Driven By Diesel - The Trucking Podcast

Roadside Inspections: What Officers See Before They Talk to You

• Tina Jensen, Stephanie Hirsch

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What happens during a roadside inspection before a driver ever rolls down the window? In this episode of Driven by Diesel, Stephanie and Tina take listeners behind the scenes of a real roadside inspection ride-along to discuss what officers may be looking for, how technology can change the inspection process, and the common issues that can quickly turn into violations. From vehicle condition and driver documentation to ELD audits and inspection technology, this episode provides practical insight into what motor carriers and drivers may expect when they pull into a scale house or inspection station. You'll also hear firsthand observations from a roadside inspection ride-along and learn why preparation, professionalism, and attention to detail can make a difference during an inspection.

Whether you're an owner-operator, fleet manager, safety professional, or driver, this episode offers practical information that can help you better understand the roadside inspection process and prepare your operation for success.

SPEAKER_02

Driven by Diesel.

SPEAKER_00

What happens during a roadside inspection before the driver ever rolls the window down? Welcome to Driven by Diesel, the podcast fueled by real conversations from the trucking industry. I'm Stephanie here with Tina, and we're with Joe Morton and Sun Insurance Agency. Today, we're talking about roadside inspections, what officers may be looking for, how technology is changing inspections, and some of the most common issues that can quickly turn into violations. Hey Tina, how's everything in Arizona?

SPEAKER_01

Everything is so great, Steph. We had the most beautiful week of weather last week, just you know, highs in the upper 80s, low 90s. Got to go hiking and enjoy uh the weather. And then this week we're back to getting pretty hot where your water bottle feels like it's boiling inside of your car kind of thing. But that only lasts for three months. So how about you?

SPEAKER_00

Good. I just got back from Hawaii a week ago and weather was perfect there. Had the most delicious crab cake eggs benedict that I've ever had, and obviously still thinking about it, but in the macadamia nut pancakes.

SPEAKER_01

Oh my gosh, that sounds amazing. I've never been to Hawaii, but it certainly is on my bucket list. I would love to go. And you look like you are a lovely golden color. So it looks like you spent a lot of time outside enjoying as well.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, I did for sure. Anytime I can be in the sun, you know, I go to Arizona every March and spend a lot of time outside getting away from our winter weather here and taking advantage of the 80s down there. So it is the best. The vitamin D, you can't beat it. Every day is a sunny day. Yes, I know. Definitely love the sun. Well, Tina, I know we talked a little bit last time about how you were going to be going on a ride-along for roadside inspections. So let's kind of talk a little bit about that and what you got to see about what goes into the inspection process firsthand. And we're going to break down some of those observations today. So let's start there. What stood out the most to you during the ride-along?

SPEAKER_01

So I would say what stood out the most was the officers' knowledge and professionalism. So I think some of the time we we don't always we think of the officers as kind of being like a hard ass, and maybe they want to just get all the violations they can and write all the tickets they can. And my um my experience both last year and this year during Ride Along was the opposite of that. I felt like they were golly, especially this year, they were so great at identifying, especially defects on the vehicle. And I learned something this year that I did not know last year. So, as you know, I help our insureds do the data queue challenges when they have an inspection and they're like, this violation does not belong to me, etc. And so we try to challenge it. And on the vehicle maintenance side, I did not realize two things. First, the knowledge these officers have about the ins and outs of the truck and the trailer. I mean, it was awesome to see. And secondly, at least in Arizona, because I I did the um the ride-along in flagstaff, they have a all of the officers, I wrote with the sergeant, all of the officers who report to the sergeant are required or um expected to take pictures. So we and video of every defect. So when we were doing uh one of our inspections, we had a driver that pulled over and he had a screw in the sidewall of his tire, and there was this lovely sound kind of like this. And it was really loud when we walked up to the truck. And at first thing I thought was, uh, how'd you miss that during your pre-trip? And the second thing I thought was, what is that? And so turns out it was the there's a some tires come with a automatic air filler. This is my best mechanic term. Okay. So the tires are constantly being measured for their uh how much air is in the tire and is it um still inflated as it should be? And this automatic air inflator shindig was not working and was shooting air out the hub. And that was the sound, and you could feel it when you put your hand up, okay? And then the the screw that was in the sidewall, they poured some water on the screw to see if the air would bubble on around the screw. Yep. And yes, the air bubbled, but that doesn't count as an audible air leak. I just wanted to make make sure they understood, hey, if just because it's bubbling doesn't mean there's an audible air leak. And so he turned on his body camera and leaned down. And guess what? It was an audible air leak. And you could hear it, and so he recorded it. So what I found out, all of this big long story to say, these officers are documenting with video and pictures, and it goes straight up into an um evidence kind of a website. And so when there's a data queue challenge, they can say, I love that you feel like that wasn't an out-of-service violation, but here's why we think it is, and I felt like that was really powerful information for me to witness. So that was what I learned. One of the things that I learned was how careful they are documenting these actual violations. And keep in mind, this was during road check. So we had, you know, 70 vehicles being pulled over at the way station or way side that turned into a roadside inspection station. And all we were doing was pulling people over that blew by. And I'm going to tell you, there were probably 30 trucks at a crack that were being inspected that blew by the port, lining I-40 on either side. These officers were inspecting them. I we'll get into more later, but it was it was really awesome to see. And the other thing I noticed was the officers treated the drivers very respectfully, even when they found significant defects.

