Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/846064
commercial carrier journal | july 2017 55 D uring the Commercial Ve- hicle Safety Alliance's an- nual 72-hour Internation- al Roadcheck campaign in June 2016, law enforcement agents placed 9,080 trucks – 21.5 percent of those inspected – out of service. Brake violations accounted for nearly half of those vehicle OOS orders. "Brake- and air leak-related road calls are our number-two problem – about 13 percent of all road calls," said Taki Darakos, vice president of main- tenance for Transervice, a provider of full-service fleet leasing and dedicated contract maintenance services. While brakes can fail or fall out of compliance at any given time, a proper and thorough pre-trip inspec- tion is a fleet's first line of defense in catching the problem before an inspector finds it. "I have always trained our drivers to document however long [an inspec- tion] takes," said Michael Frolick, director of safety and compliance for Toronto-based Transpro Freight Systems. "Some may do it in 30 min- utes – 15 minutes for the tractor and 15 for the trailer, which is a standard benchmark for a tractor-trailer. But different configurations such as LCVs, heavy equipment, floats and flatbeds may need more time." Regardless of how long the inspec- tion takes, drivers should know what they are looking at and what they are looking for. "Get [drivers] out there, and observe them doing a pre- and post- trip [inspection]," said Tom Fallon, a regional safety director for Ryder, noting that younger drivers tend to be better at the 147-point inspec- tion because they are fresh out of school. "If you can teach your folks to pre-trip and post-trip that truck right and get it fixed, that's going to improve your [Compliance Safety Accountability] scores." Getting problems fixed When a brake issue is flagged by the driver, the problem must be addressed by the maintenance staff. Open com- munication between drivers and the shop is key. "It's a symbiotic relationship," Dara- kos said. "Maintenance and operations depend on each other. If we're not doing good maintenance on our end, we're going to get into a vicious cycle where the driver says, 'Every time I bring something up to the shop, no one listens to me.' And then mainte- nance says, 'Every time this guy comes in, he's got a problem. He just needs to drive.' " It's also up to operations to note The following story is Part 1 of a three-part series on "Preventing CSA Vehicle Maintenance Violations." Subsequent stories will highlight violations involving lighting and tires. Drivers must do their part to keep trucks rolling, not out of service BY JASON CANNON