I have a few questions on daily checks as I asked a driver
how he drained the air tanks and as we was talking I said
you have to drain them daily don’t you as I think I read
that in my theory book but cant check it as I gave it my
mate to do is. And he said he drains is weekly but I got
the impression it might be longer. I also seen him pull the
dip stick out look at it and just put it back. I got taught to
pull dip stick out wipe it put it in for a few seconds and then
pull it back out and see where level is and do this when engine is cold.
What do you check on your Daily Checks and how do
you check these items.
How often do you check these items. before and after
every journey, daily, weekly or when you think about it.
daily: oil,water thats radiator & windscreen wash,tyres,general look round vehicle. lights, includes indicators.dont drain tanks have not been told i had to.
Lights - Turn on, walk around - jam brake pedal with scaff bar unless backed against wall/fence when alone. Confess that I don’t always do the brake lights if it’s cold and wet in a layby… …but I have a handy onboard computer which tells me reasonably accurately what’s working - allowing for truck being lunatic as detailed in other threads…
Tyres - Shine torch across (if dark, which is 99.9% of the time in winter) to check for cuts etc. and whether they have gone flat. Again confess to not really looking at the tread as ATS seem to permenantly live in our yard (something to do with the contract we are on) and you have more trouble hanging on to nicely worn in tyres than the other way… …although used to be pretty religious about that one in previous jobs.
Oil - On my current wagon you have to tilt the cab to dip - - so I rely on the in-cab gauge and a knowledge of what the pressure normally is when running most of the time…but in the past just dipped it to check. If you’ve been parked overnight the oil will all settle in the sump, so there’s no real need to do the whole wiping and redipping thing unless it is still plastered all the way up the dipstick, in which case it’s wise to double check.
Coupling - Shine a torch in to make sure it is still properly attached and locked. Particularly important as both this and the 2 previous trucks have had systems which don’t incorporate a dogclip. Check all lines are properly connected at the same time.
Time to time No set intervals…just sort of when I get stopped and remember…(more often than you’d think)
Water - Check level in header tank under the grill. I know what the normal running temperature is for this lorry, so generally spot a shortage that way first. Or the computer tells me. Often lies though…
Screenwash - Ditto.
Wheelnuts - Just a quick look at them all for signs of shifting - fresh bare metal, for example, or rust marks/drips.
Everything else - Give the whole issue a good visual once over from time to time…usually happens once a week when I wash off, sometimes more often.
That’s basically it…although I’ll probably think of more given time…just sort of do it all on autopilot these days… …Have never drained the tanks unless I can’t get pressure, in which case I’ll do it to clear any condensation then try again before ringing in a defect. Most trucks have a ring which you pull on the tanks to do this…failing that just keep pumping the brake pedal until there’s none left. Certainly not a regular thing though…
Thanks for reply’s. How would you know its time to empty
air tanks would it be noticeable by brake pedal, gauges or
clutch’s as some are air over hydraulic aren’t they
Once upon a time, we used to drain the tanks every week so as to get the water out,… with these new all singing all dancing trucks, it is not a problem anymore so doesn’t need to be done
I use the booklets supplied by Tachodisc, daily vehicle check and defect book , there’s a check list which y tick or cross,and remember to write the defect and who y reported it too. I think im right in saying if y do this, any problem’s found (minor), whilst been checked by police / ministry y are covered. And yes i do it properly ,y never can think “well it was ok yesterday ,it’s bound to be ok today”
After I got a wet (& smelly) boot after draining some air from a truck that we had been sent to offhire, several of us made a point of checking all the vehicles we collected, as well as those parked up in the yard, but despite checking several dozen trucks we only found moisture in the one truck, so just went back to draing the air from each others trucks .
Don’t forget some trucks don’t have an oil dipstick that is reachable, with the oil level being checked electronicly.
Anyone ever tried checking oil on a Stralis ?. The dipstick is out of reach behind the front o/s wheel & the oil can only be toppd up by tipping the cab.
I normally do a good walk round check as I have in the past missing wheel nuts, out of date tax, no O licence, missing susies, missing trailer number plates, damaged tacho heads & assorted vehicle damage.
As I do not drive any one vehicle for anyone person I always make sure my back is coverd before I insert a tacho & take responsability for the vehicle.
You should be issued when starting for any firm, with a ’ Driver’s Daily Vehicle Check & Defect Book .’
It has a page set out with “tick boxes” and a space for any comments you want to make below. (Duplicate pages, first one ripped off and handed in with other notes at end of journey -or end of week, if there have been no defects to report, the second page stays in your book.)
On this point, which is widely misunderstood, I think, VOSA officials expect to see what is called NIL DEFECT reports, to confirm that the driver has looked over the vehicle and is satisfied that to the best of their knowledge, everything on the list is OK and they have filled in the speedo reading, reg. no., date and their signature under the words ‘NIL DEFECTS’ You fill in a page every day or when you take over a different truck, not just when you find a defect !!
As for draining airtanks,…hmmmm In theory, you should do, as how else are you going to know that the in - cab warning light or buzzer are working properly ?
But I bet if you asked most drivers when they last did so you would get some interesting replies !
~ “That’s a workshop job.”
~ “How do I do that then ?”
~ “About 3 years ago !”
Anyone ever tried checking oil on a Stralis ?. The dipstick is out of reach behind the front o/s wheel & the oil can only be toppd up by tipping the cab.
