What is PTI in trucking? The pre-trip inspection, step by step

PTI is trucking shorthand for pre-trip inspection: the walk-around a driver does before driving to make sure the truck and trailer are safe. It's required, it's on-duty time, and it's the cheapest way to avoid roadside violations, breakdowns and crashes.

The walk-around, in order

What the rules require

Before driving, the driver must be satisfied that these are in good working order: service brakes including trailer brake connections, parking brake, steering, lighting devices and reflectors, tires, horn, windshield wipers, mirrors, coupling devices, wheels and rims, and emergency equipment 49 CFR 392.7Parts a driver must check before drivingBrakes, parking brake, steering, lights and reflectors, tires, horn, wipers, mirrors, coupling, wheels and rims, emergency equipment49 CFR 392.7(a): no CMV may be driven unless the driver is satisfied that service brakes (including trailer brake connections), parking brake, steering, lighting devices and reflectors, tires, horn, windshield wipers, mirrors, coupling devices, wheels and rims, and emergency equipment are in good working order.49 CFR 392.7Checked Oct 2026Close.

Before driving, the driver must also be satisfied the vehicle is in safe operating condition, review the last inspection report if it listed defects, and sign to acknowledge that required repairs were certified 49 CFR 396.13Driver inspection before drivingBe satisfied the vehicle is safe; review and sign the last report if it listed defects49 CFR 396.13: before driving, a driver must be satisfied that the vehicle is in safe operating condition, review the last driver vehicle inspection report if one was required, and sign it to acknowledge that required repairs were certified.49 CFR 396.13Checked Oct 2026Close.

Emergency equipment means a rated, mounted fire extinguisher and three reflective triangles (or six fusees) 49 CFR 393.95Required emergency equipmentA rated fire extinguisher and three reflective triangles (or 6 fusees)49 CFR 393.95: each truck and truck tractor carries a securely mounted, rated fire extinguisher (10 B:C or more when hauling placarded hazmat; otherwise one 5 B:C or two 4 B:C) and warning devices for stopped vehicles: three bidirectional emergency reflective triangles, or at least six fusees.49 CFR 393.95Checked Oct 2026Close.

When the day's work is done, drivers report defects in writing; no report is needed when there are none 49 CFR 396.11Driver vehicle inspection reportWritten post-trip report when a defect is found or reported; not required when there are none49 CFR 396.11: drivers report at the end of each day's work on each vehicle any defect or deficiency affecting safe operation (brakes, steering, lights, tires, coupling, wheels, mirrors, emergency equipment and more). Property-carrying drivers are not required to prepare a report if no defect is found or reported. The rule doesn't apply to carriers operating only one CMV.49 CFR 396.11Checked Oct 2026Close. Those reports are kept for three months.

Printable PTI checklist

Tick items as you go; the list saves in this browser and prints.

Log it as on-duty time

Inspecting a truck is on-duty time under the hours-of-service rules 49 CFR 395.2On-duty time includes inspectionsAll time inspecting, servicing or conditioning a CMV is on-duty time49 CFR 395.2 defines on-duty time to include all time inspecting, servicing or conditioning any commercial motor vehicle at any time, along with waiting to be dispatched at a carrier or shipper facility and loading or unloading, among others.49 CFR 395.2Checked Oct 2026Close, so a proper pre-trip shows up on the log as on duty, not driving. A log with no time for a pre-trip before every trip is one of the things an auditor or inspector may question.

Commonly missed items

• Lights and reflective tape on the trailer, especially at the rear.
• Tire inflation on inside duals, which is hard to see.
• Air leaks that only show up with the brakes applied.
• Mud flaps, doors and latches on the trailer.
• The fire extinguisher gauge and triangles, which drivers assume are there.
• Cargo securement after a stop, not just at pickup.

Box trucks, hotshots and power only

The same rules apply to a 26 ft box truck or a hotshot pickup used commercially: brakes, steering, lights, tires, mirrors, wheels and emergency equipment. Box trucks add the liftgate, the cargo door and load securement. Hotshots add the hitch or gooseneck coupling, safety chains and trailer brakes. Power-only drivers inspect a trailer they haven't seen before, so the trailer walk-around matters even more.

Why it matters beyond the rule

Roadside inspections. Defects a pre-trip would catch, like lights, tires and brakes, are common roadside violations. Violations feed your public safety scores; see how with the CSA score estimator.

Breakdowns. A soft tire or a leaking air line found in the yard costs minutes. Found on the highway, it costs a tow, a repair at road prices and maybe the load.

Customers. Shippers and brokers judge carriers by on-time pickups. A truck that fails at the dock or on the road damages the relationship. Customers that send tenders electronically track it closely; see EDI for trucking.

EXAMPLE A driver's pre-trip finds a cracked air line on the trailer at 5:30 a.m. The driver reports it, the shop replaces it before 7, and the load picks up on time. Found at a roadside inspection, the same defect could have put the trailer out of service.

The pre-trip in your maintenance program

The pre-trip is the daily front line of the maintenance program in truck fleet management. The gear each type of truck needs is in trucking equipment, and the operations behind them in types of trucking. Every truck and trailer also needs an annual inspection; track the dates with the annual inspection due date tracker.

This page summarizes federal rules in general terms; it isn't legal advice.