Daily vehicle checks are an important part of keeping vehicles safe, roadworthy and properly maintained. They give drivers an opportunity to spot problems before setting off and allow businesses to deal with defects before they develop into something more serious.
They are particularly important for commercial vehicle operators, but good daily vehicle checks are useful for any organisation that relies on vehicles for work.
There is more to the process than simply walking around a vehicle and ticking a few boxes. Checks need to be meaningful, drivers need to know what they are looking for, defects need to be reported, and businesses need a clear record of what has happened.
This guide explains how daily vehicle checks work, what should be checked and how businesses can make the process easier to manage.
What Are Daily Vehicle Checks?
A daily vehicle check is an inspection used to identify defects or problems that could affect the safety or roadworthiness of a vehicle.
For commercial goods vehicles, this is commonly referred to as a daily walkaround check. The driver, or another designated responsible person, checks the parts of the vehicle that can reasonably be inspected without dismantling anything or using workshop equipment.
The check should be meaningful. It isn't simply about confirming that a form has been completed.
For commercial goods and passenger vehicles, the DVSA's Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness states that a driver or responsible person must carry out a walkaround check before the vehicle is used on the public highway, with at least one check in every 24-hour period in which the vehicle is in service.
Why Are Daily Vehicle Checks Important?
Vehicles can develop problems between scheduled services and safety inspections. A light can fail, a tyre can become damaged, a mirror can be knocked or a fluid leak can develop unexpectedly.
A daily check provides an opportunity to find these problems before the vehicle goes onto the road.
For operators, the check also forms part of a much wider maintenance system. Finding a defect is only useful if the information reaches the right person and something is done about it.
The Health and Safety Executive advises businesses to make sure workers carry out and record daily vehicle checks, have procedures for reporting defects and remedy defects promptly. It also makes clear that unsafe vehicles should not be driven.
You can read the HSE guidance on keeping vehicles used for work safe.
Are Daily Vehicle Checks a Legal Requirement?
In the UK, commercial drivers of Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) and Public Service Vehicles (PSVs) are legally required by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) to perform a daily walk-around check before driving.
The driver is legally responsible for the condition of the vehicle while it is being used. An operator can arrange for another suitably trained and competent person to perform the check, but the driver needs evidence that it has been completed and that the vehicle is free from safety defects.
The requirements can be different depending on the vehicle and how it is being used, so businesses should make sure their checking procedure is appropriate for their particular fleet rather than relying on a generic checklist.
What Should Be Included in a Daily Vehicle Check?
The exact daily vehicle checks required will depend on the vehicle.
A driver should generally check anything that can reasonably be inspected and could affect the safe operation or roadworthiness of the vehicle.
For an HGV, this can include areas such as:
- tyres and wheels
- lights, indicators and reflectors
- mirrors, cameras and glass
- windscreen wipers and washers
- dashboard warning lights
- steering
- horn
- brakes
- bodywork and doors
- fuel, oil and other fluid leaks
- number plates and markings
- load security
- coupling and trailer connections, where applicable
Checks shouldn't be limited to the outside of the vehicle. The driver's view, dashboard warnings, steering and other controls also form part of an effective inspection.
The DVSA provides a detailed HGV daily walkaround check guide showing the individual items drivers should inspect.
What Happens When Drivers Change Vehicles?
Where another driver takes control of a vehicle during the day, they still need to satisfy themselves that it is safe and roadworthy.
It is recommended that the Driver carries out a new walkaround check.
How Long Should a Daily Vehicle Check Take?
There is no universal fixed number of minutes that makes a daily vehicle check compliant. What matters is that enough time is allowed for a meaningful and thorough inspection.
A larger HGV and trailer combination will naturally require a different inspection from a small van. Vehicle condition, configuration, load and operating environment can also affect how long a proper check takes.
Setting an arbitrary target can be counterproductive if it encourages drivers to rush.
The better question for an operator is:
Has the driver been given enough time to properly inspect this particular vehicle?
The DVSA specifically states that enough time should be allowed for walkaround checks and that staff should be trained to carry them out thoroughly.
Do Daily Vehicle Checks Need to Be Recorded?
Yes, commercial operators need a system for reporting and recording defects that could affect vehicle roadworthiness.
A useful daily vehicle check record should identify the vehicle, when the check took place, who completed it and any defects or symptoms that were identified.
Where a defect is reported, the record should also allow the business to follow what happened next, including assessment and rectification.
The DVSA also recommends nil defect reporting where practicable. This means recording that the inspection was completed even when the driver found nothing wrong.
That can be particularly valuable because an operator then has evidence that a check took place rather than simply having an absence of defect reports.
How Long Should Daily Vehicle Check Records Be Kept?
For the commercial vehicles covered by the DVSA's roadworthiness guidance, electronic records of reported defects must be available for 15 months, together with the associated repair record.
What Should Happen When a Defect Is Found?
Finding a defect is the beginning of the process, not the end.
The driver should report defects, or symptoms of defects, that could affect the safe operation of the vehicle. The operator then needs a process for assessing the problem and deciding what action is required.
If the defect means the vehicle is unsafe or unroadworthy, it should not simply continue its journey.
The DVSA states that defects which make a vehicle unroadworthy must be rectified before the vehicle is used.
A good defect management process therefore creates a clear trail:
Check completed → defect reported → defect assessed → action taken → repair recorded → vehicle confirmed safe
Paper or Digital Daily Vehicle Checks?
