NOTE: The following contains information regarding inspections, including some recommendations on how to adjust your system or methods to account for possible issues.  While some sections pertain to methods that may be employed by companies using this feature for FMCSA-mandate compliance, none of the following is intended as legal advice and is not guaranteed for compliance.  By using any of the methods described below (or derivative works thereof) you agree to hold harmless DOTsfty and Telematics 411 from any possible issues that may arise from said use.  Always test any recommendations to ensure accuracy and that they work to fit the needs of your company, and contact your local FMCSA field office or service center for questions regarding compliance while managing your inspection logs, etc.

What is a Pre-Trip Inspection?

Pre-trip inspections are a set of visual checks drivers run through prior to a trip to ensure that a truck and all of its equipment is in good, functioning order.  For companies running on Hours of Service (HOS) rules for compliance with the FMCSA mandate on heavy trucks, pre-trip inspections known as Driver-Vehicle Inspection Reports (DVIRs) are required and expected before every trip.  Other companies not required to follow HOS rules may still have their own in-house expectations for pre-trip inspections.

How Long Does a Pre-Trip Inspection Usually Last?

While there isn’t a specified length of time required for pre-trip inspections, general industry standards usually have inspection ranges from approximately 8 - 15 minutes.

For companies running on Hours of Service rules, it is important to know that DOT inspecting officers may look for and inspect DVIR logs to ensure that drivers are doing inspections to remain properly compliant with the mandate’s rules.

How do Pre-Trip Inspections Work in MyGeotab?

From a driver’s perspective, pre-trip inspections are accessed in one of two ways:

1. In the Login workflow after a driver selects a vehicle and chooses Save and continue from the Assets page:
      

1. By clicking Asset Inspection on the Dashboard after logging completely into the app:
      

Whichever method the driver uses, this will begin an inspection as soon as he clicks the Inspect button.  From here, the system will begin counting the amount of time that the inspection lasts.

The steps a driver needs to take to fill out the inspection include:

1. Choosing the type of inspection (i.e. Pre-trip, In-trip, or Post-trip)
2. Going down the list of inspection categories, marking defects on specific ones as needed.
   For example, if a driver were inspecting the Brakes section and noticed that they were Leaking air, then he would click Add defect and type in a description of the defect and (optionally) include a photo for the maintenance department or MyGeotab administrator’s reference.
3. Going through the entire list until all items with defects have been reported.

As soon as the driver submits an inspection, the system will stop recording inspection-time duration and put the driver into an ON-duty status (if not already ON duty):

Once completed, logs can be viewed by administrators in the MyGeotab interface via Maintenance > Asset Inspection > Options.  From here an administrator can select the Date Period and Display Options to reflect which logs to display and then click Apply changes to view logs with the specified parameters.

Here is a sample of what an Options box may look like just prior to an administrator’s clicking Apply changes:

Here is a list of logs that fit the parameters specified via Options above:

Scrolling over entirely to the right or clicking the log at the top will provide an administrator with the inspection’s duration:

View when scrolled over to the right to see duration.

View of inspection duration when clicked for additional details.

Rule Setup to Track Missed Pre-Trip Inspections in MyGeotab

There is a rule in MyGeotab called Pre-Trip Inspection Missing that you can enable to catch any vehicles without a pre-trip inspection.

However…

This rule is commonly misunderstood, so we’ll break down the features to give you a better understanding of it.

First, here is what the rule looks like in MyGeotab once it’s been enabled:

We will cover all of the settings shortly, but first a little explanation about the data itself:

Here is a small segment of the data that will show up for this rule in an Advanced Default Exceptions Detail report (found via Groups & Rules > Exceptions > [set Options & Apply changes] > Report > Details > Advanced) if the rule is broken:

What the data tells us is that a pre-trip inspection was missing 18 hours and 30 minutes from the time the vehicle last stopped, at 2:49:48 PM on January 14th.  In order to get the actual time and date you need to add the Duration to the Start Time.  In this case, the defect was missing at 9:19:48 AM on January 15th.

When you create this rule, the two main settings are Previous trip time greater than and Distance travelled.  Here’s what the system does with each of these:

Previous trip time greater than

A vehicle with a driver assigned to it that has been stopped for at least the time specified in this segment will trigger the rule if the Distance travelled condition has also been met.

If a new driver logs into this vehicle, the system will act as if the Previous trip time condition has been met.  This covers cases such as slip-seating where a vehicle has two shifts of drivers that are both expected to file inspections regardless of how long the vehicle has been parked.

Distance travelled

If the Previous trip time condition has been satisfied because the vehicle was parked for the specified amount of time or a new driver logs in, then the pre-trip rule will trigger an exception if the vehicle travels beyond the specified distance listed here.

So, if you have this set to 1 mile and a driver takes the vehicle 0.5 miles to a fuel station on your lot and then parks the vehicle, this will not trigger an exception.

