Check yourself before you wreck yourself

That old cliché, “prevention is better than cure” is not only relevant to medical issues, but also to road transport, particularly for trucks and truckers. With the long distances that truck drivers do, it is important that the trucks are properly checked before they take to the road. Not doing a pre-trip safety inspection before a trip is not worth the potential loss of lives that could occur as a result of a fault that could easily be picked up and prevented with regular pre-trip inspections.

One of South Africa’s truck insurance underwriting managers – Heavy Commercial Vehicle Underwriting Managers (Pty) Limited (HCV) – has embarked on a drive to inform truck operators of steps and precautions they could take to avoid accidents or breakdowns when on the road. This will make South African roads better, not only for the commercial transport community, but for all road users.

Chris Barry, Managing Director of HCV, says, “In order to protect the lives of all road users in this country, and to minimise costs, driver downtime and increased insurance premiums for your clients, I would urge that operators institute complete pre-trip inspection procedures before each truck’s departure.” Barry recommends that they get these checks done by trained staff, however there are a few self-checks that you should encourage your clients to do.

Stop! Check the brakes
· When starting the vehicle, make sure the air pressure builds up to the maximum
· Switch off the engine and ensure the air pressure remains constant
· Hold down the brake pedal and the pressure should drop slightly and then remain constant again
· Switch the truck on again and pump the brake pedal until the pressure drops to half – ensure that the low pressure indicator warns you of this pressure drop
· The pressure should adjust and recharge to maximum again
· Drain the air tanks daily
· Over and above these self-checks, have your brake adjustment checked weekly by an authorised centre.

Tired tyres?
· Have the tyre pressure adjusted to the specific vehicle specification, taking into account the load being carried
· Tread pattern must be consistent over the entire tyre and the depth must be no less than 1mm
· Every axle must have tyres of the same size and type
· Dual tyres must not make wall contact
· Both tyres on a dual wheel must make contact with the ground when the vehicle is on a flat surface without a load
· Check tyres frequently for lumps, cracks and bulges. Make sure there is nothing obstructing the dual wheels.

Steer yourself to safety
· Ensure your steering operates freely from lock to lock
· The Power Steering Reservoir needs to be full
· Check all pipes for leaks or damage
· Frequently check the undercarriage of the vehicle for oil or fuel leakages
· The steering wheel must not be cracked.

Working windscreens, windows and wipers
· It is un-roadworthy to have a cracked or clouded windscreen that obstructs the driver’s view
· Make sure there are no cracks in side windows that obstruct the view in the left rear-view mirror
· Your vehicle must be fitted with operating windscreen wiper blades

Let there be light
· All lights must be working at all times
· Make sure all reflective tape, reflectors and chevron boards are clean and easily visible
· Ensure that you have warning diamonds on board and that they are displayed when necessary.

What a body
· Bolt-on items, such as bumpers, bars and mirrors, need to be correctly fastened and secured
· Do not overload overhead storage racks
· Make sure all emergency exits are clearly marked.

“Safe vehicles result in safer roads for everyone, so ensure your clients have safety checks regularly, over and above standard roadworthiness procedures, to avoid unnecessary accidents, increased premiums and unnecessary costs,” concludes Barry.

Contact your broker should you require any further information on this topic.