Ticks in the book, nothing checked
Every van has a check book in the glovebox. The idea is that each morning the driver walks round, checks tyres, lights, mirrors, fluid levels and bodywork, and ticks the boxes. In practice the ticks are done from the driver's seat, sometimes for the whole week at once.
When a defect is found, it is written in the book and maybe mentioned to someone. The book stays in the van. The fleet manager finds out about the cracked mirror when they happen to open the book, or when the van fails its service.
Why paper checks do not work
The paper book asks for a tick, and a tick costs nothing. There is no way to tell whether the check happened, when it happened, or who did it, so the book protects nobody.
It also goes nowhere. A defect written in a book in a van is invisible to the person responsible for fixing it. Unless the driver rings someone, it waits.
Many businesses keep this system because a record is expected of them and the book is a record. But a record nobody can rely on, and nobody reviews, does not do the job the checks are for.
Drivers are not the villains here. Most would report a problem if reporting were easy and led to something happening. When past defects written in the book were never fixed, people reasonably stop bothering to write them down.
What that costs
- Defects that get worse, and dearer, because nobody heard about them
- Vans off the road unexpectedly when a small issue turns into a breakdown
- Weak records if a vehicle is involved in an incident
- Disputes about who caused damage and when
- Fleet managers chasing books around vans to see what is going on
| Paper check book | Check app |
|---|---|
| Ticked, often from the cab | Each item answered, with time recorded |
| No evidence of defects | Photo required for any defect |
| Stays in the van | Defects reach the right person straight away |
| No history per vehicle | Full history searchable by van and date |
| Missed checks invisible | Missed checks flagged |
What we build
- Check list per vehicle type. The items reflect your vans, trailers or plant, written in plain language. We start from your current check book and any guidance you follow.
- Quick to complete. Each item is pass or defect with a single tap. Anything marked defect asks for a photo and a short note, so honest reporting is the easy path.
- Vehicle identification. The driver scans a QR code on the vehicle or picks it from a list, and the mileage is entered at the same time.
- Defect routing. Defects go straight to the fleet manager or workshop by notification, graded by the driver as safe to drive or not. Anything marked unsafe is escalated.
- Repair tracking. The person handling the defect records what was done and when, closing the loop.
- Records and reminders. Every check is stored per vehicle. Missed checks are flagged, and service, MOT and insurance dates can prompt reminders.
This can be a standalone app or a section within your existing engineer app, so drivers do not need yet another login.
What you end up with
Drivers do the check on their phone in about the time it took to tick the book, but now it means something. Defects arrive with a photo to whoever fixes them, the same morning. The fleet manager sees which vans were checked, which were not, and what is outstanding, without opening a single glovebox.
If a vehicle is involved in an incident, you have a dated record of its condition, with photos, rather than a book full of ticks.
When a van changes hands between drivers, the record also settles the old argument about who caused the dent. The last check before the handover shows what the van looked like, with a photo and a name against it.
Is this your fleet?
- Daily checks are recorded on paper in each vehicle
- You suspect checks are ticked without being done
- Defects reach the fleet manager late or not at all
- You cannot quickly see a vehicle's check history
- Missed checks are only noticed by accident