Keep On Creepin’ On

By Tpr. Jay Kirkpatrick, Commercial Motor Vehicle Unit, Iowa State Patrol, Iowa Department of Public Safety

Whether you just passed your initial North American Standard Part A Inspection exam or have been on the business end of a creeper for a quarter of a century, there is always room to improve. Below are a few hints for all of us to stay out of bad habits and avoid complacency.

The primary thing we should all try to drive home when training a new trooper is something I learned from a veteran inspector: If the component has the ability to loosen or tighten, put your hands on it and check it. Whether it is an axle one-wheel fastener, a fifth-wheel fastener, a right-side axle five brake chamber bracket fastener, or anything in between, the only way to tell if it is tight is to check it.

This attitude can also give the veteran inspector a little nudge. Have you ever stopped checking something because you think, “I haven’t seen a loose one of those for five years, so I’ll just give it a quick look and move on?" I was at a scale facility working with one such inspector last month and asked why he didn’t check fifth-wheel fasteners. After a conversation, he checked the fifth-wheel fasteners on the next truck he parked, and the second fastener he checked was loose. That was an eye-opening experience for him and helped recharge his batteries. At the end of the day, he asked me to revisit that inspection. He said it was like a punch in the gut, and he was scared to think how many potential out-of-service (OOS) violations he missed due to this bad habit.

Start learning from other inspections. Ask a driver when their last inspection was and how it went. Even though we already know the answer because we have that inspection pulled up on our screen, it is valuable to see what other inspectors in other states find and how they document the violations. If your violations and code sections differ, do some digging in the code book. If another inspector placed a driver or vehicle OOS and you were not going to, or vice versa, dig into the book to find out why. Take the extra minute to get it right. It is only fair to industry that we provide consistent enforcement throughout North America. Plus, consistent enforcement will also help the DataQ processors in your state when violations are challenged.

Speaking of the code book, here’s another strategy I recommend: Make a point to read one section and the related interpretation questions a couple times a week and work your way through the book. It will only take a few minutes to read a section. I suggest reading the applicability and definitions first. Even after having read the code book many times, I still find nuggets of information that will make me a better inspector and a much better instructor. Are these 10 minutes really glamorous? Most definitely not! Will it make all of us better at our job? Most definitely!

While working at a scale facility with other troopers/officers/inspectors, don’t just work at the scale together – actually work together. What I mean is that, occasionally, two inspectors should work on the same truck at the same time. Do the walk around together and run your creepers side by side while underneath. Talk to each other about what you’re individually checking and what violations you have found. Swallow your pride and be receptive to what your partner has to offer. Despite having been under thousands of trucks, I just learned something from a guy who has been on the job for less than a year.

Another idea is to grab your supervisor and do an inspection with them. They are a supervisor for a reason; they know things. However, being a supervisor brings other responsibilities, and sometimes, since the 37-step process is a perishable skill, it is easy for inspection competencies to diminish. Supervisors, don’t be afraid to employ this tactic with each member of your crew. You will be amazed at the street cred you will develop.

If your department does not have a dedicated training team, volunteer to instruct/do industry presentations. When you do these, you absolutely have to prepare. If you walk in and “shoot from the hip,” your audience will sniff that out really quickly. Preparing your presentation will get you in the book, and getting in the book is how we learn the code. You will be surprised at the off-the-wall questions fired at you in these settings. When you get one of these questions, don’t give an opinion. If you don’t know the answer for sure, there is nothing wrong with admitting to the group that you have never heard of or thought of that scenario. Then, tell the group you will research, get the correct answer to the group’s point of contact, and the contact will get the answer to the group. They will appreciate your honesty, and your credibility with industry will soar when you follow through with the point of contact.

In the interest of consistent enforcement in North America, but more importantly, for the safety of the motoring public, inspect a commercial motor vehicle like somebody’s life depends on a proper inspection. Ultimately, it does.