The HGV Daily Walkaround Check.
Updated: 2 days ago
A daily walkaround check is one of the most important things you will do as a professional HGV driver.
It isn't paperwork for the sake of paperwork, and it isn't something to rush through because you drove the same lorry yesterday and “it was grand”.
The purpose is simple:
Before you take a vehicle onto the road, you need to satisfy yourself that it is safe and roadworthy.
A defect that takes seconds to spot in the yard could cause a breakdown, roadside prohibition, collision or serious injury once you are on the road.
When should you carry out a walkaround check?
A proper walkaround check should be carried out before the vehicle is first used at the beginning of your working day or shift.
Do it before setting off – not after you've driven 20 km to your first collection.
But the start of the shift isn't the only time you should be checking your vehicle.
You should remain alert to its condition throughout the working day.
Another check, or at least an appropriate inspection of the relevant areas, may be necessary:
if you change vehicles or trailers;
after coupling a different trailer;
after loading or unloading where something may have changed;
after securing or altering a load;
if another driver has used the vehicle;
after leaving the vehicle unattended where appropriate;
if you strike a kerb, pothole, object or road debris;
if a warning light appears;
if you hear, smell or feel something unusual;
if you suspect a tyre, brake, suspension or other problem;
after damage or an incident;
whenever circumstances give you reason to doubt the vehicle's roadworthiness.
A morning check tells you the condition of the vehicle at that time.
It doesn't guarantee that nothing can go wrong six hours later.
How long should a walkaround check take?
You will often hear drivers say that a walkaround must take at least 10 or 15 minutes.
There is no universal legal minimum number of minutes for an HGV walkaround check.
Different companies may have their own procedures requiring a driver to spend a minimum amount of time carrying out the check. If your employer requires a 10-minute check, for example, follow that procedure.
What matters from a roadworthiness perspective is that the check is thorough and effective.
Ten minutes spent genuinely examining a vehicle is far more valuable than ten minutes spent walking around holding a clipboard without actually looking at anything.
Equally, don't rush a complicated combination simply because you've reached an arbitrary time limit.
A tractor and semi-trailer, rigid and drag, livestock vehicle or specialist vehicle may require additional checks specific to that vehicle and the work it is doing.
And remember: the vehicle may have cameras
Modern commercial vehicles increasingly have external cameras, CCTV and telematics systems.
Depending on the system fitted and your employer's policies, these may record activity around the vehicle.
So if your paperwork says:
“Daily walkaround check completed”
but the available vehicle footage shows you arriving, climbing directly into the cab and driving away, there may be very clear evidence that the declared check did not actually take place.
The answer isn't to learn where the cameras are.
The answer is to actually do the check.
Apart from anything else, your name or driver identification on a defect sheet or electronic record is confirmation that you carried out the check.
Treat that declaration seriously.
Develop a routine
One of the best things a new driver can do is develop the same routine every day.
Don't wander randomly around the vehicle.
Start in the cab, for example, then exit and work systematically around the entire vehicle in the same direction every time before returning to the cab.
A routine reduces the chance of forgetting something.
If you're driving a combination, remember:
The trailer is part of your vehicle check too.
Don't thoroughly inspect the tractor unit and then glance at the trailer from 20 metres away.
Start inside the cab
Before moving the vehicle, check the things you can assess from the driving position.
Look at your dashboard warning lights. When the vehicle is started, warning lamps should operate and extinguish as expected. Investigate warning lights that remain illuminated.
Check:
Windscreen – Is it clean and free from damage that interferes with your view?
Wipers and washers – Do they work correctly? Is there sufficient washer fluid?
Mirrors – Are they present, secure, clean and correctly adjusted?
Camera systems – If the vehicle uses cameras for indirect vision or additional visibility, are the cameras and monitors working and providing a clear image?
Horn – Does it operate?
Seat and seatbelt – Is everything secure and functioning correctly?
Steering – Does anything feel abnormal or excessively loose?
Brakes – Check the operation of the braking system as appropriate, including warning systems.
Air pressure – On an air-braked vehicle, ensure pressure builds correctly and pay attention to warnings or signs of abnormal pressure loss.
Lights and reflectors
Check your lights rather than assuming they work because they worked yesterday.
Depending on the vehicle, check:
headlights;
dipped and main beam;
indicators;
hazard warning lights;
brake lights;
rear lights;
side-marker lights;
number-plate lights;
fog lights where applicable;
outline/end-marker lamps;
reflectors.
Check that lenses aren't badly damaged, obscured by dirt or missing.
On a long trailer, don't forget the side markers.
If you're alone, use whatever safe procedure your company provides for checking brake lights. Modern vehicles may also have light-test functions.
Tyres: pay particular attention
Tyres deserve much more than a kick with your boot.
Walk around and look properly at every tyre.
