Vehicle Inspection
Vehicle Inspection tests the pre-trip routine and the brake checks that the skills test will ask you to demonstrate and explain.
The seven-step pre-trip
- Vehicle overview, engine compartment (oil, coolant, belts, hoses, steering), cab and controls, signal lights, walk-around, brake tests, and final checks.
- Tires need at least 4/32 inch of tread on the front axle and 2/32 inch on all others, with no deep cuts or bulges.
- Check lights with a helper or by walking around - a reflection in a window is not a check.
Brake tests
- Parking brake: set it, pull gently forward; the vehicle must not move.
- Service brake: at about 5 mph, apply firmly; you should stop straight and smooth.
- Leak test: engine off, parking brake released, service brake held one minute. Loss must be under 3 psi single, 4 psi combination.
Worked example: During the walk-around you pull on a slack adjuster and it moves more than an inch where the pushrod attaches. That indicates the brakes are likely out of adjustment, so the tractor should be written up and kept out of service until a mechanic checks it.
Traps: checking lights from memory rather than by walking around; skipping the leak test because the gauge "looked fine"; inspecting only the tractor when the trailer has its own brakes, lights, and tires; forgetting the inspection report.