Partway through your trip, you must couple to another trailer. What should you do?
- (a) Always inspect that trailer yourself.
- (b) Obtain the trip inspection report for that trailer.
- (c) Inspect that trailer yourself if there is no trip inspection report for it.
- Do (b) and (c). ✓
Answer: D. Do (b) and (c).
Obtain the trip inspection report for the trailer you are coupling to, and if no report has been done for it, inspect it yourself and complete one.
Why this is the answer
The handbook says that when you couple to another trailer during the day, you must obtain and carry the trip inspection report completed for that trailer that day. It also says that if a trip inspection report for that trailer has not been done, you must complete one. So the correct action is to get the existing report when there is one, and do your own inspection when there is not.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. (a) Always inspect that trailer yourself. — Inspecting the trailer yourself every time is not what the handbook requires when a valid trip inspection report already exists for that trailer.
- B. (b) Obtain the trip inspection report for that trailer. — Only obtaining the report is incomplete because if no trip inspection report has been done for that trailer, you must complete one.
- C. (c) Inspect that trailer yourself if there is no trip inspection report for it. — Only inspecting it yourself when there is no report is incomplete because you must also obtain and carry the report when one has been done.
Remember it
Think: get the report first, and if there isn’t one, make one.