SPEAKER_00

That's awesome. So it kind of what it sounds like is even before they're starting to talk to the driver, they're inspecting that truck and they're getting evidence, whether that be through body cam footage or any other technology that they can do. So what type, besides, you know, the example of the screw and the sidewall of the tire, what kinds of things are those officers noticing right away during an inspection?

SPEAKER_01

One of the things I often say to our insureds is, what is the first thing the officer sees when you pull into the way station? And it is your truck. It's a big old truck. Missing mud flaps was a big one. Um, so they're seeing that. Other thing I noticed was if there's a bunch of stuff scattered on the dashboard or the truck is dirty, not well taken care of. Um, that was also something that they noticed right away. Lights. I mean, if the light is out, you can see the light is out right away. So those were the types of things that they noticed right away. Also, um the plates. So a portion plate versus a um uh a state plate. Uh and then I also learned that all of us are being surveilled pretty much all of the time. But the officers use this license plate system to help uh I don't know the right word I'm looking for here, but for hours of service to prove the driver is telling the truth about where he was when he was there or she. Yep. Um so that's the other thing was plates. They were looking at at that right away as well. But the condition of the equipment, um, conspicuity tape, if you don't have the right conspicuity tape on the back of your trailer or your bobtail, they can see that right away. Mud flaps, just visible violations, I think was was the key there.

SPEAKER_00

So I think probably the most important thing that our listeners can take out of that is before a conversation even starts, these inspection officers are already identifying things that they want to inspect more closely.

SPEAKER_01

Yes. And during road check, I mean, I don't know that they necessarily want to do um, you know, a full truck inspection, but they will. So what I one of the officers that we pulled over a bobtail, missing a mud flap, um, no tape on the on the truck, conspicuous tape, and also it looked like they had literally whited out the the DOT number on the side of the door. It wasn't even white paint. You know how whiteout gets like real flaky and you can like straighten it off. Well, that's what it looked like they put on the side of this truck. So there was no um DOT number, no truck name, no nothing. And this guy just was picking up a bobtail for a friend. Like my, I won't say my kid used to say, but I'm just holding it for a friend, mom, right? So um, so I feel like uh that guy really, and he blew by the port, and it was like, come on. So anyhood, they figured out what they wanted to inspect from a license perspective. Is this guy properly credentialed to be in the truck outside of just the condition of the truck?

SPEAKER_00

So yeah, that was that one. Very interesting. It sounds very interesting, you know, and I guess I didn't realize that they document everything as closely as they do. Um, you know, let's talk a little bit more about that and how they're documenting and what they're documenting when they're walking around that truck, even before that conversation starts.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. So again, it was taking photos of we cracked frame, um, you know, uh videos of that audible air leak, the ABS light on the side of the um, on the side of the trailer documenting with just taking a picture with their, I'm assuming it's their company phone, that the light is on, taking a picture of that. Um, the tires, tire tread um was also another really big one. Anything that they were going to be putting on the inspection report that was a defect that was proved by photo evidence, they took a picture of. Also, um, the fellow that we were just talking about in the bobtail, they took a picture of the side of the truck and where there was no DOT number, uh, etc. So I feel like the documentation during the inspection process, again, gave me um a lot of information that I can bring back to our insureds, but it also made me feel super positive about what law enforcement is doing out there. Um, they're they're really taking care to prove that what they say was there was there.

