For small or mixed fleets that want pre-trip checks without a driver app, CheckBadges (our product) puts a QR sticker in each vehicle, free for 3 vehicles. For DOT trucking fleets needing full DVIR workflows, Whip Around and Fleetio lead. Simply Fleet is the cheapest app-based fleet tool, HVI suits heavy vehicles, and SafetyCulture (Mitti) covers vehicles alongside other inspections.
Key takeaways
Commercial motor vehicle fleets under FMCSA rules need DVIRs: a report at the end of each day's work listing defects, with repairs certified and reports kept three months.
Drivers don't have to file a DVIR when they find no defect — property carriers since 2014, passenger carriers since 2020.
A QR sticker in each vehicle opens its pre-trip checklist in the driver's phone browser — no app or login — and defects email you with photos and warn the next driver until fixed. It isn't a full DVIR system with repair certification.
QR code equipment checklists: every machine gets a printed QR sticker, operators scan it with their own phone's camera and do its pre-use check in the browser, and problems email the owner with photos straight away. Best for: Anyone whose people run machines that need checking before use — warehouses, construction, rental yards, plants, farms and fleets — who wants checks done and recorded without rolling out an app.
How an operator does a check
Scan the QR sticker on the machine with the phone's camera, answer that machine's checklist in the browser, submit. About a minute.
Operator needs an app or login
No. No app, account or password: operators type their name, or a 4-digit PIN if you turn PINs on.
Free plan
Free for up to 3 machines, with every feature and unlimited operators.
Pricing
Free for up to 3 machines. Pro is $9 a month for your first 3 machines, plus $1.50 a month for each machine after that. Operators and checks are unlimited on both.
A polished driver app with offline DVIRs, a defect-to-repair workflow and maintenance, billed per vehicle with unlimited users; its prices weren't confirmable on its own site.
Whip Around is fleet inspection and maintenance software, best known for vehicle DVIRs, where drivers do inspections in its mobile app and defects flow through to repairs. Best for: Vehicle fleets — especially DOT-regulated trucks — that want DVIRs, a defect-to-repair workflow, maintenance and fuel in one system.
How an operator does a check
The driver opens the Whip Around mobile app, logs in (username and password, or an SMS login link), scans the vehicle's QR code in the app or picks the vehicle, and completes the inspection — even without cell coverage.
Operator needs an app or login
Yes. Drivers use the Whip Around mobile app and log in with a username and password or an SMS login link. Users are unlimited, so there's no per-driver fee.
Free plan
No free plan; a 7-day free trial of Pro, with no card needed.
Pricing
Billed per asset with unlimited users, monthly or annually, with special pricing for trailers, machinery and equipment. We couldn't confirm dollar prices on Whip Around's own site in October 2026; a third-party comparison from March 2026 lists it from $5 per asset a month.
10 machines: Not confirmed · 25 machines: Not confirmed · 50 machines: Not confirmed
Inspections in the Fleetio Go app feed work orders, parts, fuel and telematics integrations, plus a public link for no-login submissions.
Fleetio is fleet maintenance software that tracks vehicles and equipment, work orders, parts and fuel, with inspections done in its Fleetio Go app. Best for: Fleets that need a full maintenance system — work orders, parts, fuel and telematics integrations — with inspections as one part of it.
How an operator does a check
The driver or operator opens the Fleetio Go app (or the web app), signs in, chooses the vehicle or scans its label, and submits the inspection form. A public link can also take submissions without a login.
Operator needs an app or login
Usually yes: inspections are done in the Fleetio Go app or web app by users with permission to submit them. Fleetio's Public Inspection Submission Link lets anyone with the link submit without an account, but it's one link per form and every submission is recorded as a single Guest User.
Free plan
No free plan; a free trial.
Pricing
Billed per vehicle or asset each month on Essential, Professional and Premium plans. We couldn't confirm Fleetio's October 2026 dollar prices on its own site.
