Six in the morning in the yard
Drivers arrive, pick up keys, and tick a daily check sheet on a clipboard: tyres, lights, mirrors, fluids, bodywork. Most of them tick every box in the same way every day. One driver writes 'nearside indicator not working' at the bottom and mentions it to the controller, who is trying to cover a sick driver's route.
The sheet goes in a folder. The indicator is still not fixed a fortnight later, when the van is stopped at a roadside check. Someone asks for the daily check records. They are in the folder, mostly identical ticks, and the one defect report has no follow-up.
Why paper checks fail
Paper checks are easy to fake and easy to ignore. They prove a box was ticked, not that anyone looked. Defects written on them depend on someone reading the sheet. And there is no link between a reported defect and a repair, so nobody knows which are open.
| Part of the process | Where it breaks |
|---|---|
| Doing the check | Boxes ticked without looking |
| Reporting a defect | Written at the bottom or said verbally |
| Deciding if the van can go out | Nobody with authority sees it in time |
| Getting it fixed | Depends on someone remembering to book it |
| Proving what happened | A folder of identical sheets |
What your checks must cover, and what obligations apply to your vehicles, is for you and your advisers to set. The system's job is to make whatever you decide happen reliably.
What it costs
Breakdowns from defects that were reported and not fixed, with the recovery cost, the missed deliveries and the hire van. Roadside stops and penalties. And, for firms with vehicles that come under operator licensing, questions about your maintenance systems that paper records answer badly.
For owner drivers using their own vans, you still carry the reputational risk if their vehicle lets down your customer.
Minor defects left too long become major ones. A worn tyre becomes a blowout; a warning light ignored becomes an engine.
The check we build
- A daily check on the driver's phone, specific to the vehicle type, with items to confirm and photos required for a few, such as tyres or dashboard warning lights.
- Defect reporting with a photo, a severity choice, and a note, which cannot be skipped if an item fails.
- Routing of defects to the fleet manager or workshop straight away, with serious ones flagging the vehicle as not to be used until cleared.
- A repair record on each defect: booked, fixed, by whom, when, with the invoice attached.
- A vehicle history with checks, defects, repairs, MOT and service dates, and reminders before they are due.
- A report showing checks not done, defects open and time to fix, per vehicle and driver.
The dispatch view can show vehicle status, so a controller does not allocate a van that has an open serious defect.
What the yard looks like afterwards
Checks done on the phone with photos, so a tick means something. Defects reach the person who fixes them without passing through a controller's memory. Vans with serious defects are not sent out. And if anyone asks, you have a clean record per vehicle.
Signs your vehicle checks need this
- Daily checks are on paper and filed.
- Defects are reported verbally or by text.
- You cannot list open defects across the fleet.
- Breakdowns happen on faults that were already reported.
- Service and MOT dates are tracked in someone's calendar.