SPEAKER_00

Great. You know, and if something's out of compliance or questionable, there's a good chance that it's being documented right there on the spot. And I know you mentioned earlier about our data queue challenges and how we help our insureds with those. Um now, just because everything's being documented doesn't mean that there isn't a chance that an insured could win a data queue challenge, correct? That is correct.

SPEAKER_01

So um sometimes officers are not putting the proper DOT number, or maybe this inspection doesn't belong to the company that the driver says he's driving for, he may not even be their driver. Another thing we see often is where we'll have an insured sell some equipment and it still shows under their DOT number, even though it is not their equipment and they have sold it, but the person they sold it to hasn't yet done what they need to do to get it in their name. But if we have proof of a bill of sale and that is no longer on their policy, um, we can fight that as well. Um so I would I would say from a vehicle inspection or vehicle maintenance basic perspective, if they're saying that there's a defect, they're clearly able to say this is the defect. But mistakes happen. They are human just like we are human, and they may not be um giving those violations to the right company based on the information that they know. Or maybe we are just I've had another one where we were one DOT number or one number in the DOT number off. So this fella did not live in Arkansas, he did not haul logs, he did not have this trailer or truck. Um so we were able to do a data queue challenge and get that inspection removed based on the fact that it wasn't his. So, yes, we can still challenge it. I will look at anything. Um, however, I will be very honest with our insureds and say, listen, just because Trenzo says so doesn't mean I can challenge it because I need evidence. It isn't just I said I didn't do it. I need evidence. So right.

SPEAKER_00

And I think that's a good point, too, to make sure that our motor carriers are keeping an eye on their inspection and violation history to make sure that what is being reported to them, like you said, actually belongs to their DOT number and isn't potentially logged to the wrong motor carrier.

SPEAKER_01

And I think it's also really great that we have the opportunity to challenge that law enforcement provides us a chance to say, hey, wait a minute, this doesn't look right. I need you to review it. And for a future podcast, they just made a whole bunch of changes to how uh data queue challenges are reviewed uh earlier this year, which I think were awesome changes that needed to be made, and it will help um these challenges be more objective, um, not always going to the officer who wrote the violation or the ticket. So um just so everybody knows, there's some really awesome changes that the FMCSA made.

SPEAKER_00

I think that would be a great topic for us to discuss. You know, and we're kinda kind of going the opposite direction. How, you know, we don't want to get ourselves in a position where we need to do a data queue challenge. So, what kinds of things are the officers typically expecting drivers to have organized and ready during an inspection?

SPEAKER_01

That is a great question. And I did ask the officer that I rode with like, what how can I help our insureds be best prepared when they're pulled over for an inspection? So, first thing is they love a three-ring binder. Um, most of our insureds, and probably everybody listening, has a three-ring binder that is organized. He likes that gentleman I rode with loves to see them labeled registration up on the corner. Next page, insurance up on the corner, any permits that are required, the instruction manual for your logbooks, the if you're short haul, some verbiage in there saying I fall under the short haul exemption, please contact so-and-so at the office to get my time records. Um anything that the the truck itself, um, that annual inspection, making sure that information doesn't necessarily need to be in the three-wing binder, no. But we did pull over several folks who had no proof of an annual inspection. I've I would think that that would be uh uh best in class to actually have the information on that um annual inspection in there. Um, so and then of course your paper logs in case your electronic logging system goes down. Um, just making sure all of that is organized and that law enforcement officers can look at it and see that it's up to date.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, it definitely sounds like having all of that information organized can help an inspection go a lot more smoothly. And I think, you know, I think a recurring theme that we've had over and over in our podcast, you know, we talked about it when hiring drivers, now we're talking about again inspections, is being organized and having these binders and and making sure all your documentation's up to date just to kind of help cover your rear, should you be audited or inspected.

