Post-trip inspection: what to check at the end of the day, and when to write it up

The post-trip is the last walk-around of the day. It catches what broke on the road while the truck is still in the yard, so it can be fixed before the next pre-trip. The rule behind it is §396.11: at the end of each day's work, a driver writes a report on each vehicle when a defect was found or reported.

What to check

The written report must cover at least eleven parts (§396.11(a)(1)): service brakes including trailer brake connections; parking brake; steering mechanism; lighting devices and reflectors; tires; horn; windshield wipers; rear-vision mirrors; coupling devices; wheels and rims; emergency equipment.

Good practice adds what the day tends to break: air leaks and air lines, fluid leaks under the truck, mud flaps and body damage, load securement points, and anything the driver noticed while driving (a pull, a noise, a warning light). The free pre-trip inspection checklist works for the post-trip too.

When a written report is required

• A report is required when a defect or deficiency was found by or reported to the driver that would affect safe operation or cause a breakdown. With no defect, no report is required (§396.11(a)(2)(i)).
• One report per vehicle: a driver who used two trucks that day writes one for each.
• The driver signs it. In a two-driver team, one signature is enough when both agree on the defects (§396.11(a)(2)(ii)).
• The report rule doesn't apply to a carrier operating only one commercial motor vehicle, to driveaway-towaway operations, or to a private carrier of passengers (nonbusiness) (§396.11(a)(5)). The pre-trip duty in §392.7 still applies to every driver.

The DVIR requirements guide has the full detail, including trailers, dollies and the history of the no-defect rule.

What happens to a defect

1. Before the vehicle runs again, the carrier repairs any defect likely to affect safety (§396.11(a)(3)(i)).
2. The carrier certifies on the report that the defect was repaired or that repair is unnecessary (§396.11(a)(3)(ii)).
3. The next driver, before driving, reviews the last report and signs that the repairs are certified (§396.13). The signature isn't needed for defects on a towed unit no longer in the combination.

How long to keep it

Three months from the date of the report: the report, the repair certification and the driver's review signature (§396.11(a)(4)). Reports may be electronic (§396.11(a)(6), §390.32), and paper is just as acceptable. The free DVIR form covers the paper version.

Do you need software for this?

Not for the rule. A pad of DVIR forms in each cab and a shop that signs the repair certification meets it in full. What paper can't do is keep a defect from being forgotten between the yard and the shop. Ledger Road keeps each reported defect open until it's repaired and signed off, and keeps the reports by truck. If your shop already closes every write-up before the truck goes out, you don't need it.