Pretrip and Post-Trip General Information
Regulations in both Canada and the United States clearly indicate that it is the driver's responsibility to perform an inspection and ensure the complete road-worthiness of a vehicle before placing it into service for the day. Commercial vehicles may be subject to inspection by authorized inspectors, and an unsafe vehicle can be put "out of service" until the driver or owner repairs it.
Important: The pre- and post-trip checklists, and inspections and maintenance procedures detailed in this chapter, are not all-inclusive. Also refer to other component and body manufacturers' instructions for specific inspection and maintenance instructions.
Use the pretrip inspection checklist to ensure that vehicle components are in good working condition before each trip. Use the weekly and monthly post-trip inspection checklists to note any items that require attention before the next trip. A driver that is familiar with the vehicle, and drives it regularly, can perform the daily inspections, then add the weekly and monthly post-trip inspections as scheduled. If the driver does not operate the vehicle on a consistent basis, all three of the inspection procedures should be performed before the trip.
Pre- and post-trip inspections cannot be done quickly. However, careful inspections save time by eliminating stops later to adjust items overlooked or forgotten.
Numbers in parentheses within each of the checklists reference the corresponding detailed instructions found under "Daily (D), Weekly (W), or Monthly (M) Procedures" in Safety Precautions.
If any system or component does not pass this inspection, it must be corrected before operating the vehicle. Whenever equipment requires adjustment, replacement, repair, addition of lubricants, or a change of lubricants, see the S2 Chassis Workshop Manual for procedures and specifications, or take the vehicle to an authorized Freightliner dealer.