A Proper Pre-Trip: Starting your day the right way

Dashboard of a semi-truck displaying multiple warning lights, including oil pressure, battery charge, traction control, and a prominent "Check Engine" signal, indicating potential maintenance needs.

Only a quarter of the way into my trip, I received the warning that no trucker wants to see (or hear in this case)...

That awful digging noise that indicates you have some kind of warning coming from your dash.

I dreadfully look down and notice that my low coolant warning light is on. Not only is this light on my dash lit up in bright orange, but it's also flashing.

This light was accompanied by a warning no drive wants to see:

WARNING: ENGINE DERATE IN 2 HOURS. SEEK SERVICE IMMEDIATELY.

Thankfully, I was only a half hour or so from our nearest terminals. After pulling into the fuel island at our terminal to add more coolant to the reservoir, all the warnings and dash lights went away.

I was back up and running. That was a close one!

Doing A Proper Pre-Trip

Let's talk about what just happened and how it could have been prevented in less than three minutes.

In the trucking industry, we are required by DOT (Department of Transportation -- think of DOT as an organization of police who make sure truck drivers are compliant in all safety and compliance regulations) to conduct a thorough pre-trip and post-trip inspection of all equipment before our wheels start rolling. DOT takes this so seriously that a huge portion of our CDL (Commercial Drivers License) training is focused on the pre-trip alone...more than maneuverability, backing, and the road test combined.

A 15 minute pre-trip inspection is required before you start your day. These pre-trip inspections are important because a vast percentage of issues can be caught or prevented through a proper pre-trip inspections.

These inspections look for any damage or wear on anything under your hood, tire condition and tread level, anything missing, broken, or damaged on your equipment, or in my case from the story above -- making sure your fluid levels are full.

Pre-trip inspections take a truck driver 10-15 minutes at the start of his day, but can help prevent him from losing hours or days due to his truck or trailer being downed for malfunctioning parts.

In my anecdote above, a proper pre-trip being done would have allowed me to recognize that my coolant level was too low. All I would have needed to do was pull my truck over to the fuel island, top off my coolant level, shut my hood, and get on down the road.

Lesson Learned

The fact of the matter is, I failed to do a proper pre-trip inspection and it almost cost me big time. I was in a rush to get my day started and get those wheels rolling to make that money. What happened instead was I ended up wasting more time by having to go out of route to find my nearest terminal (or truck stop) to do what could have been done in three minutes or less before I even started my day. I ended up wasting almost an hour of my clock instead.

I want to illuminate a life lesson that you can take away from this.

Our bodies and minds operate in similar ways to a semi truck.

We have many different parts and components that are crucial to us running efficiently and optimally. We have hearts (engine), digestive system (fuel system), thermoregulation (coolant system), brain (electronic control system), nervous system (wiring and sensors), skeleton (chassis or frame), feet and legs (tires), muscles and reflexes (air brakes), and lungs and a head (cab).

Just like a truck needs a proper pre-trip inspection, our bodies, which are WAY more complex than a semi truck, need a proper pre-trip inspection. These inspections done to our mind, body, and soul are a great way to start our day so that we don't waste time down the road fixing or correcting a preventative issue.

My Morning Pre-Trip Inspection

Some of the things I like doing before I start my day are crucial to the flow and outcome of my day.

• Prayer

  Before my feet hit the ground, I like to spend some time in prayer and thank God for another day of life and all the ways that he has blessed me. There is so much to be thankful for and this process helps me gain an accurate perspective on life.

  
  

• Hydrate

  Another thing I like to do before I start my day is to properly fuel my body. Many of you might be thinking that I go straight to my morning coffee. But before that, I find it best to fill my body with water and a little bit of Redmond's Re-Lyte Electrolyte Powder to hydrate my system.

  
  

• Movement

  Next, and this is a practice that I'm constantly working to implement more regularly, I like to do a quick calisthenics workout. This helps get my muscles stretched out and my body prepared for movement and motion. When I do these morning workouts, it feels like my body is clearing itself of leftover junk from the day before and gets my juices flowing and out of a stagnant state.

  
  

• Read

  Another pre-trip inspection I like to do is spend 10-15 minutes reading my Bible. The Bible is the truth that I base my life on. It's my foundation and gets my mind renewed to truth.

I'm no saint. I don't do ALL of these practices EVERY day, but when I don't do them, I definitely have moments throughout my day where I can feel I'm not operating on an optimal level for my mind, body, or spirit. These daily habits only take a few minutes, but have a huge impact on the outcome of my day.

Reflection

Reflecting on this experience, it's clear that proper pre-trip inspection of my big truck (what we in the trucking industry say in reference to our semi truck), I would have noticed that my coolant level was low and needed to be topped off. Three minutes later, I would be up and running and ready to hit the road, saving myself the headache of time and money wasted later on.

Similarly, if I take care of my mind and body by doing a proper pre-trip inspection, I can notice what's off and adjust accordingly. I can save myself the headache (literally) of injury, damage, or time and money wasted.

Are you doing a proper pre-trip of your mind and body before you start your day? What practices can you start implementing to help you run more optimally?

If you're missing the mark, don't beat yourself up. Start small. Change one morning routine tomorrow that helps set you up for the rest of your day.

You can do it!