SPEAKER_01

Mm-hmm. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00

You know, we talked a little bit about the license plate scanners and, you know, uploading information to the cloud as evidence for these data queue challenges. I think a lot of people would be surprised at how much technology is involved in inspections. What did you learn about the license plate scanners and tracking technology or other technology that officers are using when inspecting motor carriers?

SPEAKER_01

So, first of all, I think it's really great. They're e-Roads, I think is the name of the software program that they were using to or that they do use to audit logs. So if you aren't using paper logs or using a short haul or an egg exemption, then you're using your ELDs and they're able to actually audit those for the last seven days. Um, one of the things that I I was able to really see was making sure that all of your unassigned drive time is accounted for because they're asking the driver, hey, so this truck was moved here, here, and here. Are these your hours? And when the driver says, yes, those are my hours, then I would say at least 50% of the time it put those drivers out of service because now they were out of hours from their logbooks. So making sure that in the back office you are managing your unassigned drive time. Very important. Um, the other thing was again the license plate scanning technology. So um we had one driver that um the logs um are these right? Aren't they right? And so what he did was where were you Friday at 6 p.m.? And the driver said he was in Des Moines, Iowa. And then when he looked into the logbook, somehow it said he was in um not New Orleans, Louisiana, but somewhere down um southern Louisiana. And so he was able to take that license plate scanning technology, plug in the truck number, plug in the trailer number, and he could see that yes, the driver was indeed in Des Moines, Iowa, as the driver had said, not in Louisiana, where his logs had said. So they're using it to verify. And the other thing was the driver said I took my 34-hour restart on the 9th and 10th of May, and they were having trouble getting some of the information uploaded into the system, and so he just used the license plate um technology to typed in the trailer, typed in the truck, and didn't see any evidence of the driver on the road on those two days. And so, therefore, it kind of just um proved that he was where he said he was, which was not on the road. So I thought that was really interesting. Um, that they're using all the technology they have at their fingertips to make sure everybody is um not a fatigue driver uh from a log perspective. Um and then the other technology, just the evidence that we talked about a little earlier, the fact that they have an evidence repository where they take a picture and it immediately goes into there with the information from the inspection that the violations are attached to. So that was, I thought, really great um use of technology as well.

SPEAKER_00

Tina, how does that work? Like if someone is team driving and maybe you have two drivers driving the same truck, how can you verify that it was the driver that needed to be off the road?

SPEAKER_01

So when they're logging in, they're logging in as so each driver has their own login for the ELD. Um and and so they're auditing those team driver logs um at at the way station. So it's Driver A, I'm auditing his logs for the last seven days, and then driver B, I'm auditing his logs for the last seven days. So just making sure that each driver is doing what they say they're doing and auditing that. So it would just be the same as an individual driver. Um, but it is, at least in that instance, dependent on who is logging in and who is doing the driving. Could they prove it was somebody else? Like if it was the guy who was supposed to be sleeping or the gal who was supposed to be sleeping. I don't know that they could prove it is or isn't, but I know they have cameras everywhere. So if they probably could eventually go back to, okay, you were here on this date and see their face in the camera, but I don't know if that is indeed the case. Um the other thing I just want to quick mention before we go any farther, it's a little bit off topic, but it's personal conveyance and and using that the bobtail, um, or even if you have a trailer on, I don't think anybody would ever do that. But if you are using your truck to go to the grocery store from the hotel, that is personal conveyance. But if you're still, you know, just being super careful with how you use PC, I guess would be the other takeaway that I learned because I think personal conveyance is um often used inappropriately and it's written super vaguely. So how one officer interprets the rule is different than how another officer interprets the rule. So just being careful using PC was another thing that I took out of it.

SPEAKER_00

That's a great point. And I think from all of this and the technology to really point out is that officers have more visibility than people realize when it comes to where equipment has been traveling. Yes, they do. They know where you're at. All right, let's talk about brakes for a second, because that seemed like a major focus when you were out on your roadside inspection. What are officers listening and looking for during brake inspections?

