Will it pass a DOT inspection?
Snap a photo or describe the issue — Rig Pig checks it against DOT out-of-service criteria.
At the window?
Show the officer a summary card — your latest check, measurements, and credential status — at arm's length, without handing over the phone. Big text, read-only.
Just hooked a trailer somebody else dropped?
The second you pull it, its defects are your record. The Drop-and-Hook 5 is a two-minute photo walk so you don't inherit somebody else's out-of-service. Check each off as you shoot — the analyzer and evidence pack use these same photos.
Photograph anything questionable before you move. A timestamped photo at the hook is the difference between "their defect" and "your violation."
Measure it — some calls are a number, not discretion
Most of a roadside inspection is officer judgment. These defects aren't — CVSA's out-of-service criteria put a hard number on them. If your photo shows one, measure it yourself before you roll. (CVSA Out-of-Service Criteria and 49 CFR; CVSA revises every April — check the current edition.)
- Strap webbing cuts. Add up every cut, burn, and hole through the webbing. Over 3/4 in. total on a 4-in. strap, 5/8 in. on a 3-in. strap, or 3/8 in. on a 2-in. or 1-3/4-in. strap — defective, no judgment. Same for 25%+ of stitching separated, or any knot, splice, or repair. (CVSA Tiedown Defect Table.)
- Brake hose chafing. A hose resting on a component isn't a violation. The line is the outer reinforcement ply: chafe damage reaching it is a violation — out-of-service territory. Worn cover, no ply showing: discretion zone.
- The 20% brake rule. If 20% or more of the service brakes are defective, the rig is out of service. Since April 2026, a disconnected service gladhand counts toward the 20% instead of an automatic out-of-service.
- Rims. Missing rim material over 3 in. in the bead area is out of service (added April 2026, matching the 3-inch crack rule).
- Rotor rust (air disc brakes). Severe rust on the rotor's friction surface counts as a defective brake — it feeds the 20% count above.
- Air suspension. A deflated air bag is out of service even if the truck sits level. Cracked, broken, loose, or missing suspension parts are violations under 49 CFR 393.207 — hardware too, not just the bag.
- Missing WLL tag. In the U.S., an unmarked strap gets the default working load limit (49 CFR 393.108 — 1,000 lb per inch of width). In Canada, an unmarked tiedown counts as zero. Can't read the tag? Don't count it at full rating.
Everything else is still officer's discretion. When a number exists, the tape measure settles what a photo can't.
Brake stroke — the test the camera can't do
Brakes are the #1 out-of-service category (39.1% of vehicle out-of-service orders at CVSA's 2026 Roadcheck), and pushrod stroke is invisible in a photo. Rig Pig won't pretend to see it. Do the two-minute test the officer does:
- Build air to 90–100 psi, engine off, parking brakes released.
- Chalk the pushrod right at the brake chamber face, brakes released.
- Fully apply the service brakes (a helper on the pedal, or a pedal prop) and measure from your chalk mark to the chamber face — that's the applied stroke.
- Compare it to the limit for that chamber size — stamped on the chamber or in the table below.
Readjustment limits — clamp-type chambers (49 CFR 393.47(e)):
| Chamber type | Standard stroke limit | Long-stroke limit |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | 1-3/4 in. | 2 in. |
| 20 | 1-3/4 in. | 2 in. (2-1/2 in. if marked 3-in. rated stroke) |
| 24 | 1-3/4 in. | 2 in. (2-1/2 in. if marked 3-in. rated stroke) |
| 30 | 2 in. | 2-1/2 in. |
| 36 | 2-1/2 in. | — |
Past the table limit, the brake is out of adjustment (49 CFR 393.47). At 1/4 in. or more past the limit, CVSA counts it as a defective brake toward the 20% rule. If an automatic slack adjuster keeps going out of stroke, the adjuster is the messenger, not the disease — something upstream is worn. Don't keep hand-adjusting it. Flag it for the shop and write it on the DVIR.
