Pre-Trip Defects Under Time Pressure
At 07:10 you begin the daily walkaround check on a three-axle rigid truck. Departure is scheduled for 07:35 for a two-hour delivery. The load is 8 tonnes, within the vehicle’s gross limit. At fast idle, air pressure builds from 80 to 100 psi in 4 minutes; your company specification is 45 seconds. The ABS warning lamp stays on after the bulb-check sequence. The left inner dual tyre has a 4 cm cut with cord visible. The brake pedal feels normal on a static application, and no air leaks are audible with the engine off. No spare truck is available. The workshop can see the vehicle at 09:30. The weather is dry and the route is local. You must decide whether the vehicle can leave, what defects must be reported, and how to handle the delivery commitment.
1. Which findings make the vehicle unroadworthy, and why?
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All three findings matter. The tyre cut with visible cord is structural damage and an immediate out-of-service defect: the tyre can fail under load or heat, and a dual-wheel failure affects steering and braking. The ABS lamp staying on shows a fault in the anti-lock system; the basic brakes may still work, but wheel-lock protection is degraded and the vehicle must be diagnosed. Slow air build-up from 80 to 100 psi in 4 minutes, against a 45-second specification, points to a compressor or air-system leak and means the vehicle may not meet its braking performance requirement. A normal pedal feel does not clear any of these defects.
2. What must you do and record before the vehicle moves?
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Do not move the vehicle for the delivery. Notify dispatch immediately, complete a written defect report for the tyre, ABS lamp and air build-up, and make the vehicle available to the workshop. Record the defects on the daily walkaround check and any defect book your operator uses. Do not accept “drive carefully” or “take it to the workshop later” for a tyre with exposed cord, an ABS fault or a slow air build-up unless a qualified person has inspected and formally released the vehicle. Time pressure is not a defence, and the driver shares responsibility for taking an unroadworthy vehicle onto the road.
3. How would you handle the delivery commitment?
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Tell dispatch the vehicle is off the road and give the likely delay. Ask for a replacement vehicle, a rescheduled delivery or a transfer to another driver; do not promise a time you cannot legally meet. If the customer is waiting, the operator should contact them rather than have you rush the inspection. If the workshop cannot see the vehicle until 09:30, plan for the earliest realistic departure after repair and record the delay. Safety and a defensible paper trail come before the delivery window; an on-time delivery with a failed tyre or brake fault is not a good outcome.