Tow Truck Pre Trip Inspection Checklist to Print

Print the sheet blank, or type 1 beside a line where a defect was found.

Tow Truck Pre-Trip Inspection Checklist (unofficial)

Tow truck: truck, tow and deck lines

Tow truck: truck, tow and deck lines: a column for each check. Totals fill in as scores are typed.
	Check 1	Check 2	Check 3	Check 4	Check 5	Check 6
Tow truck service brakes
Parking brake on the tow truck
Steering, tow truck
Lighting on the tow truck
Truck tires, wheels and rims
Horn, wiper and rear mirrors
Coupling devices on the truck
Emergency equipment aboard
Tow-bar, saddle-mount secured
No cramping or binding
Towed vehicle follows the path
Two safety chains or cables
Safety chains crossed
Chain length for free turning
Towing vehicle lamps
Side-marker, towed vehicle
Rear lamps, towed vehicle
Three identification lamps
Car on deck: two tiedowns
Hooks at made-for-it points
Wheel straps, three directions
Heavy vehicle: four tiedowns
No damaged tiedown or part
No knots; nothing can loosen
Lines marked on this check

Type a score and the totals fill in.

Scoring key

Who made this list: This site, from Title 49 of the federal regulations. No agency, carrier, motor club or examiner had a hand in it.
Marking a line: Type 1 where a defect was found or the line was not met. Leave it blank otherwise.
The tow lines: They cite rules for a driveaway-towaway operation (49 CFR 390.5T). The sheet does not decide if a tow is one.
The deck lines: For a vehicle carried as cargo. 393.128 covers 10,000 pounds or less; 393.130 covers heavier ones.

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How it works

This unofficial tow truck pre trip inspection checklist has three groups of lines from Title 49 of the federal regulations: the truck under 392.7(a), a tow-bar or saddle-mount tow under 396.15(b), 393.71 and 393.17, and a vehicle carried on the deck.

Read the full guide

Print it or mark it

1. Press Print blank sheet for a paper checklist, or mark it on screen.

2. Type 1 beside a line where a defect was found; leave the box empty where none was.

3. Skip the group that does not fit the job: tow lines for a tow-bar or saddle-mount, deck lines for a carried vehicle.

4. Add a column for the next check, up to six. The last row totals each one.

No line covers the condition of a wheel lift, boom or winch: Part 393 has no section on it.
Each line ends with its section, so the full paragraph is one search away in the eCFR.

Questions and answers

What is on a tow truck pre trip inspection checklist?

Here: the eleven parts of 49 CFR 392.7(a) in eight lines; the 396.15(b) inspection and test of a tow-bar or saddle-mount connection, with safety chains and lamps; and tiedown lines from 393.128, 393.130 and 393.104 for a vehicle carried on the deck.

Is this a DOT tow truck pre trip inspection form (PDF)?

No. No agency issued it; this site wrote it from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. It is a web page that prints. A carrier's own form, or one a state or motor club asks for, is a separate document.

What does 49 CFR 396.15 say about a pre-trip inspection?

Before a driveaway-towaway operation of vehicles in combination, the motor carrier makes a careful inspection and test: the tow-bar or saddle-mount connections are properly secured, work without cramping or binding, and the towed vehicle follows without whipping or swerving.

What lamps does a towed vehicle need?

Under 49 CFR 393.17(b) the rearmost towed vehicle has a side-marker lamp near the rear on each side and, on the rear, two tail lamps, two stop lamps, two turn signals, two clearance lamps and two reflectors.

All 29 lines

The tow truck: 49 CFR 392.7(a) 8

Coupling devices on the truck Entry nine. The rule gives these two words and no list of hitch parts: 49 CFR 392.7(a).
Emergency equipment aboard Entry eleven, the last one: 49 CFR 392.7(a).
Horn, wiper and rear mirrors Entries six, seven and eight: horn, windshield wiper or wipers, rear-vision mirror or mirrors: 49 CFR 392.7(a).
Lighting on the tow truck Entry four of the eleven, read here for the truck's own; the towed vehicle has lines further down: 49 CFR 392.7(a).
Parking brake on the tow truck Entry two of eleven, listed between the service brakes and the steering: 49 CFR 392.7(a).
Steering, tow truck Entry three is the steering mechanism, with no figure attached: 49 CFR 392.7(a).
Tow truck service brakes Entry one of eleven; the same entry takes in trailer brake connections: 49 CFR 392.7(a).
Truck tires, wheels and rims Entries five and ten of the eleven: 49 CFR 392.7(a).

