is a pretrip inspection required ...

49 CFR 392-8 Pre trip required. and 49 CFR 396-11 requires a Written Post Trip Inspection sheet to be filled out.

 

So im not fully understanding your post but here;s some info. Lets say I do my pretrip and work my 14 (did a post trip) I then take 10 off so yeah my next shift (no matter what day its on) I gotta do another pre-trip. You only have to mark 15 minutes for a pre-trip and you dont have to mark 15 for a post trip. Lets say in a 24 hr period (1 log page) I did a pretrip, drove 4 hrs, did a post trip and then took 10 off. When I come back on shift I still have to do a pre-trip and mark the 15 even though its still on the same day. Does this help or make sense?

 

I do a pre-trip at the beginning of my day/night, and log 15 minutes. At the end of my shift, I do a post trip and I log the 15 minutes here as well. My work days start pretty much the same time each night, and end pretty much the same time each morning, so yes, a pre-trip is done at the beginning of shift.

Are you sure you do not have to log a post trip? I think this may be incorrect. You want to cover your butt by proving on the log, that you had indeed done the required DOT post-trip inspection. All work/things done is supposed to be logged, like inspections, fueling, breaks, etc,etc.

If you do not log it, how do you prove anything? Because if you do the paperwork for the post trip (as an example), and fill out the log sheet for the post trip, and you get stopped at a DOT check, and he looks through your logbook, he is not going to see where you actually did one.

Your post-trip paperwork has to match your log book. At least, this is the way I have been doing things, these past 20 years or so.

 

I take it you're running paper logs.

If so, at the start, after the location lof your pre-trip. At the end of the day, after the location, make a note, next to it, PTI, That covers your post trip.

You're also required to do a cargo check wither 3 hours or 150 miles after starting out, whichever comes first. You can log that on your rest/lunch/head call stop, by noting ERI (en route insp.)

Those notations satisfy even the most anal retentive diesel cop.

 

Have I read this right? You drove 1 hour to a shipper and it took them 10 hours to load you?
Are you on paper logs?

 

To make it easier PM, you take a 10 hour break seperates your work shifts and yes you can do it twice in one day. They don't call it "pre-trip" for nothing.

 

I flag my pretrips and log a 15 min post trip. That's how our safety guy wants it and it must be ok as I passed a level 3 in Arizona.

I check the brakes, suspension, etc. the big things on my post trip and a quick walk around (lights, tire pressure, 5th wheel) for my pretrip.

 

Yes, in fact, I too check the brakes, ALL axle/wheel seals, lights, and tires on my POST-trip, as because if a wheel seal/axle seal is leaking, that is the best time to see it. Because, just sitting there, and if no leak has developed, you will not see it on a PRE-trip. But after running for several hours/miles, and if it starts leaking, then it'll get on the inside of the tires. Then, on a post trip, it can be seen right away.

Then on the PRE-trip, I check the fluid levels, lights, tires again.

During my stops, I also actually have to check my tires, as the loading dock(s) forces me to walk around the truck/trailer, so I cannot help but to check those out before i climb back into the cab.

But again, I do believe we are required to log pre and post trips. We still use a paper log by the way. But someone said, he (or she) does NOT log a post trip, which I think may not be correct.