A hand held portable truck safety equipment tester uses loading rack criteria to confirm proper operation of the truck but is contained in a small portable battery operated unit. This unit allows for correlation to a rack controller's test and includes direct readout via an LED screen showing the error condition. Additionally, the tester has the capability to test all types of trucks without the need for adapters to accommodate different connectors and allows for remote diagnostics. The tester automatically determines which type of sensor and what grounding system is used.