Kansas City Inadequate Truck Maintenance and Inspection Lawyers

What trucking standards govern truck maintenance and inspections in Missouri and Kansas

Truckers Training recommends the following inspections for each trip:

• Paperwork. Check all necessary paperwork, starting with your commercial driver’s license.
• Examine the cab. The seatbelts should be working. The dials and controls should work along with the windshield, heating, and defroster.
• Emergency kit. Trucks should have an emergency kit in case the truck breaks down. The kit should include fire extinguishers or fire blankets, spare light fuses, and red triangles.
• The engine. Checking the engine should be at the top of every truck driver’s and truck owner’s list. The examination should check for any oil leaks from unusual places and loose hoses. The driver should start the engine and listen for unusual sounds – especially if the truck hasn’t been driven for a while.
• Fuel check. The truck should have enough fuel to complete the trip. The fuel gauges should work. The fuel lines should be clean.
• Battery check. The battery terminals should be examined for corrosion or other damage. “Many trucks allow the connection of a battery voltage tester via the in-cab cigarette lighter. This can confirm whether the battery is charging correctly. The check should also test that the battery is seated correctly and does not move during transit.”
• The coupling system. The coupling system between the truck and the trailer should be examined to check that the “electrical and air lines are properly connected. There should be no obstructions or any sign of wear and tear on the lines that could indicate a potential failure.” The electrical line shouldn’t have exposed wires. The air lines shouldn’t have leaks, cracks, or rot.
• The trailer. Truckers Training recommends checking that all the connections are secure, that there are no missing rivets or holes in the headboard, that the landing gear is sturdy, and that there are no “signs of cracks, broken or bent areas, as these could cause catastrophic failure.”
  • “The suspension and the brake system should be checked on the trailer as well as on the cab.”
• The tires. The tread depth of the tires (and the spares) on the cab and the trailer should be checked. The mud flap should be secured. The wheel nuts should be tight, and they should all be there.
• The lights.

The lights on the front of the cab should be checked – headlights, sidelights, and indicators. Then the lights on the trailer should also be checked – rear lights, indicators, and brake lights. Do not presume that if the lights work on the cab that they work on the trailer. When checking the lights, do not forget to check the reflectors. These become particularly important for driving in the dark but are vital at any time.

• Air brakes. These should be examined “by means of a leak down test, to ensure that there is no loss of pressure nor leaks in the system. This will also test the warning system that warns the driver of problems.”

Commercial trucks should also have electronic driving logs, which the FMCSA requires.