Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports
#11
10-01-2006, 04:44 PM
Well you saw when I started driving trucks so you Know that Manual Slack Adjusters were all we had.
You're citing all these regs but curious why you left out that "Legally" a driver, unless he/she is a certified Mechanic, can NOT adjust their own brakes even though everybody does.
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#12
10-01-2006, 04:59 PM
?396.25 Qualifications of brake inspectors.
(a) The motor carrier shall ensure that all inspections, maintenance, repairs or service to the brakes of its commercial motor vehicles, are performed in compliance with the requirements of this section. (b) For purposes of this section, "brake inspector" means any employee of a motor carrier who is responsible for ensuring all brake inspections, maintenance, service, or repairs to any commercial motor vehicle, subject to the motor carrier's control, meet the applicable Federal standards. (c) No motor carrier shall require or permit any employee who does not meet the minimum brake inspector qualifications of ?396.25(d) to be responsible for the inspection, maintenance, service or repairs of any brakes on its commercial motor vehicles. (d) The motor carrier shall ensure that each brake inspector is qualified as follows: (d)(1) Understands the brake service or inspection task to be accomplished and can perform that task; and (d)(2) Is knowledgeable of and has mastered the methods, procedures, tools and equipment used when performing an assigned brake service or inspection task; and (d)(3) Is capable of performing the assigned brake service or inspection by reason of experience, training or both as follows: (d)(3)(i) Has successfully completed an apprenticeship program sponsored by a State, a Canadian Province, a Federal agency or a labor union, or a training program approved by a State, Provincial or Federal agency, or has a certificate from a State or Canadian Province which qualifies the person to perform the assigned brake service or inspection task (including passage of Commercial Driver's License air brake tests in the case of a brake inspection); or (d)(3)(ii) Has brake related training or experience or a combination thereof totaling at least one year. Such training or experience may consist of: (d)(3)(ii)(A) Participation in a training program sponsored by a brake or vehicle manufacturer or similar commercial training program designed to train students in brake maintenance or inspection similar to the assigned brake service or inspection tasks; or (d)(3)(ii)(B) Experience performing brake maintenance or inspection similar to the assigned brake service or inspection task in a motor carrier maintenance program; or (d)(3)(ii)(C) Experience performing brake maintenance or inspection similar to the assigned brake service or inspection task at a commercial garage, fleet leasing company, or similar facility. (e) No motor carrier shall employ any person as a brake inspector unless the evidence of the inspector's qualifications, required under this section is maintained by the motor carrier at its principal place of business, or at the location at which the brake inspector is employed. The evidence must be maintained for the period during which the brake inspector is employed in that capacity and for one year thereafter. However, motor carriers do not have to maintain evidence of qualifications to inspect air brake systems for such inspections performed by persons who have passed the air brake knowledge and skills test for a Commercial Driver's License. Carrier's records are reviewed for repair receipts when vehicles are cited for brake issues during roadside inspections. There is a loop hole in the interpretations:
?396.25 Qualifications of Brake Inspectors
Question 1: Does a CDL with an airbrake endorsement qualify a person as a brake inspector under ?396.25? Guidance: No. Question 2: May a driver who does not have the necessary experience perform the adjustment under directions issued by telephone by a qualified inspector? Guidance: Yes. A driver is permitted to perform brake adjustments at a roadside inspection providing they are done under the supervision of a qualified brake adjuster and the carrier is willing to assume responsibility for the proper adjustment. Question 3: May a driver or other motor carrier employee be qualified as a brake inspector under ?396.25 by way of experience or training to perform brake adjustments without being qualified to perform other brake-related tasks such as the repair or replacement of brake components? Guidance: Yes. A driver may be qualified by the motor carrier to perform a limited number of tasks in connection with the brake system, e.g., inspect and/or adjust the vehicle's brakes, but not repair them. Question 4: Would a mechanic who is employed by a leasing company and only works on CMVs that the leasing company leases to other motor carriers be required to meet the brake inspector certification requirements? Guidance: No. The mechanic is not required to meet the certification requirements of ?396.25(d) since he or she is not employed by a motor carrier.