10 machines: Not confirmed · 25 machines: Not confirmed · 50 machines: Not confirmed
Inspections, issues and maintenance from $3 per vehicle a month with unlimited users, and a free plan for 5 vehicles and 3 users.
Simply Fleet is low-cost fleet management software for vehicle fleets, with inspections, issues, maintenance tracking and a driver app, priced per vehicle with unlimited users. Best for: Small and mid-size vehicle fleets that want inexpensive fleet management — inspections, issues and maintenance — with a free plan to start.
How an operator does a check
The driver opens the Simply Fleet app, signs in, identifies the vehicle (the app can scan barcodes to identify assets), completes the inspection and signs it.
Operator needs an app or login
Yes. Drivers use the Simply Fleet mobile app with their own user login. Paid plans include unlimited users; the free plan allows 3.
Free plan
Free for 5 vehicles and 3 users, with 6 months of data storage.
Pricing
Free for 5 vehicles and 3 users. Essential is $3 per vehicle a month and Advanced $5 (or $30 and $50 per vehicle a year), with a 5-vehicle minimum and unlimited users; its page announced pricing changes from 15 September 2026.
App-based heavy-vehicle inspections with offline use, signed reports and emailed missed-inspection reports, from $3.99 a month per unit (its page doesn't clearly label the unit).
HVI (Heavy Vehicle Inspection) is inspection and maintenance software for trucks and heavy equipment, with a mobile app, offline inspections, signed reports and emailed reports of missed inspections. Best for: Heavy-vehicle and equipment fleets that want low-cost inspections plus maintenance, signed reports and missed-inspection reports, with operators who'll use an app.
How an operator does a check
The operator opens the HVI mobile app, signs in, picks or scans the vehicle, completes the inspection (offline if needed) and signs the report.
Operator needs an app or login
Yes. Operators use the HVI mobile app with a login. HVI also lists mobile and web forms, but we couldn't confirm an option that needs no login.
Free plan
No free plan; a free trial (its pricing page says 14 days in one place and 30 in another).
Pricing
HVI's pricing page lists $3.99, $6.99 and $9.99 a month ($2.99, $5.25 and $7.49 billed annually) across its Inspection, Maintenance and HVI One plans, with a discount above 200 units. It doesn't clearly say which price belongs to which plan, or that prices are per vehicle.
10 machines: Not confirmed · 25 machines: Not confirmed · 50 machines: Not confirmed
Vehicle and DVIR checklists in the same app your team uses for every other inspection, with offline use and scheduling — priced per seat.
SafetyCulture, rebranded in 2026 as Mitti (and long known for its iAuditor app), is a large inspection and operations platform where each person who does inspections uses its app with their own seat. Best for: Safety and operations teams that run many kinds of audits and inspections, want scheduling, actions and training in one place, and have people who will all use the app.
How an operator does a check
The operator opens the Mitti app (or the web app), signs in, picks the inspection template or scans the asset's code inside the app, and completes it — online or offline.
Operator needs an app or login
Yes. Each operator signs in to the Mitti (SafetyCulture) app or web app with their own seat: free for up to 10 seats, then $29 a seat a month. The pricing page also lists free guest seats, but we couldn't confirm whether guests can complete inspections.
Free plan
Free for up to 10 seats, with 5 active inspection templates.
Pricing
Free for up to 10 seats and 5 active templates. Premium is $29 a seat a month billed monthly, or $24 billed annually, according to Mitti's pricing page; Enterprise is quoted.
No. No app, account or password: operators type their name, or a 4-digit PIN if you turn PINs on.
Yes. Drivers use the Whip Around mobile app and log in with a username and password or an SMS login link. Users are unlimited, so there's no per-driver fee.
Usually yes: inspections are done in the Fleetio Go app or web app by users with permission to submit them. Fleetio's Public Inspection Submission Link lets anyone with the link submit without an account, but it's one link per form and every submission is recorded as a single Guest User.
