Roadcheck: Tips and Tricks From an Inspector and a Trucker

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance's International Roadcheck is billed as the largest targeted enforcement program on commercial motor vehicles in the world. To help you avoid surprises, here are some insider tips from a long-time inspector, along with some driver thoughts about those tips.

Andy Blair spent a long career in law enforcement, including 11 years inspecting trucks, and now runs a company that fleets hire to inspect their trucks before they hit the road. He conducts hundreds of inspections of all levels every year.

Neatness counts

A tidy cab can often mean "move along." "I can't inspect every truck that comes my way, so I have to use my discretion and experience. I look at your BASIC scores, and maybe you've got a light out, that's a no-brainer, but beyond that I look inside the truck. I'm not talking about a couple of items of trash or a fast-food bag. I'm talking about heavy disarray. Right away I'm thinking, 'This guy really doesn't keep after things too well,' and the chances of me finding something wrong with the truck are probably better."

Drivers say:

• "I gotta live in it, so I keep the inside clean. Unless you're a flatbedder, there's no reason to look like you've been under the truck."
• "The only thing I keep on my dash is a red coffee cup so I can pick my truck out in the company parking lot. No reason to clutter it up."

Make your documents easy to inspect

"I've stopped you, pulled you in, and made a quick assessment of what your truck looks like. Now I'm asking for your documents. If you can't find your stuff, or you're handing me papers from years ago, you're going to be here a while. The best presentations are when the driver puts the documents in something like a ring binder: medical card, registration, all of it. It makes everything easier to look through and it looks good. If so, you may be on your way."

Drivers say:

• "I keep my paperwork neat. You're just going to sit there longer if it's not in order or they can't read it."
• "Electronic logs have made this so much easier at the roadside. The trade-off is you've got no wiggle room when the clock's up."

Attitude counts

"It's totally my discretion as an officer who I pick to inspect. Don't volunteer yourself by doing dumb stuff. I don't want to hear, 'What'd you stop me for? I didn't do anything wrong.' If you can do anything to reduce the likelihood of being held up, it's worth your time, even if you don't feel like it."

Drivers say:

• "Most of the people who get an attitude know they've got a problem somewhere. If you know you don't, just get it over with. It's a necessary evil."
• "I've learned it doesn't pay to point out when the inspector is the one with the attitude."

Inspection quotas

"Even if you look good, I still may inspect your truck because I need to get some inspections done. There's never a requirement to write a ticket, but there are requirements to do a minimum number of inspections per quarter to keep my credentials current. You may have a great truck and all your documents and the inspector still says, 'We're doing a level one.' That's just how it goes."

Be nice

"If you're chosen for inspection, grit your teeth and go through it with some grace. The more you cooperate, the better you'll get through it, because the officer has full discretion to write, or not to write, and to cite you or the company. Once I've decided we're going through with an inspection, I ask, 'Is there anything wrong with your truck today that you know from your pre-trip inspection?' Every driver who told me up front, 'I did my pre-trip and found this wrong,' I never wrote a citation for. I understand that a light can go out between the terminal and the inspection area."

Drivers say:

• "You better give me a clean inspection report."
• "I was pulled over three times in one day, but I was cordial and they were cordial, and that was that."

In summary

"A lot of this is common sense. If the truck looks half decent, the driver is prepared, they have their documents ready to go, and they have a good attitude, even if they're gritting their teeth, they reduce the likelihood of the officer going further. You have a better chance of not being held up and getting on your way faster."