Maintenance Shop Roadside Inspection Checklist

When it comes to a roadside inspection, the enforcement officer will be doing the same thing your maintenance group and drivers should be doing when it comes to inspecting the vehicle. As a carrier, you should ensure that your maintenance team is conducting exhaustive inspections of the equipment regularly.

A maintenance inspection should check the obvious components, such as lights and wipers, as well as hard-to-see components that drivers overlook or cannot check. The key is for the carrier to ensure that when their vehicle goes on the road, it’s 100 percent compliant and safe. Download this checklist here.

• Check all lights for function and address any light-related complains from the driver.
• Gauge and measure the tread depth on all tires. Repair or replace any tire with a defect or reported as having a defect by the driver.
• Check all brake lines on the vehicle for rubbing and damage.
• Check the brake components at each wheel end, including:

• Brake lines: Look at line conditions, connections, rubbing, etc.
• Brake chamber (or brake cylinder if the vehicle has hydraulic brakes): Look at the condition, mounting, connections, and check for evidence of leakage.
• Connecting hardware: Look at all that is applicable, including pushrod, clevis, pins, slack adjuster, S-cam and bushings, mounting “spider,” rollers, shoes, linings, and drum. Look at the condition, mounting, connections, presence of locking pins, etc.

• Check the brake adjustment on all wheels.
• Check the frame for cracks, damage, loose fasteners, and other problems.
• Check all of the driveline components, such as the transmission, differentials, yokes, u-joints, driveshafts, retainers, etc., for any damage, looseness, or excessive wear.

Conduct a full system check on the brake system, which includes:

• Leaks: Chock the wheel and release the parking brakes. Apply the service brakes and turn the engine off. Watch the gauge and listen for any air leaks. If a leak is present, the technician should locate and repair it.
• Air warning: Turn the key on and pump the brake down until the low-air warning light activates. The light should activate by 60 psi.
• Button pop out: Pump the brakes until the parking and trailer supply button pops out. Close the tractor protection valve and activate the spring brakes, which are acting as the emergency brakes in this case.
• Parking/emergency brakes: With the button still out and chocks removed, attempt to move the vehicle by placing it in the lowest gear and trying to ease it forward. With a tractor-trailer, once air pressure has returned to normal, also check the tractor and trailer separately by applying the parking brakes to one unit while the other is released.
• Service brakes: Release all parking brakes and make sure the vehicle rolls freely. Apply the service brakes when five miles per hour is reached and then release the brakes. This should allow the vehicle to roll freely.
• ABS key on check: Turn the vehicle off for 30 to 60 seconds. Turn the key on and verify the ABS warning lights on the vehicle are activated and then turn them off. This indicates the warning lights are working and the self-check was passed.

If the vehicle has hydraulic brakes:

• Leaks: Pump the brake pedal three times and keep the brakes applied. After the third pump, the pedal should not “fade”, remaining firm and in place.
• Warning: Turn the key on and verify that the brake warning light is not on.
• Power assist backup: If the vehicle is equipped with a power brake assist unit, verify that the backup motor is activated when the key is turned on.
• Parking brake: Apply the parking brake, if not already applied, and attempt to move the vehicle by placing it in the lowest gear and easing forward.
• Service brakes: Release all parking brakes and make sure the vehicle rolls freely (brakes all released). Apply the service brakes when five miles per hour is reached and the release the brakes, verifying the service brakes release and the vehicle once again rolls freely.
• ABS key on check: Turn the vehicle off for 30 to 60 seconds. Turn the key on and verify the ABS warning lights on the vehicle activate and then turn off. This indicates the warning lights are working and the self-check was passed.

Download this checklist here.

Our subject matter experts walk you through a roadside inspection from selection to completion. They detail each inspection step, what the officer will ask for and look at, and how your driver and unit can be prepared. Free download.