Post-Trip Inspection Checklist

Check tread depth (≥4/32" on steers, ≥2/32" on drives per Part 393.75) and pressure against the door-jamb spec. Look for cuts, sidewall bulges, tread separation, and uneven wear that points to alignment or suspension issues.

Confirm jaws closed around kingpin with no gap between trailer plate and fifth-wheel top plate. Inspect for missing safety latch — a common CVSA OOS finding.

Look for cracked or oil-soaked chambers, broken brackets, and slack adjuster stroke beyond the adjustment limit (typically 2" on a Type 30 chamber). Out-of-adjustment brakes are the single most common roadside OOS violation.

Check engine oil, coolant, power steering, DEF, and washer fluid. Walk the underside for fresh drips — fuel, oil, coolant, and air leaks all show up better after a hot run than at pre-trip.

Walk the deck for stray pallets, banding, or dunnage. Food-grade reefers require swept-and-washed-out for the next load; flatbeds need straps, chains, and tarps stored.

Marker, clearance, tail, brake, and turn — walk-around with the four-ways on, then have someone tap the brake. ABS warning light should self-extinguish above 5 mph; a stuck-on lamp is a Part 393 violation.

If the receiver's count doesn't match the BOL, the discrepancy must be noted on the POD at the dock — not after the fact. Photograph any damaged freight before unloading completes; this is the evidence basis for any Carmack claim.

Part 396.11 requires a written post-trip DVIR for every driving day, even when no defects exist. Submit through the ELD platform (Motive, Samsara, KeepTruckin) or paper form per carrier policy. Copy-pasting "no defects" daily on a known-defective tractor is the single most damaging fact in post-accident litigation.

Log the work order in Fleetio, Whip Around, or your shop system with VIN, unit number, and reporting driver. Tag whether the defect is OOS per the CVSA criteria — if so, the unit cannot be dispatched until repaired and signed off.

Scan or photo-capture each signed BOL/POD into the TMS (McLeod, AscendTMS, Truckbase). Most factoring companies will not advance on a load without a legible POD with consignee signature and date.

Capture date, vendor, jurisdiction, gallons, and price per gallon from each fuel stop. IFTA quarterly filing reconciles miles-per-jurisdiction against gallons-purchased-per-jurisdiction; a missing receipt forces a worst-case estimate.

Detention is billable only with documented arrival and departure times from the shipper/receiver and any in/out gate slips. Lumper receipts, layover authorizations, and reweigh tickets all attach here. Anything submitted after the customer's invoice deadline (typically 48-72 hours) is usually a write-off.

Pull the ELD exception report — 11-hour, 14-hour, 30-minute break, 60/70-hour, unassigned driving segments. Annotate edits on the same day; FMCSA scrutinizes patterns of late edits in compliance reviews and can rule them falsification.

Document the conversation in the driver's qualification file: date, exception type, root cause (dispatch pressure, detention, navigation error), and corrective action. A documented counseling history is the defense when CSA Unsafe Driving or HOS Compliance BASIC alerts trigger an investigation.

Notify the carrier's cargo insurer within their notice window (typically 24-72 hours). Carmack gives the consignee 9 months to file a written claim and 2 years to sue — preserve photos, the signed POD with the notation, weight tickets, and driver statement now.