Stuart Comments: Ever look in a truck to try to find the copy of the vehicle condition report (VCR) to sign? At one dollar per minute, you could be spending big money to hunt down and sign the document required for the next driver to review and sign (DOT pre-trip). Not being able to find the paperwork to sign can cost time (and time is money), or worse, lack of signing and non-compliance.
My theory is simple. Use a bound book of 25 triple, 20-lb. paper forms. Two of the pages should be perforated to tear out of the book. The third copy is not perforated, so it stays in the book. The top copy should be the one left in the book, the clearest and easiest to read for the techs, oncoming driver and most of all, the DOT inspector.
The driver fills it out and turns in the two copies, one to operations and one to the shop (either by hand, faxed, e-mailed, etc.). The third can to remain in the book inside the vehicle. Therefore, when the vehicle is repaired from the requests written on the shop copy and the repair is performed and completed, the book is in the truck and the tech signing process is easy to complete.
Also, the form should be designed so there is ample room for written explanations and boxes to be checked by the technician for each requested repair item such as:
1. No defect found
2. Parts on order
3. Repair completely
4. Additional time required
5. Vehicle safe to operate
See specific guidelines below: (c)(1) Every motor carrier or its agent shall certify on the original driver vehicle inspection report which lists any defect or deficiency that the defect or deficiency has been repaired or that repair is unnecessary before the vehicle is operated again.
396.11(c) Corrective action. Prior to requiring or permitting a driver to operate a vehicle, every motor carrier or its agent shall repair any defect or deficiency listed on the driver vehicle inspection report which would be likely to affect the safety of operation of the vehicle.
