Form · MHSWR regulation 3
RAMS template
Risk assessment and method statement for one activity: the sequence of work, a five by five risk matrix, PPE, permits, rescue, and a briefing record signed against the revision.
Free download · Editable PDF
Free daily vehicle check sheet
A vehicle check sheet records the driver’s walkaround check before each journey, and any defect found. This one covers a week per sheet for a van or company car, as an editable PDF and a Word document, free to use and reuse.
- Format
- Editable PDF
- Pages
- 2
- Built on
- GOV.UK van walkaround checks
- Cost
- Free, always
What is in the daily vehicle check sheet
2 pagesThe walkaround check, a week per sheet
The items GOV.UK and DVSA list for a van walkaround check, with a column for each day. They run from mirrors, wipers and warning lights to tyres, load, AdBlue, number plates and any tow bar.
Mileage, initials and nil defects
The start mileage and the driver’s initials each day, and a nil defects box, so the sheet shows the check was done even when nothing was wrong.
Defect report
Each defect found at the check or on the road. It records the date and time, the item, the defect or symptom, whether it is dangerous, who it was told to and the driver.
Defects put right
What was done about each defect, who repaired it, and who signed the vehicle back as safe to use.
What the law and DVSA guidance say
Checked against the sourceThe driver checks before the journey
GOV.UK guidance tells van drivers they are responsible for making sure the van is safe to drive, and to carry out a walkaround check before the journey.
GOV.UK, Carry out van daily walkaround checksRecording defects
A driver for a business with a goods vehicle operator licence should record and report every defect found at the check or during the journey. Nil defects are recorded too. DVSA can ask for the record at a roadside check.
GOV.UK, Carry out van daily walkaround checksDangerous defects
A dangerous defect must be fixed before the journey continues. Using a vehicle in a dangerous condition, or causing or permitting someone else to, is an offence. GOV.UK gives fines of up to £2,500 and 3 penalty points for a van.
Road Traffic Act 1988, section 40A, and GOV.UK, Driving a vanTyres
Cars, light vans and light trailers must have at least 1.6 mm of tread across the central three-quarters of the tread and around the whole circumference. Each unsafe tyre can bring 3 penalty points.
The Highway Code, annex 6, and GOV.UKThe employer’s duty
Health and safety law applies to work on the road in the same way as it does on a fixed site. Employers must manage the risks to people who drive for work, including making sure vehicles are safe.
HSE, Driving and riding safely for workHow to use it
One sheet per vehicle per week
Keep it in the cab. The driver ticks each item before the first journey of the day, adds the mileage and initials, and ticks nil defects when nothing was found.
Report defects the same day
Anything marked as a defect goes on the back and is reported straight away. A dangerous defect means the vehicle stays put until it is fixed.
Close each defect and keep the sheets
The repair and the sign-off go on the same sheet, so the record runs from fault to fix. The periodic office inspection is the vehicle inspection checklist, and services and repairs go in the vehicle maintenance log.
Asked most often
Questions about
Questions about
this template.
What should a daily vehicle check cover?
Inside the van, GOV.UK’s walkaround check covers the view, mirrors and glass, wipers, warning lights, steering, horn, brakes, and seats and belts. Outside, it covers lights, fluids and leaks, battery, bodywork, tyres and wheels, and the load. It also covers AdBlue, exhaust, alternative fuel systems, number plates, any tow bar, and equipment such as a tail lift.
Is this vehicle check sheet free?
Yes. It is free to download, use and reuse, including on paid work and for clients, with no sign-up and no email address.
Is there a Word version of the vehicle check sheet?
Yes. Download it as a Word document to add your own logo and change the items. The editable PDF can be typed into in any PDF reader, or printed and filled in by hand.
Do van drivers have to do a daily check by law?
GOV.UK says the driver is responsible for making sure the van is safe to drive and should check it before the journey. Recording and reporting defects is expected of drivers for firms with an operator licence. For any firm, a record is the evidence that vehicles are checked.
What counts as a dangerous defect?
A fault that means the vehicle would be a danger to anyone if it were used, such as brakes, steering or tyres that are not safe. GOV.UK says a dangerous defect must be fixed before the journey continues.
How long should we keep vehicle check sheets?
The law sets no period for a van run without an operator licence. Keeping them alongside the vehicle’s maintenance record means they are there when an insurer, investigator or roadside check asks.
Can drivers do the vehicle check on a phone instead?
Yes. In Unibuild the daily driver vehicle check is done in your firm’s own staff app. It lands on its own tab in the office portal, with any defect, photographs and video.
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Next step
Vehicle checks on the phone,
Vehicle checks on the phone,
and the office sees every one.
In Unibuild’s fleet module, drivers do the daily check in your own staff app and the office inspects on the portal, each on its own tab. Defects arrive with photographs and video, and MOT, tax, insurance and service dates are reminded by email and app notification.