Grace period

NOTE: This is set to 0 by default, so the explanation of the other conditions was provided with the context of the Grace period’s being set to 0.

Usually the MyGeotab system looks for pre-trip inspections filed before a vehicle starts moving.  With the Grace period set, this provides a time buffer so that the system can look for a pre-trip inspection up to when the vehicle began moving and also any time since the vehicle moved that is still within the Grace period timeframe.

So, if you have a Grace period of 600 seconds, this will give the driver an additional 10 minutes from the time the vehicle began its next trip in which the driver can still file the inspection without triggering the exception rule.

Sources

This section was compiled from the following sources:

On the MyGeotab dvir pre Trip rule, how do you establish a buffer or grace period?

I need someone to explain missing MyGeotab Pre-trip notifications to me.

MyGeotab: How does the Asset Inspection Pre-Trip rule work?

Common Pre-Trip Inspection Issues (and How to Fix Them)

Below is a common list of issues that you may encounter regarding pre-trip inspections in Geotab’s software and recommended ways to fix them.

NOTE: None of the recommendations below are guaranteed for compliance.  For questions about compliance, reach out to your local FMCSA field office or service center.

Logs Not Marked ON-Duty until Completed Inspection Submitted

Issue:

In the ordinary workflow of the Geotab Drive app, drivers’ logs are not marked as ON-duty until an inspection has been completed.  

Fix:

Instruct drivers to choose the Skip remainder option on the Asset Inspection page when logging in and instead mark themselves as ON Duty via the HOS page right away.  Then have them click the Asset Inspection button on the Dashboard after they have put themselves in the correct duty status.

Drivers are Able to Mark their Own Defects as Repaired

Issue:

Drivers logging into vehicles in which a defect has not yet been repaired have the option to mark the defect(s) as Repaired or not necessary in the place of a mechanic.  This can be a problem if drivers are marking defects as “repaired or not necessary” when they have not yet actually been repaired.

Fix:

The standard Drive App user clearance contains the privilege to Mark Asset Inspection logs as repaired, so if you do not want drivers to be able to do this you will need to create a custom sub-clearance for your drivers with this option removed.  To do this, follow the steps below:

1. Navigate to People > Clearances.
2. Click the Drive App user clearance and then choose the Add Sub-Clearance option.
3. Enter a Name for the new clearance.
4. Do a search for “repair” in the Search for feature box.
5. Uncheck the Mark Asset Inspection logs as repaired feature.
6. Save your changes.
   

Now you will need to apply this new clearance to any drivers who should not have the ability to mark defects as repaired.

Navigate to People > Users & Drivers and select a driver.  On his User Edit page, scroll down to the Security clearance option and choose your newly-created clearance:

Scroll back to the top of the page and click Save to apply the new clearance to this driver.

NOTE: You can alternatively use the Bulk Edit option to apply this clearance to multiple drivers at once.  To do this, navigate to People > Users & Drivers > Select none > Select individual.  From here, select the drivers you’d like to apply the new clearance to, click the Edit selected users button at the top, and scroll down to Security clearance.  Click Replace with, select the new clearance, and click Save up at the top and then Accept to finalize the changes.

Workflow Stops Unless Items Marked Repaired or Not Necessary

Issue:

If a vehicle has a defect recorded on it that has not yet been marked as repaired or unnecessary, it is impossible for a driver to advance to the next part of his workflow to create a new asset inspection for a new trip.

Fix:

NOTE: None of the following suggestions are guaranteed for compliance.  Test things out, be sure that they work for your company, and always check with your local FMCSA field office or service center if you have questions about whether or not a solution you’re looking to put into place is in accordance with compliance requirements.

Have a plan for how to address reported defects.  This may sound obvious on its face, but what this looks like will differ depending on the size of your company and resources available to you.

Major Defects
You should have a plan in place to ensure that drivers know what to do if they find a defect that makes driving dangerous and requires that they use a new truck for the day.  For example, if a defect affects safe driving, the driver ought to know whom to contact to request assignment of another vehicle.

Minor/Unregulated Defects
Drivers should understand what your company’s policy is regarding how to handle minor/unregulated defects reported that do not affect the safe operation of the vehicle.  For example, you may import the reported-defects data into a maintenance-management software and create a work order so that it doesn’t matter if the reported defect remains in the MyGeotab system.  In this case, it may be worth allowing the drivers to mark these items as “repaired or not necessary” so that they can continue on in their workflow without issue and you can have the defect actually repaired via your own system.

Of course, if you’re unsure about which next steps to take for your company, you could always consider hiring a consultant to help assess your situation and provide further recommendations.

Bottom Line

At the end of the day, it’s important to ensure that your drivers are safe.  DOTsfty is committed to providing you with the best safety-training experience possible, and that includes factoring inspection time into their safety platform because short or missed inspections can significantly impact drivers’ safety while out on the road.

Learn more about DOTsfty’s 360-degree driver-safety solution here.