Yes. Never again. 5 minutes to tilt the cab, 10 minutes to prop it (dodgy hydraulics! ), 30 seconds to dip the oil…then half an hour putting your home to rights again after all the stuff you thought was safely stowed has worked it’s way onto the dash/into the footwells/ into other highly unlikely places. Add a further hour to clean all the freefloating muck off the dash and all your kit, and 2 days to find all the things which vanished without trace during the process and re-lose all the things which appeared after you thought you’d lost them first time, at which point writing “check oil please” on every third Friday’s defect sheet and relying on the cab gauge/ a working knowledge of the truck’s normal oil pressures become the only practical options!
I use to drive for an Iveco dealer & often had to wait for a vehicle to return from a road test before I could return it.
On the EuroStars it was perfectly normal following the fitters road test to have to replace a bulb, top up oil or water levels at the requesat of the warning device !!!. I never could work out how you a service a vehicle & miss the above & b test drive a vehicle, turning the warning beeper thing off & still look surprised when the delivery driver finds these faults.
Most modern trucks have an air drier which means that any moisture in the air tanks is taken care of (dried out) so just a quick pull of the tank ■■■■■■ should do the trick…if only air comes out then its ok…if water comes out then either you dont have an air drier or its faulty…so you should drain the tank fully till all the water disperses…usual checks like tyres…lights…fluid levels could be done on a daily basis…but if you drive the truck all the time then you will know how much oil/water she uses and when to do your checks…if its a strange vehicle to you then check everything …windscreen for cracks.(in your field of vision)tax/o/licence…number plate…safety clip for the 5th wheel (its a legal requirement) make sure everything is in working order…nothing is hanging off. nothing is missing (like wheel nuts) and if in doubt …ask another driver…and if your not happy then dont drive it…cos its your licence…
have a nice day
Truckyboy is right,most modern trucks nowadays are fitted with air-dryers so there should be no need to drain the tanks.
I had a winter service done at Volvo last November and they drained the air out of the tanks,took the plug out of the end and put special alcohol based anti-freeze in to prevent any valves freezing up.
As for the rest,most of it is covered by a pre-check on the computer.
As I do not drive any one vehicle for anyone person I always make sure my back is coverd before I insert a tacho & take responsability for the vehicle.
You should put your tacho in before doing all this. It is other work after all and should be recorded on the tacho as such. Your working day starts when you start work.
As I do not drive any one vehicle for anyone person I always make sure my back is coverd before I insert a tacho & take responsability for the vehicle.
You should put your tacho in before doing all this. It is other work after all and should be recorded on the tacho as such. Your working day starts when you start work.
As I do not drive any one vehicle for anyone person I always make sure my back is coverd before I insert a tacho & take responsability for the vehicle.
You should put your tacho in before doing all this. It is other work after all and should be recorded on the tacho as such. Your working day starts when you start work.
Yes I do
As I pick up my unit and trailer after everyone has left the depot, I rely on them to check fuel, oil and water before leaving it outside for me. However, I check them every day, and report it in the morning if I need to. I always check the 5th wheel dog-clips (pin lock and wheel lock) as no-one else in our place ever puts them on
Um, don’t need to do that with our older trucks anyway. They can dump all their air overnight with no trouble. Even faster if someone leaves the PTO switch half in…
As I do not drive any one vehicle for anyone person I always make sure my back is coverd before I insert a tacho & take responsability for the vehicle.
You should put your tacho in before doing all this. It is other work after all and should be recorded on the tacho as such. Your working day starts when you start work.
Thanks for all the reply’s they are much appreciated. I found
it very interesting reading and have learned something’s.
I will make sure I get one of those Driver’s Daily Vehicle Check & Defect Books. I also got a tacho question
answered from Simons post as I would have done
checks first and then put tacho in and gone so thanks
Simon .
In theory, you should do, as how else are you going to know that the in - cab warning light or buzzer are working properly ?
because both should come on when you turn the ignition on… as should the cab tilt warning light.
Re the isssue of putting chart in before starting checks:
If you are a normal working driver, then yes, this is correct procedure.
However, if your work involves the collection/delivery of vehicles, (you may have spent 1/2 your working day hitching your way to the collection) & may drive several each day, then it makes sense to do the checks first as it is suprisingly often the vehicle can be found unfit to go to the road & maybe be left where it is.
You try the dailys they insist on over here, you check EVERYTHING.
Lights, bodywork, chassis, brake adjustment, engine belts, reflectors, the works. Takes about half an hour. No wonder some people skimp it this time of year. Crawling under the wagon when it’s -40c with the windchill, and there’s a foot of snow under there…
These days I go into work about half an hour earlier than I used to.
The trucks aren’t assigned as such anymore so I could be in anyone of the fleet, and as well as checking the normal truck operations, I also need to check the platform and hydraulics, and the emergency systems before even leaving the yard.
It is worthwhile as more than once I have been able to call the engineer/fitter at 6 in the morning to get authorisation to take a replacement out or get him to visit
…but I have a handy onboard computer which tells me reasonably accurately what’s working - allowing for truck being lunatic as detailed in other threads… 
- so I rely on the in-cab gauge and a knowledge of what the pressure normally is when running most of the time…but in the past just dipped it to check. If you’ve been parked overnight the oil will all settle in the sump, so there’s no real need to do the whole wiping and redipping thing unless it is still plastered all the way up the dipstick, in which case it’s wise to double check.