This coach covers the mechanical side. For the air side: in the Study Guide — the automatic-fail procedures, plus the daily-driver versions.
Evidence pack — built for DataQs
Why keep your own records?
DataQs is FMCSA's system for challenging inspection and violation data — you file a Request for Data Review (RDR) when something on your record is wrong. That data feeds CSA scores, so a wrong violation follows you.
The burden of proof is on you. Unsupported challenges get rejected — winning filings attach one or two decisive, dated documents: a photo from that morning, or that day's DVIR. A dated record beats a memory written weeks later.
Rough timeline (September 2026 reform; check FMCSA for current timelines): the state opens a request in ~7 days, initial decision ~21 days, reconsideration ~21 more days, final review ~45 days. Multi-level review only happens if the evidence is attached up front.
Electronic DVIRs are legal under FMCSA's rule effective March 23, 2026 — and a carrier only has to keep a DVIR for 3 months. Keep your own copy past that. Email each pack to yourself too, in case the phone is lost.
This pack supports your own DataQs filing — Rig Pig doesn't file anything and promises no outcome. You file at FMCSA's DataQs site with your evidence attached.
Your evidence records (this phone only)
Every DOT check saves here automatically — date, description, verdicts, photo. You can also save the current description and photo as a standalone dated record. No analysis needed, works offline.
CDL Study Guide
The pre-trip is the most-memorized, most-failed part of the CDL skills test.
Practice Tests
From the CDL manual. Pick a test, answer, get your score.
Driver gear worth your money
Picked for people who live in the seat. These links earn Rig Pig a small commission at no cost to you.
Garmin dezl — truck GPS
Car GPS will route you under a 12'6" bridge. The dezl knows your height, weight, and hazmat class, and shows truck stops, parking, and steep grades ahead. The trucking standard for a reason.
Check price on AmazonPurple seat cushion
Ten hours in a stock seat adds up. Purple's grid cushion takes pressure off your tailbone without going flat like foam.
Check price on Amazon12V portable fridge
Ice runs get old. A 12V compressor fridge runs off truck power and pays for itself in skipped truck-stop meals.
Check price on AmazonTrucker Bluetooth headset
Holding a phone in a CMV is a federal violation and an easy ticket. A noise-cancelling headset keeps you legal.
Check price on AmazonDash cam
Your word against theirs is a losing game. A dash cam settles fault arguments in minutes.
Check price on Amazon12V food warmer
Hot meals at rest areas without sit-down prices. Plug it in before your break and eat like a person.
Check price on AmazonSleeper mattress topper
Stock bunk mattresses are punishment. A memory-foam topper is the difference between sleeping and just lying there.
Check price on Amazon12V tire inflator
Low tires burn fuel and invite blowouts. Top off anywhere instead of hunting for truck-stop air.
Check price on AmazonTPMS — tire pressure monitors
A slow leak becomes a blowout. Valve-cap sensors with a cab display catch pressure drops first.
Check price on AmazonPortable jump starter
Dead batteries pick the worst moments — 3 a.m., middle of nowhere. A lithium pack starts a diesel without the wait.
Check price on AmazonMore gear as it's tested. No junk, no paid placements — if it's here, drivers use it.
Where to drive
A starter guide to carriers that hire new CDL grads. Pay and policies change — verify current numbers on each company's site before signing.
How to read a job offer
- Cents per mile (CPM) is half the story. Ask whether miles are practical (actual route) or HHG (zip-code math that pays fewer miles).
- Accessorial pay — detention, layover, tarping, extra stops. Low CPM with strong accessorials can beat high CPM.
- Home time: get the actual schedule in writing — "home weekly" and "home 34 hours every 10 days" are very different lives.
- Training contracts — the big gotcha: "free CDL training" usually means you owe 9–12 months. Leave early, owe thousands. Read the contract, not the brochure.
