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Inspection template in the LeanSuite app

Last reviewed

Vehicle pre-trip inspection checklist

A vehicle pre-trip inspection is the driver's walk-around before a company vehicle or truck leaves: tires, lights, mirrors, leaks and the load outside; seat belts, horn, brakes, warning lights and the emergency kit in the cab; then the documents. Its 12 questions end with the rule the rest depends on: a defect is reported, and an unsafe vehicle is not used.

The driver does it at the vehicle before each trip or at the start of the day, one record per vehicle. What a failure looks like: a soft tire noticed only when it blows on the highway, a brake light out on a van, a dashboard warning light that has been on for a week, or an expired insurance card in the glove box. For hand-overs and returns, use the vehicle condition report.

What it is for, as built: Daily walk-around inspection of a company vehicle or truck before it leaves.

Use this template in LeanSuite

The full question list

The 12 questions in the inspection

Every question is answered Yes, No or N/A. Each No is flagged and asks for a photo and a comment, so the finding arrives with its evidence.

Outside

  1. 1Tyres have good tread, are inflated correctly and have no damage
  2. 2Lights, indicators and reflectors work and are clean
  3. 3Mirrors and windscreen are clean and undamaged
  4. 4There is no fluid leak under the vehicle
  5. 5The load is secure and within the weight limit

Cab

  1. 6Seat belts work
  2. 7Horn, wipers and washers work
  3. 8Brakes and parking brake feel right when tested
  4. 9Dashboard shows no warning lights
  5. 10Fire extinguisher, first aid kit and warning triangle are in place

Documents and defects

  1. 11Registration, insurance and driver documents are in the vehicle
  2. 12Any defect is reported and the vehicle is not used if unsafe

Worked example, illustrative

A filled-in example

One section as it might be filled in on the floor, with every other section of the inspection answered Yes. The place and finding are made up to show how the inspection reads and scores.

Result: pass, 91.7% against a pass mark of 90

  • 12 questions, all of them count.
  • 1 answered No, so 11 of 12 are Yes: 11 ÷ 12 = 91.7%.
  • 91.7% is at or above 90, so the inspection passes. The No still needs its fix.

What happened next: Truck held in the yard. Fleet coordinator booked the dealer for a fault read the same day and issued Truck 05 instead.

Scored here as one point per question with N/A left out. In the app each answer carries the points set on the template, so change them after you clone it if your plant weighs some checks more.

Vehicle Pre-Trip Inspection

Inspection, daily

Vehicle ID or plate
Truck 03
Odometer reading
142,906

Cab

  1. Seat belts workYes
  2. Horn, wipers and washers workYes
  3. Brakes and parking brake feel right when testedYes
  4. Dashboard shows no warning lightsNo

    Comment: ABS warning light stays on after start. Brakes feel normal on the yard test. Previous driver says it came on yesterday afternoon.

    Photo attached to the No

  5. Fire extinguisher, first aid kit and warning triangle are in placeYes
Drawn from this template's own questions, not a screenshot of the app. Illustrative answers.

When to use it

  • Every day, before first use or at the start of the shift.
  • The person responsible for the area or equipment answers each question on the spot.
  • Each record starts with: Vehicle ID or plate, Odometer reading.

How it is scored

The template is built with points per answer and a pass mark of 90. In this library every audit is set to pass at 80 and every inspection at 90. Each submitted inspection shows its score and pass or fail, and every No is flagged with its photo and comment.

Change the points or the pass mark after you clone it. How rules and scoring work.

Read and print

More in safety inspections and audits

All safety inspections and audits templates

FAQ

Vehicle pre-trip inspection checklist: common questions

  1. Before each trip or at the start of the day, one record per vehicle, done by the driver at the vehicle. Add a check after a tyre change or any repair, after a long highway run, when the vehicle is loaded differently than usual, when a different driver takes it over mid day, and after any warning light has come on.

  2. The driver does it, because they are the one driving away in it. They need to know the tyre pressures for that vehicle, what each dashboard warning light means and the load limit. A defect goes to the fleet coordinator or supervisor, who decides whether it is a fix-before-use item or one to book in. An unsafe vehicle does not leave the yard.

  3. A fail means the vehicle could leave someone stranded or hurt: a soft or damaged tyre, a brake light out, a warning light that has been on for a week, an expired insurance card. Report the defect before the trip. If it affects brakes, tyres, steering or lights, the vehicle is not used until it is fixed. In this template every No is flagged and asks for a photo and a comment, and an inspection that scores under its pass mark of 90 is a fail.

  4. Keep the vehicle ID, odometer, driver, date and each defect, with a photo of tyre damage or a warning light. Keep the repair that closed it and the date. The odometer against defects shows which vehicles are due for tyres or brakes, and the record protects the driver if a roadside check or an incident follows. In LeanSuite each submitted inspection is stored with its score, its pass or fail, and the photo and comment on every No.

  5. 12 questions in 3 sections: outside, cab, and documents and defects. Every question is answered Yes, No or N/A.

Use this template in LeanSuite

It is ready in the Template Marketplace inside Lean Creator as “Vehicle Pre-Trip Inspection”. Clone it into your plant, change any question, then schedule it to a person, role or asset with reminders. Auditors complete it on a phone or tablet, with photo evidence where required.

Not on LeanSuite yet? On a 90-day pilot our team sets up your account and digitizes the forms and checklists you use today, this one included.

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