Van daily walkaround check (free check sheet)

Is a daily walkaround check a legal requirement for vans?

It is for vans run under a goods vehicle operator's licence, and good practice for every other van. You need an operator's licence for a goods vehicle with a gross plated weight over 3,500 kg, and a standard international licence to carry other people's goods for hire or reward in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland in a van over 2,500 kg (GOV.UK). Licensed operators must keep their vehicles in line with DVSA's guide to maintaining roadworthiness, which says: "A minimum of one walkaround check must be carried out every day or at least once in a 24-hour period that the vehicle is used."

Two points apply to every van. "The driver is always legally responsible for the condition of the vehicle while in use", DVSA says, and operator licence holders are expected to keep an appropriate maintenance regime even for vans outside licensing. Northern Ireland has its own operator licensing rules.

How to do a van walkaround check

Walk round the van once in one direction, then check the cab with the engine running.

1. 1Read the last defect report. Don't drive a van with a defect that hasn't been put right.
2. 2Start at the driver's door and go round. Lights and lenses, tyres and wheel nuts, mirrors and glass, body panels and doors, number plates, and the ground under the van for leaks.
3. 3Check the load area. The load is restrained, spread evenly and within the payload; roof bars, ladder clamps and racking are tight.
4. 4Open the bonnet. Oil, coolant and screenwash, AdBlue if the van uses it, and the battery held down.
5. 5Get in and start it. Seat belts, warning lamps, steering, footbrake and handbrake, horn, wipers and washers, and the exhaust for heavy smoke.
6. 6Check the lights with help if you need it. DVSA notes that "Assistance may be required at some time during the check, for example, to see that lights are working."
7. 7Record it. Any defect, or "nil" if there are none, with the registration, date, odometer and your name.

On building sites and rough ground, check again before you leave: DVSA says "you must walk around the vehicle before leaving the site to identify any faults or damage", paying particular attention to the wheels and tyres.

Defects that keep a van off the road

DVSA's rule is that "Any defects or deficiencies which cause the vehicle to be unroadworthy must be rectified before the vehicle is used."

What to do when you find a defect

Report it in writing to someone who can take the van off the road, and don't drive it if the defect affects roadworthiness. DVSA lists what a defect report should include: the vehicle registration, the date, the defects, the reporter's name, who it was reported to, an assessment, the repair work and the date it was completed. Hand the keys to your manager, and put an out-of-service tag on the steering wheel if someone else could take the van.

Keeping walkaround records

For licensed operators, DVSA says defect reports "must be kept for at least 15 months", along with the assessment, repair and repairer, and recommends keeping "nil" defect reports for at least 3 months as evidence that checks are being done. Electronic records are acceptable: DVSA expects a system to provide "a suitable method of digital signature", secure storage and "effective date and time stamping". For vans outside operator licensing, no period is set.

Doing it on a phone

A QR sticker inside each van's door can replace the pad of check sheets. With CheckBadges, drivers scan it with their own phone and do the walkaround in the browser, with no app or login. Defects email you with photos straight away and warn the next driver who scans that van until it's marked fixed. Each check stores the driver's typed name or PIN and the time; if you hold an operator's licence, check with your transport manager that this suits your defect reporting system before you replace it. See also the vehicle inspection app. Free for 3 vehicles.