The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has estimated that around 85% of roadworthiness infringements could be avoided if drivers carried out a walkaround check before setting off. The estimate dates from 2015, but most of the defects that lead to roadside prohibitions, such as worn tyres, blown bulbs and insecure loads, are visible to a driver who looks for them.
This guide about daily walkaround Checks is written for transport managers, fleet managers and drivers in the UK, and it also covers the daily vehicle safety checks for vans and company cars that fall outside the HGV rules. The DVSA guidance referred to here applies in England, Scotland and Wales; operators in Northern Ireland work to the same principles under the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA).
Table of Contents
What the Law Requires From a Walkaround Check
The driver is responsible for making sure the vehicle is safe before it is driven, and the operator is responsible for having a system that makes that check happen and acts on what it finds. Both can be held to account separately when a defective vehicle is stopped.
The Driver’s Duty
DVSA’s guidance tells HGV drivers to carry out a walkaround check before each journey and to report any defect in writing to the person in their organisation who deals with repairs. Using a vehicle in a dangerous condition is an offence under section 40A of the Road Traffic Act 1988. For HGV drivers, GOV.UK states that the penalty can be an unlimited fine and a prison sentence. An instruction from a manager to drive anyway does not remove that liability from the driver.
The Operator’s Duty
Operators holding a goods vehicle operator’s licence give undertakings to keep vehicles fit and serviceable and to have a system for drivers to report defects. Traffic commissioners judge those systems against DVSA’s Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness, which was last updated on 28 April 2025. An operator who cannot show that checks happen, or that reported defects were repaired, puts the licence at risk at a public inquiry.
Vans and Cars Outside Operator Licensing
Most vans of 3.5 tonnes or less and company cars sit outside goods vehicle operator licensing, but the dangerous condition offence still applies to the driver. Employers also have a general duty under health and safety law to manage the risks of driving for work, and the Health and Safety Executive treats vehicle condition as part of that duty.
When a Daily Walkaround Check Must Be Done
A walkaround check is done before the vehicle is first used in a working day, and again by any other driver who takes it over. Relying on a colleague’s check from an earlier shift does not count.
A fresh check is also needed when a driver couples a different trailer, because the coupling, brake lines, electrical connections, lights, markings and load on that trailer are new to the combination. For defects that appear during the day, GOV.UK tells drivers to find a safe place to stop, assess the fault and report it, and to have any dangerous defect fixed before the journey continues.
Because the check is work, the driver card should be in the tachograph before it starts. The guide to digital tachograph cards explains how the card records this time.
The 27 Point Daily Walkaround Check for HGVs
DVSA’s HGV guidance divides the daily walkaround check into nine points inside the cab and 18 outside. The table groups them in the order a driver walks round the vehicle.
| Where | DVSA points | What the driver confirms |
|---|---|---|
| In the cab, view and controls | 1 to 5 | Nothing in the swept area of the wipers; windscreen not cracked, scratched or discoloured; all mirrors or camera systems present, secure and working; wipers and washers work; instruments, gauges and warning lights (including engine, emissions, ABS and EBS) work; steering has no excessive play; horn works |
| In the cab, brakes and safety | 6 to 9 | Air builds up and the warning system works; no air leaks; footwell clear; service and parking brakes work; height marker shows the correct height; seatbelts undamaged and retracting; cab mountings, doors and steps secure |
| Outside, lights and fluids | 10 to 15 | All lights, indicators and marker lights work with correct, clean lenses; fuel cap fitted and no fuel or oil leaks; body and wings secure; battery secure and not leaking; enough AdBlue; no excessive exhaust smoke |
| Outside, alternative fuels | 16 and 17 | Driver knows where the high voltage cut-off and fuel isolation switches are; no damage or leaks |
| Outside, wheels and running gear | 18 to 20 | Spray suppression fitted and clear; tyres at least 1mm tread, correctly inflated, no deep cuts or visible cord; wheel nuts tight; nothing trapped between twin wheels; brake lines undamaged and trailer parking brake working |
| Outside, coupling and load | 21 to 23 | Electrical connections insulated and secure; trailer located correctly in the fifth wheel or coupling with secondary locks in place; load not moving and not likely to move |
| Outside, identification | 24 to 27 | Number plate complete, clean and correctly spaced; reflectors and conspicuity markings present and visible; hazard panels correct for any dangerous goods; any vehicle-specific equipment checked |
The full DVSA list for HGV daily walkaround checks includes photographs of tyre defects and a downloadable diagram. Drivers new to a vehicle type should read it in full.
The Points Most Often Rushed
The legal tread limit for an HGV is 1mm, so anything close to it should be reported rather than judged by eye. Wheel nut indicators make loose nuts obvious if the driver looks at every wheel.
Air leaks are easier to hear than to see. DVSA suggests leaving the engine running after the first brake test so that pressure builds while the rest of the check is done, which makes a leaking line or coupling audible. The height marker also catches drivers out, because the running height changes when the fifth wheel is moved or a trailer is loaded, unloaded or reloaded, so a marker set for the first load may be wrong by the afternoon.
Load security is the last point a driver can affect before moving off. DVSA’s load securing guidance asks for restraint strong enough to hold the load against forces equal to 80% of its weight forwards and 50% sideways and rearwards, so a strap that looks tight may still be the wrong system.