Yes. Drivers use the Simply Fleet mobile app with their own user login. Paid plans include unlimited users; the free plan allows 3.
Yes. Operators use the HVI mobile app with a login. HVI also lists mobile and web forms, but we couldn't confirm an option that needs no login.
Yes. Each operator signs in to the Mitti (SafetyCulture) app or web app with their own seat: free for up to 10 seats, then $29 a seat a month. The pricing page also lists free guest seats, but we couldn't confirm whether guests can complete inspections.
QR codes on equipment
Every machine gets its own printed QR sticker, 8 to a page. A lost sticker is reissued in a click.
Yes, inside the app: you generate a QR code for each asset on the web, and drivers scan it from the Whip Around app to start that asset's inspection.
You can print asset labels or link your own barcodes and QR codes, which are scanned in the Fleetio Go app. The public submission link is per form, not per machine.
Its app scans barcodes to identify assets; QR codes on equipment weren't specifically mentioned.
HVI publishes guidance on fleet QR code scanning, with codes scanned in its app; we couldn't confirm a no-app QR flow.
Inside the Mitti app: assets can carry QR codes or barcodes that the app scans to start an inspection. The phone's own camera doesn't open a check without the app and a login.
Free plan
Free for up to 3 machines, with every feature and unlimited operators.
No free plan; a 7-day free trial of Pro, with no card needed.
No free plan; a free trial.
Free for 5 vehicles and 3 users, with 6 months of data storage.
No free plan; a free trial (its pricing page says 14 days in one place and 30 in another).
Free for up to 10 seats, with 5 active inspection templates.
10 machines, 20 operators / month
$19.50/mo
Not confirmed
Not confirmed
$30/mo
Not confirmed
$580/mo
25 machines, 50 operators / month
$42/mo
Not confirmed
Not confirmed
$75/mo
Not confirmed
$1,450/mo
50 machines, 100 operators / month
$79.50/mo
Not confirmed
Not confirmed
$150/mo
Not confirmed
$2,900/mo
Monthly list prices for each fleet on the cheapest plan that runs equipment checks, assuming two operators per machine (two shifts), checked in October 2026. Each comparison page shows the exact plan used. Annual billing is cheaper with most vendors.
DVIR app or pre-trip checklist?
Start by deciding whether you need a DVIR system. Under 49 CFR 396.11, drivers of commercial motor vehicles prepare a report at the completion of each day's work on each vehicle, identifying the vehicle and listing any defect or deficiency. The motor carrier certifies repairs, and the report, the repair certification and the driver's review certification are kept for three months. Drivers don't have to prepare a report when they find no defect — property carriers since 2014, passenger carriers since September 2020 — and FMCSA's 2026 eDVIR rule explicitly allows electronic reports. Before driving, 396.13 requires the driver to be satisfied the vehicle is in safe operating condition, review the last report, and sign it where defects were listed.
If you run DOT-regulated trucks or buses, you want an app built around that workflow, and Whip Around and Fleetio are. If your vehicles are vans, pickups, yard trucks or site vehicles outside those rules — or you want every vehicle checked before use without rolling out a driver app — a pre-trip checklist tool is enough. CheckBadges records pre-trip checks with the driver's name or PIN, photos and an instant email, but it isn't a complete DVIR system: there's no repair-certification signature beyond marking a problem fixed with a note. Our DVIR requirements guide covers the rule in full.
How we compared them
We compared each app on what a fleet manager deals with every day:
Driver setup: an app install and login, or a scan in the browser.
Defect handling: who hears about a defect, and how it gets to repair.
DVIR fit: repair certification, the next driver's review, and retention.
Price for 10, 25 and 50 vehicles with two drivers each, billed monthly where offered.
Extras: offline use, maintenance, fuel and telematics.