#13
10-01-2006, 11:21 PM
Im gonna have to agree with yooper....getting dirty around a truck can be done without inspecting a thing. Checking the adjustment of brakes may be part of a pretrip, eventhough in not sure that it should, but it is non invasive and requires no tools- therefore its not maintenance
 I do agree with Myth that checking the adjustment is a little much to be expected of a driver...were not locomotive engineers! Eventhough I have been driving 18whls for a while and straight trucks longer and was a mechanic at one time, I have never actually done the slack measurement...my way of checking is by feeling the brake balance between trailer and truck and right and left steer. On the individual drives or tandem wheels, I just look for a wheel thats a lot hotter/colder than the others as a telltale. :lol: A good way of finding out the adjustment on your tractor is bobtailing if you ask me  ops: 
#14
10-02-2006, 12:26 AM
[quote="Myth_Buster"]
?396.25 Qualifications of brake inspectors.
Question 1:[/b] Does a CDL with an airbrake endorsement qualify a person as a brake inspector under ?396.25? Guidance: No. kc0iv
#15
10-02-2006, 04:06 PM
[quote="kc0iv"]
Originally Posted by Myth_Buster
?396.25 Qualifications of brake inspectors.
Question 1:[/b] Does a CDL with an airbrake endorsement qualify a person as a brake inspector under ?396.25? Guidance: No. kc0iv But to make things easier when EVERYONE goes around this Regulation you can but a Tag gizmo and put it on your Slack Adjuster and when your brake is properly adjusted it will bump up against your housing.
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#16
10-03-2006, 12:42 AM
[quote="yoopr"]
Originally Posted by kc0iv
Originally Posted by Myth_Buster
?396.25 Qualifications of brake inspectors.
Question 1:[/b] Does a CDL with an airbrake endorsement qualify a person as a brake inspector under ?396.25? Guidance: No. kc0iv But to make things easier when EVERYONE goes around this Regulation you can but a Tag gizmo and put it on your Slack Adjuster and when your brake is properly adjusted it will bump up against your housing. I found this article that that should open the eyes on most drivers. Remember most trucks have been required to have automatic slack adjusters since 1994.
NTSB Says Manually Adjusting Automatic Slack Adjusters is Dangerous
The National Transportation Safety Board has issued a warning that manually adjusting automatic slack adjusters is dangerous. The board recommended Feb. 15 that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration develop with the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance a North American Standard Inspection training materials module against this practice. The FMCSA will work with the board to learn how often manual readjustment occurs and to keep this from happening, said Ian Grossman, FMCSA communications director. ?The agency has considered ways to deter manually adjusting automatic slack adjusters, but there is no information that indicates it is a widespread practice ? though we do recognize that some drivers and mechanics do it,? Grossman said. These adjusters are required on certain air-braked vehicles manufactured on or after Oct. 20, 1994. Motor carriers must ensure that the devices are properly maintained, Grossman added. Manually adjusting automatic slack adjusters should be done only during installation or for an emergency move to a repair facility, the NTSB said. Manual adjustment ?fails to address the true reason why the brakes are not maintaining adjustment, giving the operator a false sense of security about the effectiveness of the brakes, which are likely to go out of adjustment again soon,? the NTSB said. This practice also can cause abnormal wear to the internal adjusting mechanism, which can lead to brake failure, the board said. The board also advocated that drivers of air braked commercial vehicles weighing less than 26,000 pounds undergo training and testing to demonstrate proficiency with such vehicles. The board?s recommendations stem from a Feb. 7 report on a 2003 accident in Glen Rock, Pa,. involving a 1995 Ford dump truck on a steep two-lane residential street. The driver for Blossom Valley Farms was unable to stop at an intersection where four passenger cars were stopped. The truck pushed one vehicle into the intersection, and the car in turn hit three children on a sidewalk. One vehicle driver and an 11-year-old passenger were killed. The board said the accident?s cause was the lack of oversight by Blossom, which resulted in an untrained driver improperly operating an overloaded, air-braked vehicle with inadequately maintained brakes. The 21-year-old driver had worked for Blossom less than two weeks. He had never driven an air-braked vehicle before joining the company and had received no training on how to drive one, the board said. Also, the rear truck brakes were out of adjustment, the board said. Moreover, mechanics misdiagnosed the truck?s brake problems, the board said. Having readily available and accurate information about automatic slack adjusters and stronger warnings against manual adjustment would have helped, the board said. The accident was similar to a California truck accident the same year in which mechanics did not look for underlying problems with the slack adjusters or other brake components, the NTSB noted. ?Jill Dunn http://www.etrucker.com/apps/news/article.asp?id=52547 emphasis added kc0iv |
