When you are out on the road, how can you ensure your vehicle is as safe as possible? There are several checks that needed to be undertaken to keep yourself safe, as well as other road users and the goods you are transporting.
As well as having a valid MOT and regular servicing, an HGV must comply with three further checks. These are the:
- Daily walk-round checks
- Regular safety checks
- Annual safety inspections
The DVSA ‘Guide to maintaining roadworthiness’ can be found here.
We will summarise the checks here:
Daily checks
Using a Daily Inspection Sheet, daily checks will include a list of vehicle parts, electrical connections, brake lines, trailer coupling, and the condition of reflectors, windows and number plates, horn and lights. This list is the basic components of the check and should also include any additional parts specific to your vehicle. A full list of the checks which need to be carried out on a daily basis can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/carry-out-daily-heavy-goods-vehicle-hgv-walkaround-checks This includes forms and videos of how to record and report any defects found.
Regular safety checks
These inspections are a legal requirement and must be carried out on a regular basis. These inspections do not necessarily need to be carried out 6-weekly. You can set the frequency of these checks when you apply for your operator’s licence. The frequency will depend on the conditions your vehicle will be operating under, i.e., if the conditions are tough and hard wearing, you should apply for shorter vehicle inspections. Also, you should take into consideration the annual mileage you anticipate using. Other factors relevant to the internal between inspections will be the age, condition and current mileage of your vehicle. The DVSA recommends any vehicle that has been out of service for some time is inspected before use. As per the chart above, it is also recommended that any vehicle and trailer over 12 years old are inspected on a 6 weekly cycle.
An HGV 6-week inspection is essentially a preventative maintenance check which can spot smaller defects before they become a bigger problem. These cover the following:
- Brakes
- Mirrors
- Steering
- Bearings
- Tyres
- Windscreen
- Suspension
- Seatbelts
- Emissions
- Lights
- Wiring
This is similar to an MOT and ensures the vehicle is roadworthy.
The Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) sets out the following useful table:
Annual Safety Inspections
As HGV vehicles are highly complex machines, it is important to ensure that all the systems and moving parts are working together to guarantee ultimate performance. The annual safety inspection is similar to an annual MOT and ensures that HGV vehicles are legally roadworthy according to The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA). If your vehicle is not deemed to be in good working order, you could lose your HGV licence.
The annual checks differ from the daily and regular checks as they are a comprehensive inspection which involves a second person (usually the driver) to assist the VOSA qualified agent with testing. The vehicle will need to pass the follow standards to prove roadworthy:
Topside
This is generally undertaken on a hardstanding and looks at various factors such as:
- Making sure the mirrors and fairings are fixed and in good condition
- Checking driver and passenger doors open and close securely
- Ensuring spray suppressors are correct size
- Checking HGV’s identity against the VTG6 plate
- Ensuring tyres are in good condition and the correct rating for the HGV
- Making sure all lights, including indicators, repeaters, headlights and fog lights are operational and aligned correctly
All visible parts of the vehicle are checked. The tester will look over the entire structure, including the driver’s cab.
Underside
The components underneath the vehicle that need to be assessed whilst over a pit are:
- Air brake function
- Foot brakes
- Axle alignment
- Shaker plates
- Oil and fuel checked for leaks
- Steering
- Bearings
The inspector will look for signs of wear and tear as well as loose fixtures/bolts – any early warning signs of a bigger problem.
To find out more, go to: The VOSA Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness on the government website.
An example of a HGV inspection record is shown here, taken from the DVSA 2018 Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness (Commercial goods and passenger carrying vehicles).
guide-to-maintaining-roadworthiness-commercial-goods-and-passenger-carrying-vehicles