There’s more to managing a fleet than tracking your vehicles. As a fleet manager, you share responsibility with your drivers to ensure that every vehicle is well-maintained and roadworthy.
In the UK, almost half of all vans fail their MOT at the first attempt, and two thirds of vans stopped at the roadside by the DVSA have a serious mechanical defect. Considering there are more than 4 million vans registered in the UK, the duty of care is a serious issue. Using a vehicle checklist that you can share with your drivers can help ensure your fleet is roadworthy and your drivers remain safe.
Penalties for Driving an Unroadworthy Vehicle
If your drivers are caught driving an unroadworthy vehicle, they and you could face serious penalties. These include:
– A fine of up to £2,500
– 3 penalty points
– A driving ban
If the driver is fined, they must pay it at the roadside, by phone, or by post after they receive the penalty letter.
The Benefits of Regular Vehicle Checks
Daily vehicle checks have numerous benefits for your business, your fleet, and your drivers:
Reduced costs: By ensuring that your vehicles are roadworthy, you can avoid hefty fines and you can save on maintenance and repair costs.
Improved operating conditions: By improving your fleet’s operating conditions, you can extend its lifespan, help safeguard your drivers’ well-being, and enhance the trust your colleagues and customers have in its reliability.
Safe and legal vehicles: Unroadworthy vehicles are a danger to your drivers and other road users and to your business. Your business operations could face serious disruptions if the DVSA takes your vehicles off the road.
Enhanced driver well-being: The safety and well-being of your drivers should be one of your main concerns. Allowing them to drive unroadworthy vehicles puts them at serious risk of receiving penalties, injury, or death. Checking vehicles every day can help enhance their safety and well-being.
Proactive maintenance: Pre-trip vehicle inspections can help you detect potential maintenance issues and address them proactively before they escalate into more serious issues that could cost considerably more money and time to repair.
Regulatory compliance: You can ensure that your fleet maintains compliance with regulatory requirements. This will help your business stay on the right side of the law and maintain its credibility.
Pre-Use Vehicle Checklists
For a vehicle to be roadworthy, it must be in a suitable operating condition. The vehicle must also meet the accepted standards for safe driving. According to the Highway Code, all drivers must make sure that their vehicle is in full compliance with the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations’ and the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations’ requirements.
There is no set time required to complete a vehicle check, drivers should ensure they take sufficient time for the size and type of their van.
Use the following pre-use vehicle checklists to ensure that the vehicles in your fleet are roadworthy and safe to drive. There is no standard when it comes to the amount of time it takes to complete a vehicle check. You or your drivers should take sufficient time for the type and size of the vehicles.
You can perform these checks yourself or ask your drivers to do them before they set out on their journeys. They should report any defects to you immediately. It’s important to keep a record of checks, so record them on paper or electronically. It’s best practice to perform another check when vehicles return or at the end of the day, which can allow time for proactive maintenance before the next shift begins.
Minimum Pre-Use Vehicle Checklist
– Ensure all wheel fixings, bodywork, and doors are secure
– Check that all brakes and lights work
– Make sure the horn, washers, and wipers are operational
– Check that there is no excessive play in the steering
– Ensure there are no fuel or oil leaks
– Check that the windscreen, windows, and mirrors are clean and undamaged
– Make sure that the tow bar/trailer coupling is secure
– Ensure that the tyres have sufficient pressure and tread depth
– Check that the tyres are free of cuts and defects
– Check that the tools and load on the vehicle are secure
Expanded Vehicle Checklist
Inside the Vehicle
Brakes: Check that the foot/service brake works properly and doesn’t have excessive travel. Check that the hand/parking brake works correctly and doesn’t have excessive travel.
Horn and steering: Check that the horn control can be accessed easily from the driver’s seat, that the horn works correctly, and that the steering has no excessive play.
Lights: Make sure all lights and indicators are in working order. Check that all lenses are present, the right colour, and are clean. Ensure the stop lamps activate when the service brake is applied and deactivate when the brake is released. Check that the marker lights are present and in working order. Make sure that all dashboard warning lamps work correctly, including automatic braking system (ABS), airbags (supplemental restraint system or SRS), electronic positioning system (EPS), parking brake warning, and full beam headlamp warning.
Mirrors and glass: Check that all mirrors are present, secure, and properly aligned. Ensure that your view of the road in all directions isn’t obscured by discoloured or damaged glass or by obstructions such as stickers.
Seats and seat belts: Make sure that seats are secure. Check that seat belts are free from cuts and damage, and that they operate correctly.
Washers and wipers: Ensure the washers point at the windscreen and are in working order. Check that the washer fluid is topped up. Make sure the wiper blades clean the windscreen effectively when used with washers. Check that the wipers move continually when activated.
Outside the Vehicle
Battery: Make sure the battery is held in place securely by the correct means (not cables) and that it is not leaking.
Fluids, fuel, and oil: Ensure the brake fluid, engine oil, engine coolant, power steering, water, and windscreen washer fluid levels are correct. Make sure the fuel filler cap is fitted securely. Look for puddles on the ground to check for brake fluid, power steering fluid, and water leaks. Turn on the engine and check underneath the van for oil and fuel leaks by looking for puddles on the ground.
Bodywork and doors: Make sure all doors shut properly and remain closed securely. Check the doors and bodywork for damage and sharp edges. Ensure body panels are secure and not in danger of falling off.
Exhaust: Check that the amount of smoke emitted by the exhaust is not excessive.
Tyres and wheels: Ensure that the tyres have a minimum tread depth of 1.6mm and sufficient inflation. Check that there are no deep cuts in the sidewall, no cord is visible anywhere on the tyre, and no insecure or missing wheel-nuts.
Load: Make sure that the van doors lock effectively. Ensure that any load is secured adequately.
Tow bars and tail lifts: Check that the tow bar is secure, that any trailers are attached correctly and securely, and that all electrical connections work correctly. Make sure that the tail lift functions correctly, is secure and free from damage, and that the electrics are in working order.
Tips for Pre-Trip Vehicle Checks
Use the following tips to implement the use of vehicle checklists effectively:
– Define a systematic pre-trip vehicle inspection process based on a vehicle checklist customised for your fleet’s specific vehicles and needs.
– Educate your drivers about the importance of pre-trip inspections and their responsibilities in conducting them, and ensure each driver has a copy of the vehicle inspection checklist.
– Set clear expectations and make sure your drivers understand them as part of encouraging a safety-focused culture.
– Ask your drivers to submit regular reports. This will allow you to monitor the completion of inspections, address any issues promptly, and hold drivers accountable if they do not complete pre-trip vehicle inspections.
– Use technology to streamline vehicle checks by allowing your drivers to complete and submit their inspections digitally and use fleet management solutions to schedule and keep track of vehicle maintenance.
How Crystal Ball Can Help You
An official partner of National Highways, Crystal Ball offers a range of fleet management solutions to keep your fleet in excellent condition and compliant with relevant legislation. Our vehicle tracking system’s reports function generates reports detailing vehicle movements, routes, and other metrics to refine your fleet strategies if vehicles routinely sustain damage on specific routes or when used by specific drivers.
With the asset management bolt-on, you can track essential fleet information such as MOT dates, maintenance schedules, and associated costs. These tools, along with other metrics available via the vehicle tracking system’s dashboard, can prove invaluable in supplementing your regular vehicle inspections.
If you want to find out more about how Crystal Ball can improve your fleet’s safety, contact us today.