Freight Inspection Checklist

Confirm the driver holds the correct CDL class (A for combination over 26,001 lb) and any endorsements the load requires — H or X for placardable hazmat, N for tank, T for doubles/triples. Check the expiration date and any restrictions (E for no manual, L for air-brake limitation).

DOT medical certificate (Part 391.41) must be unexpired and issued by an NRCME-certified examiner. A lapsed card is an out-of-service violation at roadside and can void insurance coverage if there's a crash. Flag anything inside 30 days of expiration.

Open Motive/Samsara/KeepTruckin and confirm the driver has enough 11-hour driving and 14-hour duty available to reach the next safe parking. Review any unassigned drive time, edits, or exceptions from the prior 7 days. If the driver is inside the 60/70-hour limit, plan a 34-hour restart.

Cross-check the rate con against the dispatch sheet — pickup/delivery numbers, appointment times, commodity, weight, and accessorials (detention free time, lumper, layover). Mismatches caught here prevent settlement disputes later.

Part 396.17 annual inspection sticker must be visible on the driver-side door or frame and within 12 months of issue. An expired decal is an automatic OOS at any scale or roadside.

Steers must be ≥4/32" across all major grooves; drives ≥2/32". Look for sidewall cuts, bulges, exposed cord, and tread separation. Verify pressure with a gauge (not a thumper) — typically 100-110 psi on steers, 95-105 on drives.

Build pressure to governor cutout (~120 psi), then key-off and fan the brakes. Low-air warning (light + buzzer) must activate by 60 psi. Continue fanning — spring brakes must pop out between 20-45 psi. Walk the rig and check slack adjuster stroke against chamber-size limits.

Walk the tractor with hazards on. Confirm headlights (high/low), turn signals, brake lights, marker and clearance lights, and ICC bumper reflectors. A single missing light is the most common roadside citation under Part 393.

Crouch and visually confirm the jaws are closed around the kingpin with no gap between the trailer plate and the fifth wheel. Tug-test in low gear against trailer brakes. Inspect the release handle position and locking pin.

With tractor parking brake set and trailer brakes released, the rig should hold. Walk the trailer: air bags inflated, no broken leaf springs, brake chambers and slack adjusters within stroke, landing gear fully cranked and locked, mud flaps intact.

Confirm working load limit of straps/chains is at least half the cargo weight, with the right number of tiedowns for length. For flatbeds, walk the load and check edge protectors, corner protectors, and tarp tension. For vans, confirm load bars or e-track restraints prevent shifting at the nose.

Check the BOL for a hazard class, UN/NA number, packing group, or proper shipping name. If yes, the load is regulated under 49 CFR 100-185 and additional placarding, paperwork, and routing rules apply.

Confirm placards match the hazard class on all four sides and are clean and legible. The shipping paper must show a 24/7 emergency response phone (CHEMTREC or equivalent) per 172.602 — missing this is an automatic OOS plus a state environmental fine. Verify the driver's hazmat endorsement and training certificate are on file.

For temperature-controlled loads, confirm the set point matches the BOL exactly (continuous vs. start/stop, °F vs. °C). Verify reefer fuel is at least 3/4, the return-air temp has pulled down to set point, and the download/PreCool record will be available at delivery.

Driver counts pallets/pieces at the dock against the BOL. Note any shortage, overage, or damage (SOD) on the BOL before signing — "SLC" (shipper load and count) is fine on sealed trailers but does not absolve the carrier of obvious exterior damage. A signed clean BOL is the basis of the Carmack claim defense.

Federal limits: 80,000 lb gross, 12,000 steers, 34,000 tandem drives, 34,000 tandem trailer. Have the driver scale at the nearest CAT scale before leaving the area; reposition the trailer tandem to balance. Overweight tickets and the time lost to re-scaling are a top dispatch headache.

For US-Canada/Mexico: confirm the broker has filed ACE (US inbound) or ACI (Canada inbound) eManifest and the PAPS/PARS barcode is on the paperwork. FAST card if the driver is enrolled. Missing eManifest = turned back at the border.

Required per Part 393.95: charged fire extinguisher (UL-rated 5 B:C, 10 B:C for hazmat), three bidirectional reflective triangles, and spare fuses (unless equipped with circuit breakers). Add the accident packet, post-accident drug-test info card, and a working dashcam.

Driver signs the DVIR in the ELD or on paper per Part 396.11. Reflexively signing "no defects" daily on a rig with a known issue is the single biggest evidentiary problem in post-accident litigation — log honest minor defects and the repairs that resolved them.

Open a work order in Fleetio/Whip Around with the defect description, take the tractor out of service in the TMS, and notify the customer of the delay. Do not dispatch until the mechanic signs off and the driver re-certifies the DVIR.

Confirm the seal number on the trailer doors matches the BOL, log the gate-out time in the TMS, and start the track-and-trace cadence (MacroPoint/FourKites or scheduled check calls every 4-8 hours per customer SOP).