Driver vehicle inspections that are actually done

A driver vehicle inspection report records that a driver checked the vehicle, what they found, and what happened about it. Done properly it is the best fault detection a fleet has. Done as a signature on a pad in the cab, it is a liability, because it is a document saying the vehicle was checked when it was not.

What the walk round covers

The specifics vary by vehicle type and by jurisdiction. The shape is consistent, and the US federal rules name a similar list of parts and accessories.

• •Brakes, including the parking brake, and air systems where fitted
• •Steering and suspension
• •Lights, indicators, reflectors and markings
• •Tyres, wheels and fixings
• •Mirrors and glass
• •Wipers, washers and horn
• •Coupling devices and load security where they apply
• •Emergency equipment, including fire extinguisher and warning devices
• •Leaks of any fluid, underneath and around

The two changes that make it real

Everything else about DVIR compliance follows from these, and neither is about the form.

• •A reported defect becomes tracked work automatically, and the driver can see that it did
• •The next driver of that vehicle sees the outstanding defects before they set off

Why paper fails specifically

Not because paper is old fashioned. Because a paper form cannot do either of those two things. The defect written at six in the morning reaches the workshop when somebody collects the pad, which may be Friday, and the driver at midday has no idea it exists.

Require a photograph for every defect

It removes the argument about severity, it tells the workshop what to expect, and it makes the report harder to fill in from the cab. That last point is not cynical: a requirement that can only be met at the vehicle is the simplest possible control.

Watch for the zero-defect driver

Across a fleet, defects should appear at a steady rate. A driver reporting nothing for six months is either exceptionally lucky or not looking, and the same is true of a whole depot. This is easy to see once inspections are recorded consistently and impossible to see on paper.

Close the loop before the next shift

A defect that is repaired must be recorded as repaired, and a defect that does not affect safe operation can be deferred with a reason. What must never happen is a defect sitting in an unknown state while the vehicle is in use, which is exactly what a lost pad produces.