SPEAKER_01

So again, it's audible air leaks. It is, are they out of adjustment? We had another one where there was an airbag that I think wasn't part of the brake system, but it was still making some noise. It might have just been a part of the like air ride system. Um, but brakes are a very big part of what they're looking for. Um, and again, just from a severity weight, we we talked about this back in our first podcast. You know, a brake um uh violation can be a uh severity weight of one or it can be a severity weight of ten. And I understood the officers are very serious about keeping them, you know, at a severity weight of one or two. They're calling out those smaller uh issues because they don't want them to become big issues where a truck can't stop. So with that being said, there was a little notice in the newspaper um or the online version of the newspaper here in Arizona the other day that Arizona um the troopers pulled over a truck that was hauling a half a house. So it didn't have a DOT number on the side of the truck. Um it was on the in Mesa on the 17 and that were the 17 and the 10 or 101, I'm not exactly sure, come together. Like serious like traffic, right? So here's this truck, no DOT number, no name of the company hauling a half a house, and they pulled them over, and there were 32 violations, including so many brake violations. I can't even I read it and I thought, are you freaking kidding me? Like if this guy would have stopped fast, that house probably would have just flew off the back of the trailer. So brakes are so important. Um, clearly, it's an 80,000-pound vehicle, and how a truck stop is different, truck stops is different from how a car stops. So they're really focusing on those small issues so they don't become large issues. Um, but again, it was audible air leaks, um, brakes out of adjustment. Um, I had we actually had a few airlines that were just shooting air out. It was kind of disheartening. Um but those are the kinds of patterns I think that I noticed with the officers. They're really trying to get those small ones when they can so they can change focus. So they fix those small ones before they come become large ones where someone can get hurt. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00

You know, and then moving on just a little bit, what does driver verification look like during an inspection?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, that is um also very interesting. So everybody has to give their license, um, of course, right away, and then their three-ring binder. Um, but making sure everybody has a valid CDL. The gentleman I was telling you about with the bobtail and the whiteout did not have any kind of commercial driver's license. Uh he was from Chihuahua, Mexico, barely spoke English, um, and should not have been driving a commercial motor vehicle, whether for personal use or not, in the United States. So that was very interesting uh as well. And they actually were using technology to see if they could figure out does this guy actually have a commercial motor vehicle license in Mexico that would transfer over to the United States? He didn't. Um, so they are verifying CDL status, they are making sure everybody has a valid Med card. Um, and all of this is um really easy for them to do with the technology they have in their vehicle. You know, they have a computer that has its own internet and they can just type that information in and see is this driver valid to be in the truck that he's driving. So first thing they did was that.

SPEAKER_00

Yep. So a good thing to note, it's not just having that CDL on you. There are other methods that they're using to make sure that that is still a valid CDL, that they are still licensed and able to operate those commercial motor vehicles.

SPEAKER_01

And um on the med card status. So I did have one that it looked like he he had a valid med card when they looked him up, but it looked like he might have tried to he might have had an old med card with him, and he thought he had to make it say 26 instead of 24, and so he wrote it in and he got a ticket for falsifying his med card, even though he had a valid med card. Um, so like don't do that.

SPEAKER_00

I think is you know pretty much the message there. Just don't do that. Don't change any of the documentation. Don't do that, please. Definitely not. What are some of the common issues or patterns that you heard officers talking about?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. So again, it is really the first of all, it is what does your vehicle look like when you pull into uh a scale? That is really important. They talked a lot about the the um presentation of your equipment. Again, nothing on the dashboard, making sure your truck isn't dirty, you don't look like you've been, you know, drinking for five days, and then you just, you know, decided, okay, I'm gonna sober up and get in the truck. Like your professional appearance as a person also made a difference. Um, everything should be organized that you're handing the driver, and also the driver's attitude was also something that they talked about. So if you have a good attitude, just like in anything, I think you're gonna um have a better experience. But that was another um issue that I heard officers talking about. And the other thing was just the lack of the annual inspection proof. Um, that's something that they come across quite often. And you know, that's a regulation. That's something you have to do. And so I think that was another thing that um they talked a lot about was the fact that the missing the annual inspection, but but really the overall um conversation was about appearance of the truck, attitude of the driver, um, and then just willingness to chat with them and comply was was some of the other things that they talked about.

