Inspecting your vehicle before you take it out on the road is one of the most important things you can do to ensure the safety and general wellbeing of your vehicle. A pre-trip inspection gives you an idea of the condition of various parts and components so you can make sure you’re as safe as possible, but how in-depth should you get during a pre-trip inspection. This kind of inspection is a quick look over and isn’t the same as a deep dive into each area of your vehicle, so here’s what you need to know about a pre-trip inspection and how long you should spend doing it.

Length of a Pre-Trip Inspection

There isn’t really a guideline or strict rules for exactly how long a pre-trip inspection should take. If you are doing a complete check and looking over everything you should be, expect the inspection to take anywhere from 30 to 50 minutes. There are a few areas you’ll want to make sure you check over since they are commonly missed.

Pro Tip

Did you know that you could potentially eliminate many CSA violations with a complete, thorough pre-trip inspection?

It’s better for you to find issues before an inspector does as, if they find it, it could mean fines or time off the road on top of what you’d have to pay to service the vehicle.

What you should be doing during the pre-trip inspection

• Check your wheels
  This is a requirement that most people know about, but few people actually use in practice. Chocking your wheels is meant for safety and to make sure there isn’t any movement of the vehicle while you’re walking around it. During the pre-trip, you will have the engine running so it’s incredibly important the vehicle doesn’t move.
• Clean the Cab
  An inspector will look over the cab since it’s kind of your main area of doing business while you’re on the road. If you have garbage or stuff everywhere in the cab it can pose a hazard while driving.
• Check the Brakes
  The braking system of any vehicle is one of the hardest working systems on the whole vehicle, so it’s important to make sure it works and is well maintained. Brake violations take 6 of the top 20 spots on the most frequent violations on roadside stops, so make sure yours are working.

In addition to these important aspects, your pre-trip inspection should include checking over your emergency kit, seat belts, paperwork, wheel lug nuts, and reflectors. All of these items are important for safety reasons, and they should always be included in your pre-trip inspection so that if you do get caught in a roadside stop you are completely prepared!