Also, consider that PTIs are so much more critical on CMVs because they accumulate so much more run time and so much more mileage so much more quickly as well. It's actually more often than not the hours of runtime on these components than the miles that make them suspect, and in a way one might argue that that makes it that much more important to keep up on these things.
Booyah has said that a full annual may not necessary to go around the block, however, when a $100 part fails that winds up involving a $1200 tow bill, and a $700 shop bill, or worse, causes a crash with a $2,000,000 lawsuit that your insurance won't cover by reason of negligence, that 20-30 minutes it takes to run through this list becomes that much more reasonable.
As I've said, these behemoths are still somewhat dangerous if not handled properly, and after so much of an investment of time, blood, sweat and hard work, what's 30 minutes to protect that investment? Time is money, and a little time can save you a lot of money, if you know what to look for. It's purely in knowing what can happen, what to look at and what to look for to prevent it.
Examples...
Milky oil prior to startup... $2500 on-site inframe, or $1200 tow bill and a $7500 reman engine?
$3000 DIY trans swap, or $1800 tow bill and a $6000 reman transmission?
$30 to rewire your starter or perhaps $600 for a replacement, versus a $1400 tow bill, the hassle and embarrassment of blocking traffic when it fails to start, and a $900 shop bill?
$500 radiator, or $1700 tow bill and a $3200 radiator, cylinder head rebuild and gasket replacement? Not to mention hoping it didn't damage anything else.
Truth is, the sheer weight of these vehicles alone puts far more stress on their mechanicals than most people have a right to expect any 10-20-year-old vehicle to deal with. Most people are lucky most of the time with this sort of thing, but there are plenty of tales of woe on this site that could likely have been prevented with a little diligence and a trained eye, or simply getting to know your vehicle with a little research into common issues with its mechanicals.
As for feeling overwhelmed, you're not alone, because no one learns this stuff overnight, it takes time to get used to the routine and in the habit. PTI was more than half of my training honestly. I stared at checklists and took turns quizzing and being quizzed from flashcards until my retinas were burned in from it, over the course of three weeks.
I'm offering people here the golden opportunity to gain this knowledge without going through the expense and trouble of a CDL course. So take advantage of it. Trouble is, as has been mentioned in another post here, if you don't keep up on it, you're more likely to get complacent and not do it, which can lead to time and money wasted that might have been prevented.
Case in point, a member here just last week posted about a tire that apparently formed a bubble quickly and blew out just as quickly without their knowledge until they heard the bang of the sidewall giving out. Fortunately, it happened while they were parked and there was no harm done, but what if this had happened at 65 miles per hour with a teenybopper driving her Geo Metro beside it? Rut-row... here comes another story...
I once had a teenybopper, in her cute little graduation present (Fiat 500 convertible - seriously? Who the **** puts their 17-year-old in an overgrown golf cart?), take over 10 miles to overtake the 70 foot length of a loaded tractor-trailer. There is no excuse for this, but people do this every day. When she finally got up around my driver's door, I can see why she'd been speeding up and slowing down for the past 10 miles instead of getting the **** away from my truck. She was reaching over every so often to, surprise surprise, pick up her phone and send a text message or check Facebook or whatever the **** else she was doing on the damn thing. Which reminds me, folks, it is technically illegal to use a phone while operating these vehicles without a headset (not that I recommend it anyway), and they aren't that expensive.
Anyway, every time she picked up her phone, the car slowed down and began weaving. It may not have been very nice, but I did give her a fighting chance by allowing this BS to continue another two miles before I decide to do something. At which point I put my driver side tires on the dotted line, and did a pull up on the air horn. I always say, there's no shame in ignorance if it can be fixed, but stupid is forever. And unfortunately, stupid only learns from getting hurt. What's worse is, you can't fix stupid.
