HGV compliance checklist for UK operators

1. Confirm daily walkaround checks and defect reporting

DVSA says an HGV should be checked before the journey and that defects found during the walkaround or during the journey should be recorded and reported. A useful office process therefore needs to show both submitted reports and expected reports that have not arrived.

Do not treat a submitted form as the end of the process. A reported defect should have a visible next action, such as assessment, repair or a decision that the vehicle must not be used until the issue is resolved.

Source: DVSA: carry out HGV daily walkaround checks

• Check that each working vehicle has the expected daily report.
• Record nil defects as well as reported defects where your process requires it.
• Make dangerous or unresolved defects visible to the person allocating vehicles.
• Retain the original driver report with the subsequent assessment and repair history.

2. Review safety inspections and PMI forward planning

Safety-inspection intervals should follow the maintenance arrangements applicable to the vehicle and operation. DVSA guidance recommends planning inspection dates ahead rather than relying on a last-minute reminder.

Keep the due date separate from the workshop appointment. A booked slot does not prove that the inspection happened, and a vehicle returning from the workshop does not prove that the completed record has reached the office.

Source: DVSA: guide to maintaining roadworthiness; GOV.UK: being a goods vehicle operator - maintaining your vehicles

• Next inspection due date is recorded for every vehicle and trailer.
• Workshop slot is confirmed far enough ahead to protect the maintenance interval.
• Completed inspection record has been received and reviewed.
• Any defects or advisory work from the inspection have a named owner and target date.

3. Keep maintenance and inspection records complete

Goods-vehicle operators must keep safety-inspection and maintenance records. GOV.UK states that these records should include the vehicle details, items inspected, who carried out the inspection, the result, work completed and confirmation that defects were properly rectified.

A practical filing check is simple: could another person in the office find the inspection report, repair evidence and next due date for a vehicle without asking the driver or workshop to resend anything?

Source: GOV.UK: being a goods vehicle operator - maintaining your vehicles

• Vehicle or trailer identifier matches the fleet record.
• Inspection date, inspector and result are present.
• Repair details and rectification evidence are retained where relevant.
• Records remain available for the required retention period.

4. Check brake-performance evidence

DVSA guidance treats brake performance as an important part of the maintenance system. Where a roller-brake, plate or decelerometer test is used, the result should be recorded and the brake-test evidence kept with the safety-inspection record.

The office should not file a brake report without looking at it. The roadworthiness guidance says the results need to be reviewed and understood so that unsatisfactory performance is followed up.

Source: DVSA: guide to maintaining roadworthiness; DVSA: heavy vehicle brake test best practice

• Brake assessment method and date are recorded.
• Test report is attached to the relevant safety-inspection record where applicable.
• Unsatisfactory results have a documented repair and re-test outcome.
• The person reviewing maintenance records can identify when brake performance was last evidenced.

5. Monitor tachograph calibration and inspection

Where tachographs are required, operator guidance says they must be properly installed, calibrated and sealed by an approved centre. Digital and smart tachographs require recalibration every two years and after specified events such as repair; the calibration centre issues supporting certification.

Put the calibration expiry into the same forward-looking compliance view as maintenance dates. A certificate stored in a folder is useful evidence, but the office also needs a date that becomes visible before it expires.

Source: GOV.UK: responsibilities of vehicle operators - tachographs

• Calibration or inspection due date is recorded where applicable.
• Certificate and installation details are attached to the vehicle record.
• Repairs or changes that may trigger recalibration are followed through.
• Upcoming calibration dates appear in the office review before they become urgent.

6. Run one weekly compliance review

A short weekly review helps turn the records above into an operating routine. Look ahead for upcoming PMIs, MOT-related preparation, brake evidence and tachograph dates, then look backwards for inspections, repairs or defect reports that are still missing paperwork.

The objective is not to create another spreadsheet. It is to give each missing or approaching item a named owner, a next action and a date when it will be checked again.

• What expires or falls due in the next 28 days?
• Which vehicles have missing inspection, brake or repair evidence?
• Which defects are still open or waiting for workshop action?
• Which completed jobs still need paperwork from the maintenance provider?
• Who owns each action and when will it be reviewed again?