22 Kentucky Trucker Will a thorough pre-trip inspection prevent a violation? In this edition of Truesdell’s Safety Tips, I would like to discuss the correlation between a thorough pre-trip inspection and the “Top 5” most cited or discovered violations as listed by FMCSA. Said violations are grouped or listed at a national level, as well as the “Top 5” as cited here in Kentucky. There are both similarities and differences between the lists. As of this writing in late September, I gathered the numbers from FMCSA’s Analysis & Information dated Aug. 26, 2022. (Note: FMCSA operates on a fiscal year of October 1 – September 30, but these numbers were calculated from the calendar year January through August). Obviously, just like everything that evolves around commercial trucking and regulations, things tend to change from time to time. So, it is no surprise that these violations, as they are discovered and cited, go up and down the list from time to time. I went with this topic to show how a simple pre-trip inspection could reduce some of these violations. Not to say that any condition can be encountered while in transit, but some of these violations could easily be eliminated with a simple but thorough pre-trip inspection process. The data gathered is either listed as “National,” which will encompass enforcement efforts for the entire country or “KY,” for those listed/discovered from Kentucky enforcement inspections. So, with that, let’s jump into this list and see if you think any of these "Top 5" violations could be eliminated with even the quickest glance by the driver. NUMBER 1: National – (393.9) Inoperable Required Lamp KY – (393.47E) Clamp or Roto-type brake out-of-adjustment Regarding the lamp, I will gladly admit that a lamp can go out anytime. However, if the lamp had been inoperative before the driver began the trip, it could have been repaired, which may have eliminated a 393 violation. TRUESDELL’S SAFETY TIPS By Tristan Truesdell, Staff Assistant, Kentucky Trucking Association
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