Approaches compared
Vehicle inspection tools take four approaches:
Approach
Examples
Driver needs
Best for
QR pre-trip checklist in the browser
CheckBadges
A phone camera
Small, mixed and non-DOT fleets
Fleet inspection and maintenance app
Whip Around, Fleetio, Simply Fleet, HVI
App and login
DOT fleets; maintenance in one place
Inspection platform
SafetyCulture (Mitti)
App and a seat
Vehicles plus other inspections
Telematics with DVIR
Motive, Samsara
A driver app tied to the ELD
Trucking fleets with ELDs
Other options you may see
Several other tools come up in vehicle inspection searches:
Motive and Samsara include DVIRs in their driver apps, tied to their ELDs and vehicle gateways. Pricing is by quote and bundled with hardware; they make sense if you're buying telematics anyway.
Fleetpal Inspect offers QR-code DVIRs with no driver app or login, free for US and Canadian fleets with 30 or more power units, verified by USDOT number.
AUTOsist is $7 per vehicle a month billed monthly ($6 annually), with a $59 monthly minimum and unlimited users, and drivers use its app.
Driveroo is $5 per asset a month on annual contracts, with unlimited users.
Connecteam includes inspection forms in its employee app, free for up to 10 users.
Which one to choose
Choose by the rules your vehicles fall under and who drives them:
DOT trucks or buses, with drivers already on a phone app: Whip Around for DVIRs and repairs, or Fleetio if you need full maintenance, parts and fuel.
Telematics already installed: use the DVIR in your Motive or Samsara driver app.
A small vehicle fleet on a budget, with drivers happy to use an app: Simply Fleet.
Heavy vehicles, with missed-inspection reports: HVI.
Vans, pickups and site vehicles shared by many drivers, plus forklifts or other equipment: CheckBadges — one sticker per vehicle, no driver app, and the same system for every machine you run. Start with the pre-trip inspection checklist or the vehicle inspection checklist.
Questions to ask before you buy
A short list sorts most vehicle inspection apps:
1Are your vehicles covered by FMCSA's DVIR rule, and does the app handle repair certification and the next driver's review?
2What does a driver need before their first inspection: an app, an account, a login link?
3How does a defect reach the person who fixes it, and how fast?
4Is the vehicle flagged for the next driver until the defect is fixed?
5What does the plan you need cost for every vehicle, billed the way you'll pay?
Frequently asked questions
What is the best vehicle inspection app?
For DOT fleets needing full DVIRs, Whip Around or Fleetio. For small or mixed fleets that want pre-trip checks without a driver app, CheckBadges: a QR sticker in each vehicle opens its checklist in the phone's browser. Simply Fleet is the cheapest app-based option, at $3 per vehicle a month.
Are electronic DVIRs allowed?
Yes. FMCSA allows electronic DVIRs, and its eDVIR final rule (published February 19, 2026, effective March 23, 2026) says so explicitly. The report still has to identify the vehicle and list defects, and it's kept with the repair certification for three months.
Do drivers have to fill out a DVIR every day?
Under 49 CFR 396.11, drivers report at the end of each day's work only if they found a defect or deficiency; the no-defect report was dropped for property carriers in 2014 and passenger carriers in 2020. Before driving, 396.13 still requires the driver to be satisfied the vehicle is safe and to review the last report.
Can drivers do vehicle inspections without an app?
Yes. CheckBadges opens each vehicle's checklist in the phone's browser from a QR sticker. Fleetio's public inspection link and Fleetpal's QR DVIRs (for fleets of 30 or more power units) also skip the app, as side features of larger products.
Is CheckBadges a DVIR app?
Not a complete one. CheckBadges records pre-trip checks with the driver's name or PIN, photos of defects and an instant email to you, and lets you mark a vehicle fixed with a note. It doesn't have DVIR repair-certification signatures, so DOT fleets should use a DVIR-specific tool.
Stick a QR code on every machine and operators do the pre-use check on their own phone — no app, no login. Free for up to 3 machines; try it with your real machines before you sign up.