Pre Trip Trailer Inspection Form to Print and Mark

Print the semitrailer sheet blank, or type 1 beside a line where the trailer has a defect.

Trailer Pre-Trip Inspection Form (unofficial)

Semitrailer

Semitrailer: a column for each check. Totals fill in as scores are typed.
	Check 1	Check 2	Check 3	Check 4	Check 5	Check 6
Trailer brake connections
Coupling devices, as coupled
Trailer lamps and reflectors
Trailer doors and tarps shut
Upper fifth wheel half fast
A brake acting on every wheel
Brakes apply on breakaway
Breakaway brakes hold 15 min
ABS malfunction lamp, outside
Tire load within sidewall mark
Cold inflation fits the load
Sliding axle locking pins in
Reflective strip, each side
Reflective strip, lower rear
White strips, upper corners
Lamps fed by the vehicle
Tiedown count for each article
Semitrailer defects found

Type a score and the totals fill in.

Scoring key

Where the lines come from: Federal rule text, restated by this site. No carrier, state or examiner supplied or approved the wording, and it is nobody's official form.
What to type: 1 on a line where the trailer has that defect or misses that requirement; nothing where it does not.
The three reflective lines: 49 CFR 393.13 covers trailers made before December 1, 1993, 80 inches or wider with a rating of 10,001 pounds or more. Later trailers come under 393.11.
Small semitrailers: A semitrailer of 3,000 pounds gross weight or less needs no brakes when its axle weight is at most 40 percent of the towing vehicle's axle weights: 393.42(b)(3).

Marks stay in this browser until you press Start a new sheet.

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All 43 lines

Semitrailer: 49 CFR 392.7, 392.9 and Part 393 18

A brake acting on every wheel Every commercial motor vehicle is equipped with brakes acting on all wheels, with the exceptions of paragraph (b): 49 CFR 393.42(a).
ABS malfunction lamp, outside An exterior ABS malfunction indicator lamp on an air braked trailer or converter dolly made on or after March 1, 1998: 49 CFR 393.55(e).
Brakes apply on breakaway On a trailer required to have brakes they apply automatically and immediately upon breakaway from the towing vehicle: 49 CFR 393.43(d).
Breakaway brakes hold 15 min After a breakaway the brakes must remain in the applied position for at least 15 minutes: 49 CFR 393.43(d).
Cold inflation fits the load No tire has a cold inflation pressure less than that specified for the load being carried: 49 CFR 393.75(i)(1).
Coupling devices, as coupled What joins trailer to tractor, taken as coupled before the drive: 49 CFR 392.7(a).
Lamps fed by the vehicle All required lamps are powered by the electrical system of the motor vehicle; battery lamps on projecting loads are the exception: 49 CFR 393.23.

Show all 43 lines (36 more)

Semitrailer: 49 CFR 392.7, 392.9 and Part 393, continued

Reflective strip, each side On a pre-December 1993 trailer: sheeting or reflex reflectors along each side, the segments adding up to at least half the trailer's length: 49 CFR 393.13(c)(1), (d)(1).
Reflective strip, lower rear On a pre-December 1993 trailer: sheeting or reflex reflectors across the full width of the rear: 49 CFR 393.13(c)(2), (d)(2).
Semitrailer defects found Total of the marks on the seventeen semitrailer lines.
Sliding axle locking pins in Adjustable axle assemblies shall not have locking pins missing or disengaged: 49 CFR 393.207(b).
Tiedown count for each article With nothing blocking forward movement: one tiedown for an article 5 feet or less and 1,100 pounds or less, two up to 10 feet, one more for every further 10 feet or fraction: 49 CFR 393.110(b).
Tire load within sidewall mark No tire carries a weight greater than that marked on its sidewall, short of a State special permit and a reduced speed: 49 CFR 393.75(g).
Trailer brake connections Named inside the first entry of the driver's list: 49 CFR 392.7(a).
Trailer doors and tarps shut Closed and made fast for the road, along with the spare and whatever fastens the load: 49 CFR 392.9(a)(2).
Trailer lamps and reflectors The trailer's share of entry four on the driver's pre-drive list: 49 CFR 392.7(a).
Upper fifth wheel half fast The half on the trailer is fastened with at least the security required of the lower half on the tractor: 49 CFR 393.70(b)(1)(ii).
White strips, upper corners On a pre-December 1993 trailer: two pairs of white strips or arrays, 12 inches long, at the right and left upper corners of the rear: 49 CFR 393.13(c)(3), (d)(3).