Check for:
obvious under-inflation;
cuts;
bulges;
exposed cords;
serious cracking or damage;
objects embedded in the tyre;
abnormal or uneven wear;
adequate tread;
damage to the sidewall.
On twin-wheel arrangements, look between the tyres as far as safely possible.
Make sure the tyres aren't touching each other and look for trapped objects.
An inner tyre is very easy to overlook during a rushed walkaround.
If your company requires tyre pressures or tread depths to be measured and recorded at specified intervals, follow that procedure too.
Wheels and wheel nuts
Look closely at the wheels.
Check for:
missing wheel nuts;
visibly loose wheel nuts;
damaged wheels;
cracks;
distortion;
signs that a wheel nut may have moved.
If wheel-nut indicators are fitted, look at their position.
Don't simply see brightly coloured indicators and assume everything is fine – understand what their normal position should look like.
Rust marks or other evidence of movement around a wheel fixing should never simply be ignored.
Look underneath
You don't need to crawl underneath the lorry during a routine walkaround, and you should never put yourself in an unsafe position.
But look underneath it.
Can you see:
oil;
diesel;
coolant;
AdBlue;
other fluid leaks;
anything hanging down;
damaged components;
anything obviously out of position?
Look at the ground where the vehicle has been parked too.
A fresh pool of fluid underneath the lorry may tell you something you wouldn't otherwise have noticed.
Suspension
Look for obvious problems with the suspension.
Depending on the vehicle, this can include:
broken or displaced components;
damaged springs;
obvious air-suspension problems;
abnormal vehicle height or lean;
damaged airbags;
obvious leaks or other damage.
If one corner of the vehicle suddenly doesn't look like the others, investigate why.
Mudguards and spray suppression
Check that mudguards, wings and spray-suppression equipment are present where required, secure and not badly damaged.
A loose mudguard or piece of bodywork can become dangerous very quickly at road speed.
Bodywork
Walk around the actual body of the vehicle.
Look for:
loose panels;
damaged doors;
insecure shutters;
loose equipment;
sharp or dangerous damage;
anything likely to detach;
anything protruding unexpectedly.
Doors, tailboards and other closures need to be properly secured before travelling.
Number plates and markings
Check that registration plates are:
present;
secure;
legible;
reasonably clean and unobstructed.
Also check any legally required markings, plates or signage applicable to the vehicle and operation.
The fifth wheel and coupling
If you're driving an articulated combination, never treat the coupling as something somebody else checked.
Check that the trailer is correctly coupled.
Depending on the equipment, pay attention to:
fifth-wheel engagement;
locking mechanism;
kingpin engagement;
security of the coupling;
landing legs being fully raised before travelling;
landing-leg handle being properly secured.
Carry out the appropriate coupling security check/tug test in accordance with your training and company procedure.
A trailer becoming detached from a tractor unit can have catastrophic consequences.
Air lines and electrical connections
Check the connections between tractor and trailer.
Ensure the appropriate:
air lines;
electrical connections;
ABS/EBS connection
are correctly fitted, secure and undamaged.
The RSA specifically highlights the importance of ensuring the ABS/EBS cable is present and connected where applicable.
Look for lines that are damaged, kinked, excessively stretched, rubbing against something or hanging where they could become damaged.
Trailer condition
Walk the full length of the trailer.
Check:
tyres and wheels;
suspension;
lights and markers;
reflectors;
bodywork;
doors;
rear protection;
mudguards;
spray suppression;
landing legs;
load security;
visible structural damage.
Never assume that because a trailer has just come from another driver it is defect-free.
You are now taking it onto the road.
Load security
Your walkaround isn't complete if the vehicle is perfect but the load isn't secure.
Check that the load is safely positioned and restrained using the appropriate equipment for the load being carried.
Check straps, chains, curtains, doors, gates, locking mechanisms and other load-restraint equipment as applicable.
Think about what will happen when you:
brake hard, corner, accelerate or make an emergency manoeuvre.
A load that looks perfectly stable while parked may behave very differently when several tonnes of vehicle and cargo are moving.
Specialist vehicles require specialist checks
Your daily check should reflect the vehicle you actually drive.
A refrigerated trailer may require checks relevant to its refrigeration equipment.
A tipper has different risks.
A tanker has additional equipment.
A livestock vehicle has another set of considerations again.
For livestock transport, for example, the driver should pay particular attention to the condition and security of doors, gates, partitions, ramps, flooring and other equipment used to contain and protect the animals, alongside the normal vehicle roadworthiness checks.
The RSA specifically recommends tailoring the daily check to the individual vehicle and how it is being used.
Don't forget cleanliness where it affects safety
A dirty lorry isn't automatically an unsafe lorry.
But dirt can become a safety issue when it prevents you or somebody else from seeing something important.
Keep:
lights;
reflectors;
mirrors;
cameras;
windows;
registration plates
sufficiently clean to do their jobs.