- Lease-purchase: as a rookie, you take the expenses and the company keeps the control. Drive company for a year first.
Carriers that hire new grads
Schneider
Van, reefer, tanker, bulk · One of the largest US carriers. Paid CDL academies and tuition reimbursement for school grads.
schneiderjobs.com →Swift Transportation (Knight-Swift)
Dry van, reefer, flatbed · The largest US truckload carrier. Own driving academies, hires new grads at scale.
driveforswift.com →Prime Inc.
Reefer, flatbed, tanker · Springfield, MO. Paid training — earn while you train with an instructor. Also runs a lease program: read the fine print.
primeinc.com →Roehl Transport
Van, reefer, flatbed · Wisconsin-based. Paid on-the-job CDL training and newer equipment.
roehl.jobs →J.B. Hunt
Intermodal, dedicated, truckload · One of the biggest US carriers. Strong dedicated accounts — regular routes, regular home time.
jbhunt.com →Werner Enterprises
Dry van, dedicated · Omaha-based giant. Own training, big dedicated-account network, hires new grads.
werner.com →Maverick Transportation
Flatbed (glass, lumber) · Thorough securement training — a real skill that pays. Hires and trains new grads.
maverickusa.com →TMC Transportation
Flatbed · Iowa-based, the black Peterbilts. Respected new-driver training; performance-based pay.
tmctrans.com →Melton Truck Lines
Flatbed · Tulsa-based. In-house training for new grads; decent equipment, driver-focused culture.
meltontruck.com →Stevens Transport
Refrigerated · Dallas-based. Own driving school, hires new grads; reefer freight runs year-round.
stevenstransport.com →Questions to ask any recruiter
- Practical or HHG miles — and average weekly miles for new drivers?
- Training contract length — and what do I owe if I leave early?
- Exact home-time schedule — in writing.
- Pet and rider policies (matters more than you'd think).
- Detention/layover pay rates and when they kick in.
- What does the benefits package actually cost per paycheck?
Know a company that treats new drivers right? The goal is honest info, not ads — Rig Pig takes no placement fees from any carrier here.
Your credentials — the other pre-trip
Your truck gets a pre-trip every day. Your paperwork needs one too. At the window, the violation lands on whoever's holding the wheel — even in a truck you didn't choose. A missing or expired medical card is the #1 driver out-of-service category (Roadcheck 2026, ~27–28% of driver OOS violations). Two minutes here beats getting parked at a scale.
DOT medical card
The paper-card era is over. The FMCSA NRII paper exemption ended October 12, 2026 — your examiner's result must show in your electronic CDL record with your state. Passing the physical isn't enough if the result never transmitted.
If your state record doesn't show it, call your examiner and state licensing agency before you roll. Drivers are being sidelined for records that never transmitted — you can't argue a missing record at the window.
Cab documents audit
Drop-and-hook / slip-seat? Check the trailer you just hooked — not the one you wish you had. Its sticker and cab paperwork are your problem the moment you hold the wheel. Look at each one, then check it off.
The chain-up coach
Carry-it-or-else, by state — plus the physical how-to for a tandem tractor. Compiled from published state DOT and manufacturer procedures (October 2026), not field-tested — Robbie runs local in the Southeast and has never chained up. Rules and fines change; check the state DOT or 511 before you roll.
Chain season is open
It's October: Colorado's carry mandate is on (since Sept 1), Montana's and B.C.'s seasons are open, Washington's opens Nov 1. Pick a state below for its exact rules.
State chain-law lookup
Carry = on board. Use = on the tires. Chain law is mostly carry-it-or-else — the chains are on the truck or they aren't. No "officer's discretion" discount at a chain checkpoint.
Running somewhere else? The Land Line 2025 U.S./Canada chain-law guide covers the rest state by state.
Where the iron goes
Each state's published rule for a tractor-trailer. The common thread for a tandem tractor: all four tires of the primary drive axle get chained.