Pull trailer: Appendix A to Part 396 and 49 CFR 393.70 19

Breakaway braking device Missing or inoperable, on a trailer with electric brakes: Appendix A to 49 CFR Part 396, item 1.i(2).
Chain links and hooks Worn to a measurable reduction in link cross section, or repaired with welding, wire, small bolts, rope or tape: Appendix A to 49 CFR Part 396, item 2.e(3).
Chains off the pintle hook The safety device is not attached to the pintle hook or to any other device the tow-bar is attached to: 49 CFR 393.70(d)(1).
Drawbar eye cracks or wear Any cracks, or any part of the eye reduced by more than 20 percent: Appendix A to 49 CFR Part 396, item 2.c(2).
Drawbar eye mounting Any cracks in the attachment welds, or missing or ineffective fasteners: Appendix A to 49 CFR Part 396, item 2.c(1).
Drawbar tongue cracks Any cracks, or 1/4 inch of movement between subframe and drawbar at the point of attachment: Appendix A to 49 CFR Part 396, item 2.d(2).
Electric brakes, each wheel A wheel that has to be braked gets nothing when the electric brakes are applied: Appendix A to 49 CFR Part 396, item 1.i(1).
Pintle hook cracks or welds Cracks anywhere in the assembly, any welded repair, or a horn section reduced by more than 20 percent: Appendix A to 49 CFR Part 396, item 2.b(2)(a) to (c).
Pintle hook mounting Missing or ineffective fasteners, cracks from a point of attachment, loose mounting, or a cracked cross member at the hook: Appendix A to 49 CFR Part 396, item 2.b(1).
Pintle latch insecure Two words in the standard, last under the hook's integrity: Appendix A to 49 CFR Part 396, item 2.b(2)(d).
Pull trailer defects found Total of the marks on the eighteen hitch, chain and electric brake lines.
Safety cable strands, clamps Kinked or broken cable strands; improper clamps or clamping: Appendix A to 49 CFR Part 396, item 2.e(4).
Safety device slack No more slack than is necessary to permit the vehicles to be turned properly: 49 CFR 393.70(d)(2).
Safety devices on and attached Missing, unattached or incapable of secure attachment: Appendix A to 49 CFR Part 396, item 2.e(1) and (2).
Tongue slider latch and stop An ineffective latching mechanism, a missing or ineffective stop, more than 1/4 inch of movement between slider and housing, or a leaking cylinder, hose or chamber: Appendix A to 49 CFR Part 396, item 2.d(1).
Tow-bar kept off the ground Connected so that the tow-bar cannot drop to the ground if it fails or becomes disconnected: 49 CFR 393.70(d)(4).
Tow-bar locking device A locking device that prevents accidental separation of the towed and towing vehicles: 49 CFR 393.70(c)(4).
Tow-bar slack at the hitch On a full trailer the tow-bar allows adequate articulation at the connection without excessive slack there: 49 CFR 393.70(c)(3).
Two chains or a bridle Two safety chains or cables, or one arranged as a bridle fixed to the frame or axle at two points as far apart as it permits: 49 CFR 393.70(d)(5).

Key 6

The Appendix A lines Appendix A lists defects: a vehicle with one of them does not pass a periodic inspection.
Small semitrailers A semitrailer of 3,000 pounds gross weight or less needs no brakes when its axle weight is at most 40 percent of the towing vehicle's axle weights: 393.42(b)(3).
The three reflective lines 49 CFR 393.13 covers trailers made before December 1, 1993, 80 inches or wider with a rating of 10,001 pounds or more. Later trailers come under 393.11.
Tow-bar and safety device lines 49 CFR 393.70(c) and (d) apply to a full trailer, and (d) also to a converter dolly that makes a semitrailer a full trailer.
What to type 1 on a line where the trailer has that defect or misses that requirement; nothing where it does not.
Where the lines come from Federal rule text, restated by this site. No carrier, state or examiner supplied or approved the wording, and it is nobody's official form.

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: sections 392.7(a) and 392.9(a)(2) (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/part-392), sections 393.13, 393.23, 393.42, 393.43, 393.55, 393.70, 393.75, 393.110 and 393.207 (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/part-393), and Appendix A to Part 396, Minimum Periodic Inspection Standards, items 1.i and 2.b to 2.e (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/part-396). The semitrailer sheet has 17 lines: four from 392.7(a) and 392.9(a)(2) and thirteen from Part 393. The pull trailer sheet has 18 lines: twelve from Appendix A and six from 393.70(c) and (d). Each line restates its paragraph in our own words, keeps the paragraph's figures and ends with its citation. The fifth wheel defects of Appendix A item 2.a are on the site's CDL checklist and are not repeated here. Nothing comes from a state CDL manual, a skills test score form, a carrier's form or a trailer maker's manual. Licence: own work

How it works

This unofficial pre trip trailer inspection form is two sheets written from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. Semitrailer has seventeen lines from 49 CFR 392.7, 392.9 and Part 393. Pull trailer has eighteen on the pintle hook, drawbar, safety chains and electric brakes.

Read the full guide

Pick the trailer, then print or mark

1. Stay on Semitrailer, or switch to Pull trailer: pintle hook or tow-bar.

2. Press Print blank sheet for a paper form, or mark it on screen.

3. Type 1 beside a line where the trailer has that defect; leave the box empty where it does not.

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

The three reflective strip lines apply to trailers made before December 1, 1993; the key under the sheet says so.
Each line ends with its section, so the full paragraph is one search away in the eCFR.

Questions and answers

What is on a trailer pre-trip inspection checklist?

49 CFR 392.7(a) names trailer brake connections, coupling devices, lighting devices and reflectors, tires, and wheels and rims among the parts a driver must be satisfied are in good working order. The semitrailer sheet adds Part 393 lines on breakaway brakes, tire load and tiedowns.

What does a trailer coupling pre trip inspection cover?

On the pull trailer sheet: pintle hook mounting and latch, drawbar eye, tongue, safety chains and cables, from Appendix A to Part 396, item 2. Fifth wheel and kingpin lines are on the CDL pre-trip inspection checklist.

Is there a hot shot pre trip inspection form?

The regulations do not use the term hot shot. Part 393 applies to a commercial motor vehicle, which 49 CFR 390.5T defines to include a combination of 10,001 pounds or more in interstate commerce. The pull trailer sheet has hitch and chain lines.

What is checked on an electric trailer pre trip inspection?

Appendix A to Part 396, item 1.i, lists two electric brake defects: absence of braking action on any wheel required to have brakes, and a missing or inoperable breakaway braking device. Both are lines on the pull trailer sheet.

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.