PA CDL Pre-Trip Inspection Test

Key Components Checked During Pre-Trip Inspection

Start with the big safety systems and work outward. Brakes, tires, suspension, lights, steering, coupling (if Class A), then the “small” items that still count. Details matter.

Brakes first. Always. If you’re testing in a Class A or B with air brakes, expect to talk about air lines, chambers, slack adjusters, and anything that could leak or come loose. You’re basically proving the system isn’t falling apart: nothing cracked, bent, or broken, no air leaks, and everything properly mounted and secured. If you don’t know a perfect name, describe it the same way every time so the examiner knows what you mean.

Tires are easy points—until you rush. Don’t say “tires look good.” Say what “good” means: proper inflation (no obvious low tire), no cuts or bulges, enough tread depth, and rims that aren’t damaged. Mention lug nuts. Missing lug nuts are a classic.

Suspension sounds like a vocabulary test, but it isn’t. You’re checking leaf springs, hangers, U-bolts, and shocks for missing parts, cracks, and leaks. In places with rougher roads or heavy traffic—think Allentown, Reading, or anywhere you’re crawling over broken pavement—suspension wear isn’t theoretical. It’s real.

Lights and reflectors can make or break a score because they’re fast… and easy to forget on one side. You want to say they’re clean, not cracked, and working. If you can’t physically verify every light alone, say how you would confirm it (helper check, reflection check, or in-cab indicator).

• Brakes: secure, no leaks, parts not cracked or broken
• Tires/wheels: proper tread and inflation, lug nuts present, rim not damaged
• Lights/reflectors: clean, unbroken, functioning
  This one trips people up.

Don’t ignore the “little” stuff, either. Mirrors. Windshield. Wipers. Horn. Even a cracked windshield can be a problem. And yes, some examiners care that you actually say the wipers are secure and not dry-rotted instead of just pointing at them and moving on.

Don’t rush.

Inspection Order and Verbal Explanation Requirements

The biggest secret to passing the Pennsylvania CDL pre-trip isn’t secret at all: do it in the same order every time. Same route. If your order is logical and complete, you’re fine. If you bounce around, you will forget something—especially when the yard feels different from your practice spot.

Most people pick a flow like: engine compartment, front axle, driver’s door area, in-cab, frame and driveline, rear axles, coupling (if applicable), then a final walk-around for lights and overall condition. Your exact sequence can vary. The completeness can’t.

Be consistent.

The examiner is listening for certain “defect language,” and you should lean into that. Use the standard phrases because they’re clear and they map to what inspectors look for on the road: “properly mounted and secured,” “not cracked, bent, or broken,” and “no leaks.” When you move to a new section, pause for half a second, reset, then keep going. That tiny reset keeps you from skipping steps.

In-cab is where a lot of people bleed points because it feels separate from the walk-around. It isn’t. Check your seat belt. Check your mirrors. Talk through the gauges and warning lights. Mention your emergency equipment and what you’re looking for (charged fire extinguisher, properly rated and secured; spare fuses if required; reflective triangles). If you’ve ever driven through Erie in winter, you already know why the defroster and wipers aren’t just “nice to have.” Visibility is safety.

Say it out loud. Some test sites are noisy—busy yards around Philly and Pittsburgh can make it hard to hear yourself think—so speak up and slow your pace just a hair. You can’t silently point and hope the examiner “gets it.” They need to hear it.

• Name the component
• Say the safe condition (“secure,” “not damaged,” “no leaks”)
• Say what would make it unsafe (cracked, loose, leaking, missing)
  This one trips people up.

Also, don’t fall into the trap of saying “it looks fine.” Fine doesn’t mean anything on a test. Specific does.

No guessing.

Common Reasons for Failing the Pre-Trip Test

Most people don’t fail because they don’t care or don’t study. They fail because they miss sections, skip a side of the vehicle, or get flustered and stop talking. It happens fast.

The number one reason is missing components. People forget steering parts in the engine compartment, skip the coupling area on a Class A, or check lights on only one side. Another big one: not repeating brake checks at each axle. Even if it feels repetitive, you often need to demonstrate you checked the same types of parts on each axle set. “I checked the brakes” once doesn’t always count as “I checked brakes everywhere.”

Incomplete explanations are right behind that. Someone touches a tire and walks away without saying tread depth, inflation, and damage. Or they point at an air line but never say “no abrasions, bulges, or leaks.” Quiet mistakes add up.

Sequence problems are sneaky. When your order is messy, your brain starts patching holes with optimism, and that’s when you forget a whole section. If you’re testing in a different yard than your usual practice lot—Scranton, York, wherever—the layout alone can throw you off. Stick to your routine anyway. Same path, same script, same words.

• Skipping an axle or one side of the vehicle
• Forgetting to use “secure / not damaged / no leaks” language
• Rushing (or forgetting) the in-cab portion
  This one trips people up.

Don’t rush.

If you’re using a pa cdl pre trip inspection test study guide or videos, pair that with real walk-arounds. Do a few full inspections where you speak every line out loud, even if it feels awkward. On test day, it won’t feel like a performance. It’ll feel normal. And normal is what passes.