look to see that there is no cupping on the edges of the tires that could indicate mismatched steer tires or alignment problems. Notify the mechanics if you notice any of these problems occurring so that they may resolve the issues before the problem gets too serious.
Also in the engine compartment area, you will find the air filter. In this open area, the hood fits here with a rubber fitting. This open area is a perfect place for mechanics to set their tools while they are working on your engine. It is also a great area to forget about them. So the best thing to do is reach inside and be sure that no tools have been left behind, or no debris is in there.
Another item you will find is the air dryer. This is what you hear "spitting" when you are going down the road, or are parked and idling your engine. What the "spitting" is doing is getting rid of any moisture in the air lines. One thing that we want to do is grab a hold of this unit and try to jiggle it. If it doesn't move, this is a good thing. As you notice, there are wires at the base of the unit. Check that their condition is good and that they are not rubbing against anything.
Also, if you happen to hear the "spitting" going on continuously, you may have excess moisture in your air lines. Use the air pulls provided on your truck to help the unit out. This will happen if you are in high-humidity states, or if the unit is wearing out.
We will conclude this portion of the pre-trip inspection for now. That basically takes care of the initial start of your inspection and the interior of the engine compartment. Take your time when you are looking through this area as there is so much to see, smell and feel. Touch everything to be sure that they are secure. Just looking at the items tell you nothing except that they are present. Feeling them will tell you so much more.
Look forward to the continuation of this pre-trip as we still have quite a bit to go over. Afterwards, we will go over how to properly hook up a truck to a trailer and how to save wear and tear on the equipment. That will be followed by a full inspection on the trailer.
So much to cover, so much to learn. How fun!
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