Regular pre-trip inspections are an essential part of the safety of any fleet. Not only do they help ensure that each vehicle is ready to go, but these inspections can help to catch problems early, allowing for preventative maintenance and reduced downtime.
The key to a good pre-trip inspection, is a well crafted and comprehensive inspection checklist. These checklists should be easy for drivers to use and they should be used to help fleet managers with scheduling maintenance.
While a lot of fleet managers still rely on their handy clipboard and paper checklist, completing your pre-trip inspection in this way isn’t always easy to do and oftentimes, it doesn’t gather enough information to be very useful in planning maintenance and repairs.
Newer fleet technologies and software can offer a much more efficient way to conduct pre-trip inspections and can also make it much more convenient to translate inspection results into to electronic DVIRs. For more information about this type of software, contact Trux Solutions today.
What should be included in your Pre-Trip Inspection Checklist?
Here is an idea of what you should include. You may also want to customize your list for your specific fleet.
- General information – this can include vehicle ID, odometer reading, and driver information (name, employee number, etc.)
- Interior – things to check in the interior include its cleanliness, horn, brakes and brake lights, seatbelts, fuel level, documentation (such as insurance, certificates, fuel cards, etc.) The interior check should also include a check of any onboard emergency equipment such as flares, fire extinguisher, first aid kit, jumper cables, lug wrench, spare tire, etc.)
- Exterior – when checking the exterior, you’ll want to check items such as lights, tires, and body of the vehicle.
- Mechanical – finally, there are a number of mechanical features of the vehicle that should be included in each pre-trip inspection. These include oil level, battery, engine, and DTC codes. The driver should also check for any leaks around the vehicle and listen for any unusual sounds that might indicate a mechanical problem.
Getting Driver Buy-In
If you’re planning on implementing a new software solution for pre-trip inspections, it is important to get driver buy-in. After all, they are the ones who will be using it. The easier the software is to use and the simpler it makes it for your drivers to do their job, the more they are going to like it.
At Trux Solutions, we make software with your drivers in mind. For a demonstration of how our software and innovative fleet technologies can help your company, give us a call today.
How we can help
Trux Solutions is a premier supplier of telematics and fleet management software. If you are looking for the right solution for your fleet, contact us today.
