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Moving Words – P.M. (Preventive Maintenance)

Timothy Brady

“The expectations of life depend upon diligence; the mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools.” – Confucius

“P.M. (Preventive Maintenance) is the consistent and continuing inspection, replacement and repair of all components of a piece of machinery, with the objective being to prevent or reduce the eventuality of future breakdowns or malfunctions of the machine in question.” Driven 4 Profits

To accomplish this, a motor carrier needs to set up a seven-tier P.M. program:

  • The Pre-Trip Inspection (PTI) This is something every van operator is required to do. Many avoid it as too time- consuming or unnecessary, but with the OOS (Out Of Service) orders and equipment violations affecting both driver and moving company, it’s become a requirement every time a driver climbs into or hooks up to a different piece of equipment. To ensure your van operators are actually completing their PTIs, I’d suggest you assign them different inspection areas on the tractor and trailer each day and have them send you three or four digital photos shot with their phone camera. All drivers should be required to carry mechanic’s creepers in their trucks, so at least twice a week they do an undercarriage inspection of both tractor and trailer with photos of each axle.

  • The In-Transit Inspection (ITI) This is simple enough; every time a van operator stops for a break (rest area, to eat or any other reason), he/she does a complete 360-walk around the tractor and trailer. The van operator should pay close attention to all tires, pigtails, lights and anything out of the ordinary like oil, fuel or coolant where it shouldn’t be.

  • The Fuel Stop Inspection (FSI) Much like the ITI inspection above, but includes an under-the-hood inspection of   the engine, batteries, etc.

  • The Post-Trip Inspection (PTI 2) A repeat of the Pre-Trip Inspection for that day. This inspection should include the checking and correction of tire air pressure.

  • The monthly In-Shop Inspection (ISI) Once a month, the tractor and trailer should have a complete in-shop DOT style inspection by a qualified diesel mechanic. Any minor or major deficiencies need     to be repaired, tightened or replaced at this time. It’s also important that even with extended oil change intervals in today’s engines, there are still other P. M. items to be completed every 10,000 miles or 30 days. These are items like greasing the truck, checking for loose wires, nuts, bolts, airlines, etc.

  • The Planned DOT Inspection (PDI) A good, No Violation DOT Inspection is worth its weight in gold. The more No  Violation Inspections you acquire in your fleet, the lower your safety rating score will  be. With that said, I recommend that once a quarter each truck in your fleet should   have a Planned DOT Inspection. In other words, right after you’ve completed one of the In-Shop Inspections mentioned above and corrected or repaired all the deficiencies, have a CVSA inspection completed by a DOT CVSA-  qualified state inspector.

This accomplishes several things:

A. You are now able to control (to a degree) when your vehicles are inspected.

B. It reduces significantly the chance your trucks will be inspected when they’re under an important load.   

C. Your staff has just completed inspecting the vehicle, so the likelihood of getting a violation or warning is greatly reduced, if not completely eliminated.

D. It increases the number of No Violation Inspections, effectively reducing your SMS Rating.

  • The Seasonal Preparedness Inspection (SPI) Twice a year, usually in the middle of spring and then fall, prepare your vehicles for the upcoming summer or winter driving season. This would include checking coolant levels, tire tread depth, correct complement of tire chains, heating and cooling systems, etc.

The program I’ve outlined here isn’t new. I used it in my moving operation going all the way back to 1990. And all the years I utilized it I can say I never had an equipment violation, warning or Out Of Service Order placed on any of my vehicles. I had a total of one OTR breakdown, concerning a malfunctioning new alternator. The cost of the P.M. program is minimal when figured against the cost of an OOS Order or an unexpected breakdown. Then add to this the advantage of using the program to improve your SMS Rating, reduce the risk of a negative inspection, and the increased revenue it will bring to your operation.

The van operator and owner of a truck are the ones ultimately accountable for the results of the Preventive Maintenance Program.

“These machines (your trucks), like all machines, have maintenance requirements that

Will Not Be Denied! If ignored, there will be a significant price to pay for that arrogance.” – Tim Brady from Driven 4 Profits

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