Daily Fleet Vehicle Inspection Checklist

When it comes to managing your fleet, keeping your vehicles and drivers safe should be your top priority. Poorly maintained vehicles can cost time, money and even lives. With road traffic accidents causing around 1.35 million deaths globally per year, maintaining your vehicles with regular inspections is vital for the safe day-to-day running of your fleet.

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Having a comprehensive daily checklist to keep your fleet on the road is an important step towards ensuring the safety of your drivers.

Regulations can vary from country to country, so we’ve compiled a list of the essentials you should include in your inspections. Make these checks a part of your daily routine and you’ll be on the road to safety in no time.

Daily Checks

There are a number of vehicle checks that each driver should be making daily before they set off.

External

Before you get into your vehicle, make sure you’ve checked over the following:

• Condition of vehicle bodywork, windscreen, windows and lights
• Condition of windscreen wiper blades
• Cleanness of windscreen, windows, mirrors, lights and number plate
• Security of load, trailer or roof rack
• Condition of tyres and tyre pressure
• Availability of spare wheel and jack

Internal

Once you’re sat in the vehicle, take a look over the following – particularly if it’s a shared vehicle, as the driver before you may have adjusted things to suit them.

• Mirror positioning
• Seat belt condition & function
• Head rest positioning

It’s also worth checking these vital functions before you set off:

• Warning lights
• Headlights and brake lights
• Indicators
• Horn
• Washers and wipers
• Brakes
• Fuel

Weekly Checks

A more thorough inspection can be conducted at weekly intervals to check fluid levels and various functions. You should be looking at:

• Engine oil
• Coolant
• Windscreen wash
• Brake/clutch fluid
• Power steering fluid
• Oil or waste leaks
• Battery condition

Check that your vehicle also has the following:

• Vehicle handbook
• Fire extinguisher
• First aid kit and torch
• Warning triangle

General Tips

Make maintaining your fleet vehicles easy by keeping them clean and tidy. A well-looked after vehicle is easier to check over and will make it a lot easier to spot new issues as they arise.

We also advise making sure equipment is well-stowed to avoid potential injury when driving.

Streamline Your Data Capture

Keeping on top of data can be hard when every single issue needs to be logged. Make your fleet inspections easier with digital data capture.

Electronic data collection forms allow you to record inspection data from your mobile, streamlining your daily checks and eliminating the need for unreliable paper processes. The data feeds directly into smart fleet management software, where it’s securely stored for you to access at any time.

Ready to take your daily inspections up a gear? Find out more about mobile forms apps here.