Chickens (and Broken Equipment) Come Home to Roost

[Fred's Myth]

I never dreamed that my post could generate such varied and (very) occasionally cogent, statements.

What I care about re: vehicles

- Both headlights work.
- Turn signals work.
- Transmission works well.
- Ventilation fans function.
- Oil level good.
- All doors lock, unlock and open.
- Steering tracks straight.

-Brake lights work
-Brake fluid reservoir full
-Tire tread sufficient
-No missing lug nuts
-License plates and inspection not expired
-No unreported body damage
-Fuel cap in place
-Horn works
-Vehicle starts
-Emergency/parking brake functions
-Brakes work
-Any fluid underneath chassis identified
-Reverse lights function

In light of what I listed off the top of my head, do you feel like you're doing a proper pre-trip?

 

[MassWineGuy]

-Brake lights work
-Brake fluid reservoir full
-Tire tread sufficient
-No missing lug nuts
-License plates and inspection not expired
-No unreported body damage
-Fuel cap in place
-Horn works
-Vehicle starts
-Emergency/parking brake functions
-Brakes work
-Any fluid underneath chassis identified
-Reverse lights function

In light of what I listed off the top of my head, do you feel like you're doing a proper pre-trip?

-Brake lights work
-Brake fluid reservoir full
-Tire tread sufficient
-No missing lug nuts
-License plates and inspection not expired
-No unreported body damage
-Fuel cap in place
-Horn works
-Vehicle starts
-Emergency/parking brake functions
-Brakes work
-Any fluid underneath chassis identified
-Reverse lights function

In light of what I listed off the top of my head, do you feel like you're doing a proper pre-trip?

Possibly not. Easy to tell if it starts. But how do you check the brake and reverse lights? We’ve had vehicles with rejected inspections not pulled from service.

I try to always write down any body damage, just so I don’t get blamed. Then again, it wouldn’t be hard to write it in the pre rather than post trip section if it happened during your route.

Good list.

 

[Operational needs]

Possibly not. Easy to tell if it starts. But how do you check the brake and reverse lights? We’ve had vehicles with rejected inspections not pulled from service.

I try to always write down any body damage, just so I don’t get blamed. Then again, it wouldn’t be hard to write it in the pre rather than post trip section if it happened during your route.

Good list.

Mechanics at your building must suck.

 

[AB831]

Mechanics at your building must suck.

That’s quite possible. They cleaned house and got all new mechanics at my station last year. The guys they got were serviceable but nothing spectacular. The guys they replaced were absolutely horrible.

 

[McFeely]

I try to always write down any body damage, just so I don’t get blamed. Then again, it wouldn’t be hard to write it in the pre rather than post trip section if it happened during your route.

Once your station goes to the Leo, the VIR is done in electronically. So you can't fudge some body damage on the post trip and say it was like that when you started your day.

Also, with the VIR being done on the Leo...any issues you write up remove a vehicle from service until a member of management or VMX clears it with their ID number and approval.

 

[Fred's Myth]

Possibly not. Easy to tell if it starts. But how do you check the brake and reverse lights? We’ve had vehicles with rejected inspections not pulled from service.

I try to always write down any body damage, just so I don’t get blamed. Then again, it wouldn’t be hard to write it in the pre rather than post trip section if it happened during your route.

Good list.

At our station that wouldn't work, as any pre-trip damage has to be signed off by mgmt before taking it on-road.

 

[falcon back]

Possibly not. Easy to tell if it starts. But how do you check the brake and reverse lights? We’ve had vehicles with rejected inspections not pulled from service.

Reverse lights are checked with the key on, van not cranked and the van put in reverse. Brake lights can usually reflect off the belt behind you or the van parked behind you. My last Reach rear camera was directed where I could see the brake lights in the camera.

 

[MassWineGuy]

At our station that wouldn't work, as any pre-trip damage has to be signed off by mgmt before taking it on-road.

Yours is one tightly run station.
On Leo, don’t you still write up what’s wrong pre and post? Just for argument sake, why couldn’t you say damage was there before?

 

[Fred's Myth]

Yours is one tightly run station.
On Leo, don’t you still write up what’s wrong pre and post? Just for argument sake, why couldn’t you say damage was there before?

Leo's still a rumor, here.

 

[Nolimitz]

Leo is using electronic pre/post trip app. no more VIR book or paper to turn in. If you check a box in Leo the vehicle is out of service

 

[McFeely]

On Leo, don’t you still write up what’s wrong pre and post? Just for argument sake, why couldn’t you say damage was there before?

Yes, you still write up issues pre and post-trip. If the damage was there and you wrote it up during the pre-trip, your manager has to physically sign off on your Leo before your vehicle is allowed to be driven.

If you don't write it up until the post-trip, management is going to assume it happened when you drove it that day.

 

[cobo51]

Pretrip is called that for a reason.

How about the previous drivers post trip should have caught that if he was doing his job correctly and the van taken out of service and given to mechanics.

 

[MassWineGuy]

We won't be seeing Leo for a good while.

 

[falcon back]

How about the previous drivers post trip should have caught that if he was doing his job correctly and the van taken out of service and given to mechanics.

You cant do your pretrip based on the previous post-trip. The defrost might have worked on the previous pretrip and the blower motor or fuse could have gone out during their shift. If it wasn't used all day, the previous driver might not know it was defective. Most people inspect for damage on post trips. Oil, wipers, bulbs are not something that people check at the end of their shift. Some do, not many

 

[MassWineGuy]

All I know is that all our equipment is meltdown this year and it is one huge cluster *uck.

 

[59 Dano]

I've seen enough Express trucks sitting along the road to know that if it can get out the door under it's own power it's considered to be road worthy.

Interesting, because a frequent complaint from couriers, ops managers, and senior managers alike has been that mechanics pull trucks out of service for the most seemingly minor reasons.

Did they tell you that at the Never Worked For Express & Completely Ignorant About It Academy?

 

[59 Dano]

Or they could just do their job.

Ordering the part is his job. What would you like him to do until it arrives?

 

[59 Dano]

You obviously are ignorant of the correct way to do a pre-trip.

And everything else.

 

[AB831]

Ordering the part is his job. What would you like him to do until it arrives?

It takes 18 months for a new backup camera to come in? Where did he order it from? The moon?

 

[MassWineGuy]

Leo is using electronic pre/post trip app. no more VIR book or paper to turn in. If you check a box in Leo the vehicle is out of service

Uh huh. Remind me of this during peak. I think it would be similar to required breaks. When I forget to take one, I’m in break violation. When management needs people to stay longer, it’s “Don’t worry about the break.”