California — 8 chains on an 18-wheeler
Single drive axle: all four tires. Dual drive axles: the two outside tires of each. Trailer: one tire each side (front, rear, or staggered). Nothing on the steer axle. (Caltrans chain-requirements diagram)
Oregon — 6 chains
Tandem-drive tractor: all four tires of the primary drive axle. Both axles powered: one tire each side of each drive axle (outside tires only). Trailer: two tires, one each side, staggered. (ODOT, via Land Line)
Washington
Dual-axle tractor: outside tires on both drive axles, plus one tire each side of each trailer axle. Wide-base singles: chain every tire on every drive axle. Two-sided hardened metal, cross-chain touching the road at all times — no plastic, cables allowed. (WSDOT)
British Columbia
Typical tractor-trailer: chains on all four tires of the main drive axle. No trailer requirement. Vehicles 11,794+ kg must carry steel chains — B.C. doesn't recognize tire socks or cable-chains. (gov.bc.ca; BC truck press summary)
Wyoming — Level 2 controls
When Level 2 ("extremely hazardous") is posted: chains on at least two drive wheels at opposite ends of the same drive axle. (Wyoming Highway Patrol)
The physical how-to
Per BC Commercial Vehicle Safety & Enforcement and chain manufacturers. Practice in a dry parking lot before you need it in a storm at a chain-up area.
- Stage it right. Pull fully into the chain-up area, hazards on, parking brake set. Lay chains out untangled, traction side of cross-links facing down. Gloves on — miserable barehanded. (BC CVSE; KÖNIG manual)
- Drape. Lay the chain over the tire, fastener outside, traction side away from the tire. Keep side-chain hooks out from under the tire; tuck excess cross-links under it. (BC CVSE)
- Inside first. Hook the inside fastener as tight as you can, then the outside fastener pulling tight. (BC CVSE)
- Drive-on and re-hook. Roll slowly until the hooks are at axle height — about halfway up the tire. Inner chain first, as tight as possible, then the middle fastener, then the outer rail. (BC CVSE)
- Tension it. Tighten the D-cam now. No cams? Use spring/bungee tensioners — a loose chain beats up fenders and tread. (BC CVSE)
- Roll and retighten. Drive slowly a short distance — about 100 meters (KÖNIG) to a quarter-mile (chain-maker rep, via Overdrive) — then stop and retighten. Chains seat and loosen like fresh wheel nuts; retighten again at your next stop, and whenever you're running chained. (KÖNIG manual; Overdrive)
- Run slow and smooth. About 30 mph max on chains. Accelerate gently, brake early, no wheelspin or locked brakes — spinning hones sharp edges into the links that chew your tread. (Overdrive)
- Get them off dry pavement. The moment controls lift and you're on bare pavement, pull over and take them off. Chains on dry pavement destroy them fast — and the road. Removal is the reverse: tensioners off, outer hook, inner hook, pull clear. (KÖNIG manual)
What it costs to get it wrong
Fines, as reported (check current schedules before you roll)
- Colorado: ~$50 + surcharge for not carrying, $500 + surcharge for not installing when required, ~$1,000 + ~$156 surcharge for blocking the highway. (FreightWorks; CDOT publishes current numbers)
- Montana: minimum $250; $750 if you close the highway. (Land Line 2025 guide)
- Oregon: $880 — a Class A traffic violation for failing to carry or use. (ODOT)
- Wyoming: up to $250; up to $750 if your violation closes all lanes. (Wyoming Highway Patrol)
- California: CHP cites at checkpoints when controls are active — no confirmed dollar figure from a published source. Check before assuming.
Beyond the ticket: a chainless truck blocking a pass closes highways, and closures trigger the biggest fines. 2,700+ Colorado CMV chain citations in one season (Colorado State Patrol).
Chain-up checklist
Saved on this phone, works offline. Kit items are pre-season; the install list is for the chain-up area.