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Pre-trip inspection checklist

A pre-trip inspection checklist is the list a driver works through before moving a truck or tractor-trailer, in an order that covers the vehicle once and leaves nothing out. This one has 42 checks in ten groups, from the last report to the load, each graded OK, Defect, Do not drive or N/A. Page 3 is a driver vehicle inspection report (DVIR), because the federal rules split the job in two: before driving the driver must be satisfied the vehicle is in safe operating condition and review the last report (49 CFR 396.13), and at the end of each day's work the driver writes up any defects (396.11). The checks and stop conditions come from 49 CFR Parts 392, 393 and 396. It is a working aid, not legal advice, and using it does not make a vehicle DOT compliant. Those rules apply to commercial motor vehicles as defined in 390.5, and differ for other vehicles.

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Page 2 of the pre-trip inspection checklistA table of checks in walk-round order for the last report, engine compartment and cab, each with the rule it comes from and OK, Defect, Do not drive and N/A circles.
42 checks in walk-round orderStop conditions with rule citationsDriver vehicle inspection report (DVIR)Repair certification and driver reviewRetention dateRule scope noteWorked example
Filled-in Pre-trip inspection checklist: a straight truck with one torn wiper
The same sheet filled in with the worked example (page 7 of the PDF, illustrative numbers). Open full size (opens the picture in a new tab)

When to use it

When to use a pre-trip inspection checklist

  • At the start of every shift, before the driver moves a truck, tractor or trailer.
  • When a driver picks up a vehicle or trailer someone else drove, including a drop trailer.
  • To train new drivers on the walk-round route, so everyone checks the same things in the same order.
  • To keep the driver vehicle inspection report, with the repair certification and the driver's review, in one place.
  • Not for the fleet lead's full inspection or the annual inspection. The vehicle inspection checklist has 53 checks, including the periodic items.

How to fill it in

  1. 1

    Review the last report

    If the last driver vehicle inspection report listed defects, read it and check the repairs were certified. Sign it to say you reviewed it (396.13). If it listed nothing, there is nothing to sign.
  2. 2

    Lift the hood and check fluids

    With the engine off, check for leaks and the levels the maker's manual gives. The rules set no oil or coolant levels, so the manual decides.
  3. 3

    Start the engine and check the cab

    Steering, horn, wipers, glass, mirrors, parking brake, seat belt, and the warning lamps. Let the air system build pressure and watch the low pressure warning.
  4. 4

    Walk round in the same order every time

    Lights on, then tires and wheels from the front left all the way round, brake lines, couplings, a quick look underneath, emergency equipment and the load. A fixed route stops you missing a corner.
  5. 5

    Grade, then decide

    OK, Defect, Do not drive or N/A. A Do not drive item means the vehicle stays put until it is repaired and the repair is certified (396.11(a)(3)).
  6. 6

    Write the DVIR at the end of the day

    On page 3, identify the vehicle, list each defect, and sign. Keep it for three months. The next driver reviews it and signs that repairs were certified.

Before and after the trip

What the driver does before driving and what is written at the end of the day

The sections split the work into a check before driving and a report afterwards. Section numbers and wording checked in the eCFR on 2026-11-05.

  • Before driving

    What the driver does
    Be satisfied the vehicle is in safe operating condition. Be satisfied that the listed parts, including service brakes, parking brake, steering, lights and reflectors, tires, horn, wipers, mirrors, coupling devices, wheels and rims and emergency equipment, are in good working order.
    Section
    396.13(a); 392.7(a)
  • Before driving

    What the driver does
    Review the last driver vehicle inspection report if it listed defects, and sign that you reviewed it and that repairs were certified.
    Section
    396.13(b), (c)
  • During the trip

    What the driver does
    For trucks and truck tractors, inspect the cargo and its securement within the first 50 miles, then at each change of duty status, after 3 hours of driving or 150 miles, whichever comes first.
    Section
    392.9(b)
  • End of each day's work

    What the driver does
    Write a report on each vehicle operated: identify it, list any defect found or reported that would affect safe operation or cause a breakdown, and sign. No report is needed if nothing was found.
    Section
    396.11(a)(1), (a)(2)
  • After a defect is listed

    What the driver does
    The carrier repairs defects likely to affect safe operation before the vehicle is operated again, and certifies the repair or that none was needed. The report is kept three months.
    Section
    396.11(a)(3), (a)(4)

What's on the checklist

The 42 checks on the pre-trip inspection checklist, in walk-round order

Ten groups in the order a driver walks the vehicle: the last report, the engine compartment, the cab, lights, tires and wheels, brakes, couplings and trailer, under the vehicle, emergency equipment and the load. On the sheet each check is graded OK, Defect, Do not drive or N/A, and page 3 is the driver vehicle inspection report.

