Tag Archives: inspections

A Driver reprimand or a Driver Bonus, which would you rather do?

I guess today it seems I have more to say than other days. I commented on a blog post this morning and was amazed on such a quick response since there were so many other posts. It is really nice when you actually have the interaction with someone that is more personal and not an auto-responder. 🙂 @truckerdesiree and it got me thinking.

Taking a look at the trucking industry and the position I am in with my business relative to the trucking industry and helping companies in all areas of their trucking company even administrative tasks, is the companies should understand the value of saving money but the value of their driver.

But the one thing that I have noticed in the forums that I have posted in, seen comments in areas of social media such as facebook, twitter or linkedin,  is the core of what exists in the trucking industry in relation to our drivers.

We are so focused on the compliance side of the companies, and cutting costs and focusing on the CSA 2010. Do we really focus on making the industry better when it comes to our drivers.

A driver gets a roadside inspection they get reprimanded if they are given a violation, or they get reprimanded if their logs are wrong and causes HOS service violations. But what do you do as a company when it comes things that can be implemented to not only help the driver, but will also help the company.

Think about this, you have 1 driver who gets 4 clean inspections, GREAT right. Now you have another driver who get 4 dirty inspections, which results in 3 OOS. So now really you only have 1 good inspection. So how many hours did you lose in revenue because of the OOS. If you offered a $25.00 bonus for each clean inspection with a maximum in a 30 day period $100.00. Then maybe it would juice up the driver to pay better attention and work more on not getting dirty inspections.

Would this be worth it? I think that paying late fees to a receiver or having a driver sit for an additional day waiting to get loaded would be worth that extra bit, that both helps the driver and the company.

If you implement a bonus of any kind it needs to be beneficial to both the company and the driver and when a driver still does not work on his area of his job as a commercial driver and continues to get those dirty inspections, then maybe he needs to find a different employer.

Give me your thoughts in this area, all comments open to opinion and I promise not to bring out the whip. 

A Key Piece of the Importance of Safety, the Equipment and its Inspection

As part of (§392.7) Equipment, inspection and use, an inspection of the unit you are driving is a key piece of the importance of safety. Always conduct a pre-trip and post-trip inspection, looking for wear and tear of any part of your vehicle. Making sure that all tires are pressured properly, brakes and steering are working properly and all lights are in working order and have the ability to illuminate during a braking or turning procedure.

One part that some drivers may overlook is the frame and suspension, making sure that they are structurally sound with no cracks or broken frame members. Mirrors, windows and windshields should also be checked assuring that there are no cracks or damage.

Another important part of your inspection needs to include safety gear such as warning signs for roadside triangles and a fire extinguisher. All dashboard sensors and warning devices should be working properly and reflective marking must also be present on the Tractor as well as the trailer.

Always inspect your load and your trailer before you haul it, never assume that the person before has completed the task for you. Make sure that your fifth wheel assemblies and couplings are attached securely. Make sure you check the load factors; Loads should balanced and properly secured and if it’s a tanker it needs to be at least ¾ full to avoid sloshing inside the unit, causing a potential rollover.

As you have done the necessary safety steps to ensure that you have a safe piece of equipment, an accurate record must be kept for your unit inspection, both on truck and trailer. §396.1 Every motor carrier, its officers, drivers, agents, representatives, and employees directly concerned with the inspection or maintenance of motor vehicles shall comply and be conversant with the rules of this part.

Follow and periodically, read trucking safety materials and attend safety training meeting and practice safety maneuvers and truck down the road safely, for yourself and others.

If you need assistance with safety materials and safety meeting and putting information together for your drivers, one resource to utilize is outsource to The Trucking VA With unlimited resources at

ABC 3rd Party Testing DOT DQ FILES, you can rest assured you can get all the assistance you need for your trucking company and know the importance of not just the inspection but the safety in general.