Heavy equipment inspection app
Daily heavy equipment inspections on every job site, from any operator's phone.
A heavy equipment inspection app records operators' daily walkaround checks on excavators, loaders, skid steers, dozers and other construction equipment. With CheckBadges, each machine gets a QR sticker: operators scan it with their phone's camera and check in the browser, with no app or login. Problems email you with photos, and each machine's history goes with it from site to site.
- Your operators need
- Their phone's camera. No app, account or password.
- On each machine
- A printed QR sticker that opens its checklist.
- Checklists
- Ready-made for forklifts, lifts, loaders and vehicles, or your own.
- When something's wrong
- You get an email with what's wrong and photos.
- Price
- Free for 3 machines. Then $9/mo + $1.50 per machine.
- Records
- Every check, by machine. Print it or export a CSV.
What a daily heavy equipment inspection covers
A daily heavy equipment inspection is the operator's walkaround and cab check before the machine starts work: fluid levels, leaks, tracks or tires and undercarriage, bucket, teeth, pins and coupler, lights and travel alarm, mirrors and cameras, seat belt and ROPS/FOPS. The manufacturer's operation and maintenance manual lists the daily checks for each model, and that's the list to follow.
OSHA's construction rules come at it from several directions. Vehicles on an off-highway job site must be checked at the beginning of each shift, and "All defects shall be corrected before the vehicle is placed in service" (29 CFR 1926.601(b)(14)). Earthmoving equipment falls under 1926.602 instead, which sets equipment requirements such as seat belts, brakes, ROPS and backup alarms but no explicit each-shift check, so the manufacturer's daily checks fill the gap. Equipment that isn't safe must be tagged, locked out or removed (1926.20(b)(3)). The heavy equipment inspection requirements guide goes through them; check the current rules for your work.
How it works across job sites
- Add your fleet: "Excavator 14", "Skid steer 3", "Dozer 2", "Wheel loader 5".
- Start from the excavator, loader and skid steer template: hour meter, fluid levels, leaks, tracks or tires and undercarriage, bucket, teeth, pins and quick coupler, lights, horn and travel alarm, mirrors, windows and camera, seat belt and ROPS/FOPS, and the fire extinguisher. Or start from the excavator inspection checklist or the general heavy equipment inspection checklist.
- Stick the sticker inside the cab or by the access steps, out of the worst of the mud and the pressure washer. Weatherproof label stock or a laminate pouch helps.
- Operators scan and check before they start work.
The sticker travels with the machine. When an excavator is hauled to a new job, its checklist and history go with it, and there's nothing to set up again. The hour meter reading on every check gives you a running hours log for each machine.
Subcontractors, rented operators and new hires
The person in the seat isn't always your employee. Subcontractors, operators who come with a rented machine and new hires on their first day can all scan a sticker and check without an app or account. Turn on operator PINs if you want only named people submitting: each gets their own 4-digit PIN, and their checks carry their name. Keep your training and qualification records separately; a PIN identifies the operator, it doesn't certify them.
When an operator finds a problem
Problems reach the shop the moment the check is submitted, not when the paperwork comes in on Friday. The operator marks the item Problem (a cracked tooth adapter, a weeping cylinder, a dead backup alarm), writes what's wrong and adds up to three photos. Your alert list gets the email straight away, so add your mechanic and the superintendent. The machine shows red on your dashboard, and CheckBadges also shows the open problem to the next operator who scans it. Mark it fixed with a note when it's repaired.
Heavy equipment inspection options compared
| CheckBadges | Paper books in the cab | Online forms | Construction equipment apps | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operator setup | None | None | None | App and login per operator |
| Subcontractor operators | Scan and check | Yes | Yes | Need accounts or seats |
| Problems reach the shop | Email with photos, at once | When the book comes in | Only with alerts set up | Yes |
| Next operator warned | Yes, until fixed | If they read back | No | Varies |
| Telematics (hours, location, fault codes) | No | No | No | Often, with hardware |
| Pricing | Per machine | Paper | Free or per account | Per user, per asset or quote |
The best construction equipment inspection apps roundup names the tools.
What it costs
Up to 3 machines are free, with every feature. Pro is $9 a month for the first 3 machines, plus $1.50 a month for each machine after that: $19.50 a month for 10 machines and $42 for 25. Operators are unlimited, so subcontractors and seasonal operators cost nothing. See pricing.
When CheckBadges isn't the right fit
- Sites with no coverage. Operators need a data connection when they submit. On remote sites without cell service, an app with offline mode is safer.
- Telematics. OEM telematics report hours, location and fault codes from the machine itself; CheckBadges doesn't. It records what telematics can't: an operator's eyes on the machine.
- Maintenance management. No work orders, service intervals or parts tracking.
- Enterprise IT. No single sign-on, ERP integrations or API.
More on running checks across a contractor's fleet in construction.
Frequently asked questions
Does OSHA require daily inspections of heavy equipment?
For vehicles on off-highway job sites, yes: 29 CFR 1926.601(b)(14) requires a check at the beginning of each shift. Earthmoving equipment under 1926.602 has no explicit each-shift check in OSHA's text, so the manufacturer's daily checks apply, and unsafe equipment must be tagged, locked or removed under 1926.20(b)(3).
Can subcontractors use our inspection app without an account?
With CheckBadges, yes. They scan the sticker on your machine with their own phone's camera and complete the check in the browser, with no app, account or license. Give them a PIN if you want only named operators submitting.
Does an inspection app replace telematics?
No. Telematics reports what the machine knows: hours, location, fault codes. A daily inspection records what the operator sees: leaks, cracked teeth, a missing pin. Most fleets need both, and CheckBadges covers the inspection side only.
How do I track hour meter readings on daily checks?
Add a number question for the hour meter with "hours" as the unit. In CheckBadges the excavator and loader template already has one, so every daily check records the reading, and the CSV export gives you a row per answer to chart hours by machine.
Where should a QR sticker go on an excavator?
Inside the cab where the operator sits, or by the access steps if you want the walkaround done before they climb in. Inside the cab keeps it out of the mud and pressure washer; outside, use weatherproof label stock or a laminated tag.
Keep reading
- Excavator inspection checklistFree excavator daily inspection checklist: undercarriage, boom and bucket, quick coupler, fluids and cab checks, in walkaround order. Print it or use QR codes.
- Heavy equipment inspection checklistFree daily heavy equipment inspection checklist for any construction machine: walkaround, fluids, cab and function tests, plus machine-specific checklists.
- Heavy equipment inspection rulesOSHA has no single heavy equipment inspection schedule. Jobsite vehicles are checked each shift, unsafe machines tagged out, and the manual sets daily checks.
- The best construction equipment inspection apps in 2026The best construction equipment inspection apps of 2026: daily checks on loaders, lifts and excavators, whether crews need an app, and what each costs a month.
- ConstructionConstruction equipment inspections on a QR sticker per machine. Operators and subs scan with their own phone, no app or login. Defects email you with photos.
- Skid steer inspection checklistFree skid steer and compact track loader daily inspection checklist: lift arm support, seat bar interlock, quick-attach wedges, tires or tracks and fluids.
Every machine checked, with one scan.
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.