Last report

Before you touch the vehicle

  1. 1Last driver vehicle inspection report: if it listed defects, read it, check repairs were certified, and sign it

Engine compartment and fluids

Hood up, engine off

  1. 2Hydraulic brakes only: the master cylinder is at least 1/4 full and there is no leaking brake fluid
  2. 3No fuel, brake fluid or other fluid is dripping under the vehicle
  3. 4Engine oil, coolant, power steering fluid, washer fluid and any exhaust fluid are within the maker's marks

In the cab

Controls, glass, mirrors and warning lights

  1. 5Steering wheel is secure and has no more free play than Appendix A allows for its diameter (engine running on power steering)
  2. 6Horn works
  3. 7Windshield wipers sweep the glass and the washer sprays
  4. 8Windshield has no cracks, discoloration or anything else that reduces vision in the swept area
  5. 9Both outside rear-vision mirrors are firmly attached, clean and show the road behind along each side
  6. 10Parking brake holds the vehicle when applied
  7. 11Driver's seat belt is fitted and worn; belts at other seats are fitted and work
  8. 12Low pressure (or low fluid) warning device works
  9. 13On vehicles with ABS: the malfunction lamp lights at power-up and goes out, and the trailer lamp works

Lights and reflectors

Switch on, walk round

  1. 14Headlamps (low and high beam), tail lamps, stop lamps, turn signals and hazard flashers work on the vehicle and on every trailer
  2. 15Lamps and reflectors are clean and not covered by the load, a tailboard or added equipment
  3. 16Trailer 80 in or wider with a GVWR over 10,000 lb built on or after 1 December 1993: reflective sheeting or reflectors (conspicuity treatment) are in place

Tires and wheels

Start at the front left and go round

  1. 17Tires on the steering axle have at least 4/32 in of tread in a major groove (measure away from tie bars and humps)
  2. 18All other tires have at least 2/32 in of tread in a major groove
  3. 19No tire shows body ply or belt material, has tread or sidewall separation, or has a cut that exposes ply or belt
  4. 20No tire is flat or leaking air (you can hear or feel it) or overloaded because of low pressure
  5. 21No tire rubs the frame, the body, a brake part or its dual mate
  6. 22Wheels and rims have no cracks or broken sections and no elongated bolt holes; lock rings are seated
  7. 23Wheel fasteners (nuts, studs) are all present, tight and not cracked or stripped

Brakes you can check without tools

Service brake on the move, lines and hoses by eye and ear

  1. 24Service brakes work: the pedal is firm, the vehicle slows in a straight line and every axle that should brake does
  2. 25Air brakes: no audible air leak at the chambers, hoses, tubing or fittings with the system charged
  3. 26Brake hoses and tubing are not cut, chafed through the outer reinforcement, bulging, cracked, crimped or spliced over a piece of tubing
  4. 27Trailer brake connections: air lines are coupled and not leaking, the tractor protection valve is present, and electrical lines are plugged in

Coupling devices and trailer

Tug the connection, look for light between the halves

  1. 28Fifth wheel: jaws are locked on the kingpin, the release handle is closed and locked, and no light shows between the upper and lower halves
  2. 29Fifth wheel mounting: fasteners are all there, there are no cracks in the plate or brackets, and slider locks and stops are in place
  3. 30Pintle hook or drawbar: latch is secure, mounting fasteners are all there, and there are no cracks or welded repairs
  4. 31Safety chains or cables are fitted, attached, not worn or repaired with wire, rope or tape, and cables are not kinked
  5. 32Rear impact guard (underride guard) on a trailer is present, firmly attached and not cracked or bent out of position

Under the vehicle

Quick look for leaks

  1. 33Fuel system: no visible fuel leak, the filler cap is on, and the tank is firmly mounted
  2. 34Exhaust: no leak forward of or below the cab or sleeper, and no part touches wiring, fuel lines or anything that can burn