Daily vehicle checks can be recorded on paper or electronically, but for most modern fleets, paper is becoming a poor way to manage the process.
A paper form may record that a check has taken place, but what happens next? The form has to make its way back to the office, someone needs to review it, reported defects need to reach the right person, and the paperwork then needs to be filed and kept accessible.
This can create unnecessary delays. If a driver reports an important defect on a paper form, a transport manager may not see it until the form is physically handed in. Paper records can also be lost, damaged or incorrectly filed, making it much harder to produce a clear history when records are needed.
Digital daily vehicle checks remove many of these problems.
Complete Daily Vehicle Checks With TachoMagic
TachoMagic Walkaround Checks allows drivers to complete their daily vehicle checks directly through the mobile app.
Rather than giving every driver a paper form, you can create digital check templates suited to the vehicles and departments within your organisation.
Drivers work through the check step by step and can report defects as they find them. Photos can be requested to provide additional evidence, and checks can still be completed when the driver has poor or no mobile signal, with the information syncing when a connection becomes available.
For managers, completed checks and reported defects are available through the TachoMagic dashboard rather than sitting in the vehicle waiting to be collected.
Make the Check Fit Your Vehicles
Not every fleet is the same, so a daily vehicle check shouldn't have to be either.
TachoMagic lets organisations create and manage their own check templates. This means the questions presented to a driver can reflect the vehicle, equipment and type of work actually being carried out.
Access can also be controlled by department, allowing different parts of an organisation to use the templates relevant to them.
Give Defects the Right Level of Attention
Not every defect has the same consequences.
Within TachoMagic, defects can be assigned Low, Medium, High or Critical severity levels. The severity can determine the warning shown to the driver when they finish their check, while Critical defects can immediately flag a vehicle for attention.
End-of-check warning messages can also be customised. For example, an organisation might choose to display a specific instruction whenever a High or Critical defect is reported, or decide that drivers should receive a message even when a Low severity defect is found.
This helps turn the daily vehicle check into an actual process rather than simply collecting answers.
Add Photo or Video Evidence
Where additional information would be useful, drivers can be asked to provide photographic or video evidence when reporting a defect.
That can give the person assessing the issue much more context than a handwritten description such as "tyre damaged".
Keep a Clear Digital Record
Completed checks are stored digitally, providing an audit trail that is easier to review and retrieve when needed.
You can learn more about how the system works on our Vehicle Walkaround Checks page, or read our more detailed Walkaround Checks Guide.
How Much Do TachoMagic Daily Vehicle Checks Cost?
If the vehicle already has an active TADD Remote Download Device subscription, Walkaround Checks are included at no additional cost.
TADD automatically downloads tachograph vehicle and driver card data remotely and also provides GPS tracking, route history, geofencing and other fleet tools alongside your vehicle checks.
For vehicles without a TADD subscription, Walkaround Checks cost just £2 per vehicle, per month. Each vehicle gets a 30 day free trial when the first check is done. After this, the charge only applies when a vehicle has a check done for it in the month. If a vehicle has no checks for it in a month, there is no charge.
Making Daily Vehicle Checks Part of the Routine
The best daily vehicle check system is one that actually works day after day.
Drivers need enough time to carry out a proper inspection, clear guidance about what they are checking and a straightforward way to report anything they find. Managers need visibility of those reports and a process for making sure defects are assessed and dealt with.
Whether those records are kept on paper or digitally, the important part is that the check is meaningful and the resulting information is acted upon.
Moving the process into an app can make that considerably easier, particularly when an organisation operates multiple vehicles or needs managers to oversee checks across different sites.
TachoMagic's aim is to make that process straightforward for both sides: an easy check for the driver and a clear, usable record for the person responsible for the fleet.
Daily Vehicle Checks - Frequently Asked Questions
What is a daily vehicle check?
A daily vehicle check is an inspection carried out to identify defects or problems that could affect the safety or roadworthiness of a vehicle. For commercial vehicles, this is commonly known as a daily walkaround check.
Who should complete daily vehicle checks?
Usually the driver completes the check, although an operator can appoint another suitably trained and competent responsible person. The driver remains responsible for ensuring the vehicle is safe while it is being used.
Do you need to record a check when there are no defects?
The DVSA recommends incorporating nil defect reporting where practicable. This provides evidence that the daily check was completed even though no problems were identified.
Can daily vehicle checks be completed on a phone?
Yes. DVSA guidance allows daily walkaround checks to be recorded electronically using devices such as smartphones and tablets, provided the system meets the necessary record-keeping requirements.
What happens if a dangerous defect is found?
A vehicle should not be used on the road if a safety defect makes it unroadworthy. The defect should be reported, assessed and rectified before the vehicle returns to service.
How long should a vehicle check take?
There is no fixed minimum number of minutes for every vehicle. Operators should allow enough time for the driver or responsible person to complete a meaningful and thorough inspection of the particular vehicle.
How long should vehicle defect records be kept?
Under the DVSA's guidance for commercial goods and passenger vehicles, electronic records of reported defects must be available for 15 months, together with records of the associated repairs.
Is there an app for daily vehicle checks?
Yes. TachoMagic allows drivers to complete daily vehicle checks through a mobile app, report defects, provide supporting evidence and send the completed record directly to the organisation's TachoMagic dashboard.
