Maintenance

HGV PMI planning: turn inspection dates into a working diary

A maintenance planner needs to tell the transport office more than the next date. It should show which workshop slot is agreed, who is taking the vehicle, and what remains outstanding afterwards. Treat the inspection as a small job with an owner and a visible handover.

By Outrig 3 min read Reviewed 9 September 2026

Operational guidance for Great Britain: England, Scotland and Wales.

Key points

Work from the inspection interval applicable to the vehicle and operation.
Keep the due date distinct from the workshop appointment.
Review the paperwork as well as the diary entry.

Use the right inspection interval

Periodic safety inspections, often called PMIs, follow the frequency recorded for the operator on the vehicle operator licensing service. Six weeks is not a universal interval. DVSA recommends planning inspection dates at least six months ahead. Its guidance also calls for safety-inspection records to be retained for at least 15 months, including after a vehicle leaves the fleet.

Source: DVSA: guide to maintaining roadworthiness

Give every planner entry an owner

Agree who updates the diary and who covers holidays. A shared planner becomes unreliable when several people assume somebody else has moved a booking. Use separate fields for the following details so one change does not hide another.

Vehicle or trailer reference and the applicable inspection interval.
Inspection due date and confirmed workshop appointment.
Maintenance provider, contact and booking reference.
Person arranging transport to and from the workshop.
Expected downtime and any jobs requiring another vehicle.
Completed inspection record and any outstanding follow-up.

Keep a booking separate from completion

A calendar entry marked 'booked' tells the planner that a slot exists. It does not tell them that the work has happened. Likewise, a vehicle returning to the yard does not explain whether all paperwork has arrived. Show these as distinct steps.

DVSA says the responsible person must review the inspection record before return to service; where that cannot happen by exception, written roadworthiness confirmation from the maintenance provider is required beforehand.

Source: DVSA: guide to maintaining roadworthiness

Run a weekly planning review

Look ahead far enough to spot clashes with booked work and workshop availability. For each approaching inspection, ask whether the slot is confirmed, whether the vehicle can reach the workshop and whether the operational diary allows for the visit.

Then look backwards. Find completed appointments with missing documents or unresolved follow-up. Assign a named person and a chase date. This keeps paperwork from disappearing into an unowned 'to do' pile.

Handle a moved appointment visibly

For a fictional vehicle, TRUCK-01, imagine the workshop asks to move Tuesday's appointment. Record the proposed replacement slot against the existing due date and ask the responsible manager to review the effect on the maintenance plan and booked jobs. Do not overwrite the due date simply to make the diary look clear.

Keep a short reason for the change and confirm who has told the driver and planner. The aim is to make the impact visible while there is still time to arrange it.