Emergency equipment

Extinguisher, triangles and your kit

  1. 35Fire extinguisher is in a bracket within reach, its gauge or indicator shows charged, its rating is marked, and the rating is high enough (5 B:C or two of 4 B:C; 10 B:C if you carry placarded hazardous materials)
  2. 36Warning devices for a stopped vehicle: three bidirectional reflective triangles, or at least six fusees (no fusees on some loads and fuels: see 393.95(g))
  3. 37Your own kit is complete: first aid kit, flashlight, reflective vest, wheel chocks and spare fuses as company policy requires

Load

Before you roll

  1. 38Cargo is properly distributed and secured, and the securement meets 393.100 through 393.136
  2. 39Tailgate, tailboard, doors, tarps, spare tire and other equipment used in operating the vehicle are secured
  3. 40The load does not block the view ahead or to the sides, limit arm or leg movement, block emergency equipment, or block the exit from the cab
  4. 41Tiedowns, chains, straps, binders, anchor points and dunnage have no cracks, cuts or damage that reduce their working load limit
  5. 42Plan the re-check: look at the cargo and its securement within the first 50 miles, then at each change of duty status, after 3 hours of driving or after 150 miles, whichever comes first

A filled-in example

Illustrative, not a benchmark

An example (illustrative): a made-up route. A driver does the pre-trip on a straight truck on 5 November 2026. The truck has no trailer.

  • The sheet has 42 checks. Seven are N/A because there is no fifth wheel (two checks), pintle hook, safety chain, rear impact guard, trailer conspicuity tape or trailer brake connection. 42 - 7 = 35 applicable checks.
  • Of the 35, 32 are OK, 2 are Defect and 1 is Do not drive. 32 ÷ 35 = 91.4% OK.
  • Do not drive, 1: the driver's side wiper blade is torn and leaves a band of glass unwiped. Appendix A item 13 lists an ineffective wiper as a failure. The shop replaces the blade at 07:40 and certifies the repair on the report.
  • Defect, 2: washer fluid is low (topped up) and one strap is frayed at the edge (replaced from stock before loading). Both closed.
  • The DVIR lists the wiper. Three months from 5 November 2026 is 5 February 2027, so the report is kept until then.

The torn wiper was found before the truck left, repaired and certified in under an hour, and written down for the next driver to review.

Common mistakes

  • Checking in a different order each day

    A fixed route is the whole method. If the walk-round changes every time, the corner you skip is different every time.

  • Looking without pressure

    Air leaks and the low pressure warning only show with the system charged. Start the engine, build air, then check the brakes and lines.

  • Writing the DVIR from memory

    Write the report at the end of the day's work, from the sheet, not from memory three days later. A defect you did not write down was not reported.

  • Signing the last report without reading it

    Your signature says you reviewed it and that repairs were certified (396.13(c)). Read what was listed and look at the part.

  • Forgetting the load

    Cargo securement is part of the inspection (392.9). Check the tiedowns and doors before you leave, and plan the first re-check within 50 miles.

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In LeanSuite each machine's clean, inspect, lubricate and retighten routine is a checklist on the operator's Daily Standard Work, assigned to a person, a role or the machine with a repeat rule, and missed checks show in red.

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FAQ

Pre-trip inspection checklist: common questions

  1. It is the walk-round a driver does before driving. Under 49 CFR 396.13 the driver must be satisfied the vehicle is in safe operating condition, review the last driver vehicle inspection report if it listed defects, and sign it to acknowledge the review. 392.7(a) names the parts that must be in good working order.

  2. For drivers of commercial motor vehicles, 396.13 and 392.7 require the driver to be satisfied about the vehicle before driving. The written report (DVIR) is required at the end of each day's work under 396.11, with exceptions in 396.11(a)(5) such as a carrier operating only one commercial motor vehicle. Check which apply to you.

  3. At least service brakes including trailer brake connections, parking brake, steering mechanism, lighting devices and reflectors, tires, horn, windshield wipers, rear vision mirrors, coupling devices, wheels and rims, and emergency equipment (396.11(a)(1)). It identifies the vehicle, lists any defect found or reported, and is signed by the driver.

  4. The carrier keeps the report, the certification of repairs and the certification of the driver's review for three months from the date the written report was prepared (396.11(a)(4)).

  5. Grade it. If it is likely to affect safe operation, or is on the Appendix A list of failing conditions, do not drive. Under 396.11(a)(3) the carrier or its agent repairs a defect likely to affect safety before the vehicle is operated and certifies the repair, or that none was needed. This checklist does not replace the carrier's own rules.

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