SPEAKER_00

And kind of bringing it back before, you know, that consistency and attention to detail is what really matters and can help have a smoother inspection. Yes. What surprised you the most after actually seeing the process up close?

SPEAKER_01

So the patience and kindness of the law enforcement officers was one of the things that really surprised me. Um, they oh golly. I mean, we had one guy that we pulled over, the one that had the screw in the sidewall and the hee when we pulled up to the truck. The craziest thing was there was a uh mobile tire repair guy right in front of us who was taking care of somebody else's tire. And so the law enforcement officer, the sergeant I was riding with, actually walked over and said to those guys, Hey, this guy's gonna need a new tire before we can let him go. Is there any way you could repair it? And like started the conversation for the driver, which I thought was really kind. And um, he didn't have to do that. Um, and then while the other officer, not the sergeant, but the officer was inspecting or starting the inspection process. This fella says, Um, I'm a really safe driver. I avoid you guys at all costs.

SPEAKER_00

Well, why is he avoiding him if he's a safe driver? That would be my first question.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, it was so funny. And the officer said, You just blew by the inspection port. So just and he really that is exactly what he said. It was just it cracked me up. I thought, man, guy, like what are you even saying here? Are you kidding me? So that was super funny that the driver felt like that was the right thing to say, and maybe he was nervous. And the other thing um up close was again, their the thoroughness of these officers. They were outstanding and uh super impressive and kind. They could have written many citations and tickets, and they really didn't want to clobber anybody. What they wanted to do was make it painful enough so they would make a change, um, but not harm them or harm their job. So I thought that was what one of the things I really took away was their use of technology, their kindness and thoroughness, and treating truck drivers as professionals um throughout the entire process, even when the truck driver was not being professional is really great.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, it sounds like it. You know, um, I think I was really surprised at how detailed the inspection process is and then the technology that they're using behind it, you know, and how they can use it to verify where that truck has been or even just the documentation from the inspection and being able to upload that and have it all together. Um, you know, we've talked before how it's important to make sure our motor carriers are doing these pre-trip inspections to try to avoid as much as possible these inspection violations when they're out on the road, because as we've seen, it can impact their insurability with insurance companies or it could potentially impact their rates. And so not only do we want our motor carriers to be safe on the road, but we also want them, you know, to have a good reputation, making sure that they're doing what they need to do, and you know, try to help keep those rates as in line as we can.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, from a practical perspective, making sure your trucks are looking the way they should. Um and also we didn't one of the things we didn't really touch on were ISS scores, your inspection selection score. Um, the the lower that is, the better off it is for your company. So making sure that everybody's doing what they need to do before they ever get on the road will help with roadside inspections because, as you just mentioned, one of the main ways insurance companies determine rate is how are you performing on the road. And one of the ways that you get your scores is your rolling billboard coming across the way station, making sure it looks how it's supposed to look. Clean, well inspected, well maintained. And I know times are tough, um, but we can't let vehicle maintenance be one of the things that we skimp on because a truck that is well maintained is not going to cause a crash.

SPEAKER_00

So here's the big takeaway. Roadside inspections aren't just about one issue or one document. They may involve equipment condition, organization, technology, documentation, and overall attention to detail. And in many cases, small issues identified early may help prevent much larger problems later. The more prepared drivers and operations are before an inspection happens, the smoother the process may be. And before we wrap up, it's time for our diesel tip of the week. Treat your truck like it could be inspected today. Take a few extra minutes to check the lights, listen for air leaks, verify paperwork, and make sure important documents are organized and accessible. Consistency before the inspection may matter more than scrambling during one. And that wraps up this episode of Driven by Diesel. If today's conversation helped you better understand roadside inspections or rethink how your operation prepares for them, be sure to follow the show and share it with someone in your cab or your crew. New episodes drop regularly with practical insight you can actually use. Until next time, stay informed, stay alert, and keep moving forward.

SPEAKER_02

Driven by Diesel is a JMS production. Material is intended to be a broad overview that's provided for informational purposes on.