The morning that saves the day
Most tire failures don't happen suddenly — they announce themselves. A slow leak, a shoulder wear pattern, a nail head you could see if you looked. The pre-trip is where you catch it, and a pre-trip done from the driver's seat catches nothing.
What to check on every tire
- Pressure with a gauge, not a boot. Kicking a tire tells you nothing about a 15 psi shortfall, and underinflation is the #1 cause of blowouts. Check cold.
- Tread depth — 4/32" minimum on steer tires, 2/32" elsewhere. Use a gauge or the built-in wear bars.
- Irregular wear: cupping, feathering, or one-shoulder wear point to alignment or suspension issues that will kill the next tire too.
- Sidewalls for cuts, bulges, or exposed cord. A bulge is a failure waiting for highway speed.
- Valve stems and caps — missing caps let dirt into the core and cause slow leaks.
- Duals: check for objects trapped between tires and confirm both are at matching pressure.
- Lug nuts: rust trails streaking outward from a nut mean it's been loose.
Recording it
If you find it, write it on the DVIR. A defect noted is a defect that gets fixed; a defect mentioned in passing at the shop is a defect that runs another week.
Reducing the odds
Tire sealant products installed through the valve stem can seal punctures as they happen and help hold pressure between checks. They don't replace the inspection — they buy time when something goes wrong 40 miles from the yard.
Wrap-up
Two extra minutes per truck, every morning, with a gauge in your hand. That's the entire program.
