Ensuring roadworthiness: The importance of daily HGV walkaround vehicle checks
By Steve Clarke, Marketing Manager, Fleetmaxx Solutions
The Road Traffic Acts and Construction & Use Regulations stipulate that vehicles must be roadworthy when used on public roads. While there are various government guidance booklets outlining how to comply with these laws, the Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness from the DVSA is the primary resource for goods vehicles.
Though poor driving often contributes to fatal and serious collisions, it’s equally crucial to ensure your vehicles remain safe to mitigate risks to public safety.
What is a daily HGV walkaround check?
There are no shortcuts to safety. Regardless of the weather conditions, drivers have a legal duty to ensure their vehicles are roadworthy by conducting daily checks before heading out. This requirement applies not just to HGVs but also to PCVs and vans.
Regular cleaning of vehicles—inside, outside, and underneath—makes it easier to spot any defects during daily walkaround checks and scheduled safety inspections. Additionally, an ‘end of day’ check is highly recommended to save downtime should defects arise during a vehicle’s working day.
The importance of HGV walkaround checks
Operating vehicles with defects can have serious repercussions, impacting your Operator’s Licence and Operator Compliance Risk Score (OCRS). The DVSA uses the OCRS system to determine which vehicles require roadside inspections. If defects or infringements are found during these checks, operators can incur points, especially for serious issues.
Drivers can also face fines or prosecution for roadworthiness offences found on their vehicles if deemed partially or wholly responsible. Traffic commissioners may take action against drivers who fail to complete adequate walkaround checks, leading to potential driver conduct hearings and even the loss of their vocational driving licence.
This applies to your van fleet as well. For example, if the DVSA identifies a defect during a roadside check of a service van operating under an O Licence—due to an inadequate daily walkaround check—this can have significant consequences.
Creating good practice: Recording daily HGV walkaround checks
The law makes all drivers legally responsible for their vehicle’s condition when on public roads. Daily defect checks must be performed before driving, regardless of where the vehicle has been parked—be it at home, the depot, or elsewhere. If multiple drivers use the same vehicle in a day, each driver should conduct their own checks before driving.
A walkaround check must also be performed on any trailer being pulled, whether it’s owned by your company or another.
Drivers should report any defects to the appropriate person in the company, and vehicles must not be used until the defects have been addressed and the necessary actions agreed upon with the fleet manager.
Key points to remember:
- Your driver’s daily defect report is a legal document.
- All items on the report must be marked as checked.
- Nil defect reports should be clearly documented to show that a walkaround check has been completed with no defects found.
- Any defects must be reported to the responsible person, and the vehicle must not be driven if a defect compromises its roadworthiness until repairs are carried out by a qualified professional.
- Drivers can change a defective light bulb if they’ve been trained to do so.
- Defect report sheets must be submitted to the responsible person for secure storage.
- Defect reports should be retained for 15 months, whether in paper or electronic form.
By diligently performing daily defect checks, drivers can protect themselves and the company from fines and prosecutions.
How long should HGV HGV walkaround check take?
A proper daily defect check should take around 15 minutes. Training your drivers to carry out these checks thoroughly, including your company’s specific recording and reporting procedures, is essential.
To support daily defect checks, drivers should be provided with:
- A torch for checks in low-light conditions
- A tyre tread measure
- A toffee hammer for checking wheel nuts (loose wheel nuts sound different when tapped)
- A vehicle height measuring stick, reminding drivers to reset the in-vehicle cab height indicator before setting off
- Any additional specific equipment necessary for completing your company’s vehicle checks accurately
Conduct regular audits to ensure drivers are performing thorough checks and are familiar with your procedures and requirements. Keep a written record of audits and any actions taken regarding driver performance, including retraining or disciplinary measures when necessary.
Staying within the law and avoiding fines
Continuous monitoring of daily defect checks, along with a robust reporting and management system for defects, is crucial for effective maintenance management. Daily defect reports are integral to keeping your vehicles in top shape.
Ensure drivers are trained and equipped to conduct thorough daily checks. Approximately 85% of roadside defects identified by the DVSA could be avoided if drivers performed careful defect checks.
Drivers must report defects, and you should have systems in place to prevent defective vehicles from being used until they’re restored to roadworthy condition.
Tyres should be closely inspected using a tread measure while also looking for bulges and cracks, ensuring all nuts are tightened. Did you know that a quarter of prohibitions issued to van drivers are for defective tyres?
Only emergency repairs should be made roadside; routine maintenance, including safety inspections and repairs, should not be conducted on public highways.
Finally, ensure that daily defect reports, including nil defect reports, are stored for 15 months, whether in paper or electronic form.
If a defect is found on your vehicle while it’s on public roads, the driver could face fines or prosecution, and you could also incur penalties for not properly completing defect reports. Additionally, there are repercussions for your company following a DVSA roadside check that reveals defects.
What is CheckedSafe?
To further support compliance with daily walkaround checks, Fleetmaxx Solutions offers CheckedSafe, a simple and effective digital compliance solution for operators of commercial vehicles.
CheckedSafe allows drivers to conduct mandatory and legally required DVSA daily walkround checks and inspections using a smartphone or tablet. The app makes it easy for drivers to perform vehicle checks and inspections, with results available in real time through a cloud-based dashboard accessible to operators.
Our software is DVSA-approved, meaning that by submitting your compliance reports, your vehicles are less likely to be stopped for inspections. This not only streamlines the compliance process but also helps maintain operational efficiency.
All this is available for just £1 per vehicle per week, and you can start with a 30-day free trial to experience the benefits firsthand.
To learn more about maintaining vehicle roadworthiness, please reach out to our team at 01367 704 910 or visit our CheckedSafe webpage.
Steve Clarke – Marketing Manager
Fleetmaxx Solutions
Sources:
- Department of Transport
- Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness from the DVSA: Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness
- Information and guidance about OCRS: Operator Compliance Risk Score