Show all 29 lines (21 more)

Tow-bar or saddle-mount tow: 49 CFR 396.15(b), 393.71, 393.17 10

Chain length for free turning The length of chain used is no more than necessary to permit free turning of the vehicles: 49 CFR 393.71(h)(10)(ii).
No cramping or binding The connections function adequately without cramping or binding of any of the parts: 49 CFR 396.15(b)(2).
Rear lamps, towed vehicle On the rear of the rearmost towed vehicle: two tail lamps, two stop lamps, two turn signals, two clearance lamps and two reflectors: 49 CFR 393.17(b)(2).
Safety chains crossed Crossed, attached near the points of bumper attachment to the chassis, and attached to the tow-bar at the crossing or close to it: 49 CFR 393.71(h)(10)(ii).
Side-marker, towed vehicle On each side of the rearmost towed vehicle, at least one side-marker lamp near the rear: 49 CFR 393.17(b)(1).
Three identification lamps On the rear when any vehicle in the combination is 80 inches or more in overall width: 49 CFR 393.17(b)(2).
Tow-bar, saddle-mount secured The tow-bar or saddle-mount connections are properly secured to the towed and towing vehicle: 49 CFR 396.15(b)(1).
Towed vehicle follows the path It follows substantially in the path of the towing vehicle without whipping or swerving: 49 CFR 396.15(b)(3).
Towing vehicle lamps Front: two headlamps, two turn signals, two clearance lamps. Each side: a side-marker near the front. Rear: two tail lamps and two stop lamps. 49 CFR 393.17(a).
Two safety chains or cables A safety device joins the towed vehicle to the towing one in case the tow-bar fails; where chains or cables are used, at least two: 49 CFR 393.71(h)(10)(i).

Vehicle carried on the deck: 49 CFR 393.128, 393.130, 393.104 7

Car on deck: two tiedowns An automobile, light truck or van of 10,000 pounds or less is restrained at front and rear with a minimum of two tiedowns: 49 CFR 393.128(b)(1).
Heavy vehicle: four tiedowns A carried vehicle or machine of 10,000 pounds or more, on wheels or crawler tracks, is restrained with a minimum of four tiedowns: 49 CFR 393.130(c)(1).
Hooks at made-for-it points Tiedowns designed to be affixed to the carried vehicle's structure use the mounting points specifically designed for that purpose: 49 CFR 393.128(b)(2).
Lines marked on this check How many of the 24 rows carry a 1 in this column.
No damaged tiedown or part Tiedowns and securement parts are in proper working order, with no cracks or cuts that will adversely affect their performance: 49 CFR 393.104(b).
No knots; nothing can loosen Tiedowns contain no knots, and each is attached so it cannot become loose, unfasten, open or release in transit: 49 CFR 393.104(f)(1) and (3).
Wheel straps, three directions Tiedowns that fit over or around the wheels restrain in the lateral, longitudinal and vertical directions: 49 CFR 393.128(b)(3).

Key 4

The deck lines For a vehicle carried as cargo. 393.128 covers 10,000 pounds or less; 393.130 covers heavier ones.
Marking a line Type 1 where a defect was found or the line was not met. Leave it blank otherwise.
The tow lines They cite rules for a driveaway-towaway operation (49 CFR 390.5T). The sheet does not decide if a tow is one.
Who made this list This site, from Title 49 of the federal regulations. No agency, carrier, motor club or examiner had a hand in it.

How this list was compiled: From Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations, read on 2026-10-05 in the eCFR text dated 2026-10-01: section 392.7(a) (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/section-392.7); section 396.15(b), pre-trip inspection of a driveaway-towaway operation (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/section-396.15); sections 393.17(a) and (b) and 393.71(h)(10) (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/part-393/subpart-B and https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/section-393.71); and sections 393.104, 393.128 and 393.130 on cargo securement (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/part-393/subpart-I). The 24 part rows: eight cover the eleven entries of 392.7(a); ten follow 396.15(b)(1) to (3), 393.71(h)(10)(i) and (ii) and 393.17(a) and (b); six follow 393.128(b)(1) to (3), 393.130(c)(1) and 393.104(b), (f)(1) and (f)(3). Each line restates its paragraph in our own words, keeps the paragraph's figures and ends with its citation. Part 393 names tow-bars, ball-and-socket couplings and saddle-mounts; it has no section on the condition of a wheel lift, boom or winch (393.25(b) names wrecker booms and winches only as equipment that can block a required lamp), so the sheet has no line on one. Nothing comes from a state rule, a motor club's standard, a towing association's course, a carrier's form or a truck or body maker's manual. Licence: own work

Notes

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Everything here is for study and general information. Rules change, and the statute, the regulation and the agency that runs your exam are the final word. Check the official source before you rely on an answer.

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This sheet is for practice and study, and it is not an official inspection report or a substitute for the inspection that the law or your employer requires.