Heavy dirt can also conceal defects during your inspection.
What if you find a defect?
Report it.
That sounds obvious, but this is where the defect-reporting system really matters.
Your company should have a clear procedure telling you:
how to report the defect;
who to report it to;
how the defect is assessed;
whether the vehicle can be used; and
how the repair and rectification are recorded.
Do not simply think:
“I'll mention it later.”
Record it through the proper system.
Does every defect mean the lorry must be parked?
Not necessarily.
Defects vary enormously in severity.
But a safety-critical defect must never be ignored simply because the load needs to get there.
If you are unsure whether a vehicle remains safe and roadworthy, report the defect and have it appropriately assessed.
Don't make yourself responsible for guessing that a potentially serious mechanical defect will “probably be alright”.
What if the defect develops during the day?
Report that too.
The walkaround sheet isn't only useful for identifying defects.
A properly completed start-of-day record can help demonstrate that a defect wasn't apparent during the initial check and developed later.
For example:
You carry out and record a proper inspection at 05:30.
Everything is satisfactory.
At 11:00 you discover a damaged tyre.
Report the new defect immediately and follow the appropriate procedure.
That is very different from finding obvious tyre damage at 05:30, ignoring it and driving until somebody else notices it.
Paper defect sheets or an app?
Either may form part of an effective company defect-reporting system.
Some operators still use paper daily vehicle check sheets.
Others use an electronic app or fleet-management system.
A typical record should clearly identify relevant information such as:
date;
vehicle registration/fleet number;
trailer registration or identification where applicable;
driver;
check completed;
defects identified;
details of those defects;
action taken/defect reported;
repair or rectification information where appropriate.
Follow your company's system properly.
Don't simply click every box on an app without checking the corresponding component.
An electronic tick is still a declaration.
“No defects” is still meaningful
If you've completed a thorough inspection and genuinely found no defects, record the check according to your company's procedure.
A nil-defect record demonstrates that the inspection took place and provides part of the vehicle's roadworthiness history.
It should never become an automatic daily exercise of ticking NO DEFECTS before you've even looked at the vehicle.
The driver and operator both have responsibilities
Roadworthiness isn't solely the driver's problem.
Operators of heavy commercial vehicles have legal responsibilities to maintain vehicles properly, operate preventative-maintenance systems and ensure vehicles and trailers remain roadworthy.
Drivers need appropriate training, suitable checklists and a clear defect-reporting procedure.
The operator should also act on reported defects.
A brilliant driver walkaround system is useless if drivers repeatedly report defects and nobody repairs them.
Equally, an excellent workshop cannot repair a defect that a driver noticed but never reported.
Roadworthiness requires both sides to do their job.
A CVRT certificate does not mean you can skip your checks
A valid CVRT certificate shows that the vehicle met the required standard when it was tested.
It does not guarantee that the vehicle remains defect-free until the next CVRT.
Tyres get damaged.
Bulbs fail.
Air lines deteriorate.
Wheel fixings can develop problems.
Bodywork gets damaged.
Defects happen.
That is precisely why daily checks and preventative maintenance exist alongside periodic testing.
A simple routine to remember
Every company and vehicle may require a slightly different checklist, but think broadly about:
CAB Windows, mirrors/cameras, washers/wipers, warning lights, controls, horn, seatbelt, steering, braking and air systems.
LIGHTS Front, rear, side, indicators, brake lights, markers, reflectors and number-plate lighting.
TYRES & WHEELS Condition, inflation, tread, damage, wheel condition, nuts and indicators.
UNDERNEATH Leaks, hanging or damaged components and obvious abnormalities.
BODY & EQUIPMENT Panels, doors, guards, mudguards, spray suppression, plates and markings.
COUPLING Fifth wheel/kingpin or other coupling, locking mechanism, landing legs.
CONNECTIONS Air, electrical and ABS/EBS connections.
TRAILER Repeat the appropriate roadworthiness checks along the entire trailer.
LOAD Position, restraint and security.
RECORD IT Paper sheet or app – accurately record the result and report defects.
Finally: never let the check become a box-ticking exercise
When you've been driving the same vehicle every day, it is very easy to become complacent.
You know the lorry.
You drove it yesterday.
Nothing was wrong.
You are running late.
The first collection is waiting.
It is raining.
You think you'll notice anything serious once you start driving.
That is exactly when a walkaround can become a meaningless tick on an app.
Don't let it.
A professional walkaround check isn't about proving that you spent a particular number of minutes walking around a lorry.
It is about being able to say:
“Before I took this vehicle onto the road, I genuinely checked that it was safe and roadworthy.”
Take the time you need. Follow your company's procedure. Know the particular vehicle you are driving. Record the check accurately. Report what you find.
And if something doesn't look, sound, smell or feel right during the day:
check it again.
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