{"id":2872,"date":"2019-03-18T05:00:10","date_gmt":"2019-03-17T18:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.driverknowledgetests.com\/resources\/?p=2872"},"modified":"2019-02-05T22:16:43","modified_gmt":"2019-02-05T11:16:43","slug":"how-to-do-a-truck-pre-drive-check","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.driverknowledgetests.com\/resources\/how-to-do-a-truck-pre-drive-check\/","title":{"rendered":"How to do a truck pre-drive check"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Making sure your truck is fit for the road is something you&#8217;ll do every day as part of your pre-drive check. This allows you to pick up obvious problems and to spot developing problems before they become serious. A driver will have a routine to ensure they cover off all the areas. Where you start is up to you.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Inside the truck&#8217;s cab<\/b><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Start the engine and check that all the warning lights go off on the dashboard.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Clean your windows and mirrors and check they are adjusted correctly. Is your view out of the front window unimpeded? Do you need any washer fluid?<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Push the brake pedal &#8211; does it feel like there is pressure? You&#8217;ll check this as you leave, too.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Does the horn work?<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Try the steering wheel &#8211; does it have too much &#8216;play&#8217;?<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do all the lights and indicators work? (You will need to get out and check these)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stow any loose items that might roll around in the footwell or that might fly forward if you have to stop quickly.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Does any auxiliary equipment work?<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Is your documentation up-to-date?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><b>Outside the truck&#8217;s cab<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Start from the front as you&#8217;ll be getting out of the driver&#8217;s side of the cab. Walk around the front.<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are the lights working?<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Is the number plate clean?<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are there any fuel or oil leaks evident under the cab?<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are the mudflaps and spray suppression in good condition?<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are the wheel nuts tight?<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are the brake lines and electrical connectors connected (if you&#8217;re towing a trailer)?<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Is the trailer coupling in good condition and connected correctly?<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are the tyres in good condition &#8211; no cuts or bulges in the sidewall, all properly inflated, nothing trapped in the tread.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are any side lights working?<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Is the battery secured?<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are the fuel caps tight?<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Is there excessive smoke coming from the exhaust?<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Is the engine unusually rattly or noisy?<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are there any other rattles or noises that could mean something is loose?<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are aerodynamic aids in good order?<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are reflectors on the side and back clean?<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Is the load secure? Check the lashings and locks.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are there any other attachments or any auxiliary equipment that you need to check, e.g. a truck-mounted crane (this is usually a weekly task).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-large wp-image-2964\" src=\"http:\/\/www.driverknowledgetests.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/truck-driver-pre-start-check-595x397.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"550\" height=\"367\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.driverknowledgetests.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/truck-driver-pre-start-check-595x397.jpg 595w, https:\/\/www.driverknowledgetests.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/truck-driver-pre-start-check-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.driverknowledgetests.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/truck-driver-pre-start-check-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.driverknowledgetests.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/truck-driver-pre-start-check.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Making sure your truck is fit for the road is something you&#8217;ll do every day as part of your pre-drive check. This allows you to pick up obvious problems and to spot developing problems before they become serious. A driver<span class=\"ellipsis\">&hellip;<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.driverknowledgetests.com\/resources\/how-to-do-a-truck-pre-drive-check\/\">Read more &#8250;<\/a><\/div>\n<p><!-- end of .read-more --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2964,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2872","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advice"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.driverknowledgetests.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2872","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.driverknowledgetests.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.driverknowledgetests.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.driverknowledgetests.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.driverknowledgetests.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2872"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.driverknowledgetests.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2872\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2966,"href":"https:\/\/www.driverknowledgetests.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2872\/revisions\/2966"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.driverknowledgetests.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2964"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.driverknowledgetests.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2872"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.driverknowledgetests.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2872"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.driverknowledgetests.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2872"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}