Daily Vehicle Checklist for Vans and Company Cars
Vans and cars need a shorter check than an HGV. DVSA’s roadworthiness guide includes an example defect report for light goods vehicles, and a van fleet can base its own daily vehicle checklist on it.
These vehicle safety checks form a practical vehicle inspection checklist for any van or company car used for work:
- Tyres have at least 1.6mm of tread across the central three-quarters of the width, with no cuts, bulges or embedded objects, and pressures are checked when the tyres are cold.
- Headlights work and are correctly aimed, and brake lights, indicators, hazard lights and the number plate light all work; a driver on their own can check brake lights in the reflection of a window or a garage door.
- Engine oil, coolant, brake fluid and screen wash are between the marks, with oil checked on level ground a few minutes after the engine has stopped.
- The windscreen has no damage in the driver’s line of sight, wipers clear the screen, and all mirrors are present, clean and adjusted.
- Dashboard warning lights go out after start-up, the horn works and every seatbelt locks and retracts.
- The brakes respond firmly in a slow-speed test before the vehicle joins the road, with no pulling to one side, and the parking brake holds the vehicle on a slope.
- The engine starts cleanly and runs without knocking, squealing or grinding, since these noises often point to a belt, bearing or exhaust fault before any warning light appears.
- Anything carried in the load area is secured so it cannot move under braking, and the bulkhead and rear doors close properly.
A warning triangle, first aid kit or fire extinguisher is a matter of company policy rather than law for UK vans and cars. Several European countries require some of them, so fleets with cross-border work should check the rules before travel.
How to Record and Report Defects
Every walkaround check produces a record, whether or not anything is wrong. GOV.UK says the driver should record the vehicle registration or fleet identification, the date, the details of each defect or symptom, the driver’s assessment of it (for example, “dangerous”), the driver’s name and the person it was reported to. Where nothing is found, the driver records a nil defect report on a form that lists the items checked.
The report is only half of the record. The person responsible for repairs then records what was done, who did it and when the vehicle was returned to service. A defect report without a rectification entry is one of the first gaps an examiner looks for.
Dangerous and Minor Defects
A dangerous defect means the vehicle does not move until it is repaired. Brakes that do not hold, a tyre below the legal limit or with cord showing, a coupling that will not lock and a cracked windscreen in the driver’s view all fall into this group. Minor defects, such as a scuffed panel or a slow-to-clear warning light that has been diagnosed as harmless, can be recorded and booked into the workshop, but each one still needs a repair date.
At the roadside, DVSA examiners can issue an immediate prohibition, which stops the vehicle on the spot, or a delayed prohibition, which allows a short period for a less serious fault to be repaired. Both are recorded against the operator and affect its compliance score.
In Practice: A Hypothetical Tyre Defect
A driver starts a 05:45 check on a 7.5-tonne curtain-sider and finds a bulge on the inner sidewall of the offside rear tyre. The driver records the defect, marks it as dangerous, adds a photograph and reports it to the transport office before handing back the keys. The transport manager allocates a spare vehicle for the route and books the tyre replacement. When the fitter has replaced the tyre, the rectification is recorded and signed, and only then is the vehicle released. That complete chain is what an examiner expects to see.
How Long Walkaround Check Records Must Be Kept
Driver defect reports and the records of the repairs made are kept for at least 15 months, the same period as safety inspection records, according to DVSA’s roadworthiness guide and Logistics UK’s compliance guidance. Records for a vehicle that has been sold remain part of the operator’s maintenance system for 15 months from the date of sale.
The guide does not set a retention period for nil reports. Logistics UK suggests keeping at least one full safety inspection cycle of them. If an inspection finds a blown bulb or worn tyre a driver could have seen, and the driver submitted a nil report the day before, the check is not being done properly.
Walkaround checks are one part of a wider compliance system that also includes drivers’ hours, licence checks and periodic safety inspections. The UK fleet compliance guide covers how those pieces fit together for an operator’s licence.
Paper Check Sheets or a Walkaround Check App
Both paper and electronic records are acceptable, provided the system shows when each check was done, who did it, what was found and what happened next. Paper becomes harder to manage as vehicles and sites are added.
A paper walkaround check sheet costs nothing and suits small fleets. Pocket Box’s free daily inspection checklist template follows the DVSA points and can be printed into a book for each vehicle. The weakness of paper is timing: a sheet can be filled in after the event, it can go missing in a cab, and a defect may not reach the transport office until the end of the shift.
A walkaround check app records the time of each check as it is submitted, lets the driver attach photographs and sends defects to the office straight away. Managers can see which vehicles have not been checked that morning rather than finding out at the end of the week.
| Factor | Paper check sheet | Walkaround check app | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Set-up cost | Printing only | Subscription and driver training | Paper for one or two vehicles |
| Time of check | Written by the driver | Recorded on submission | App where checks are audited often |
| Defect reaches the office | When the sheet is handed in | When the check is submitted | App for multi-site or early-start fleets |
| Photographs | Rarely attached | Attached to the defect | App for tyre and body damage disputes |
| Missed checks | Found on manual review | Flagged on the day | App for fleets of ten or more vehicles |
| 15-month retention | Physical filing | Stored and searchable | Either, if the filing is disciplined |
Operators working towards DVSA Earned Recognition will find an electronic system easier to evidence, because the scheme relies on maintenance and drivers’ hours data held in an approved IT system. The scheme is voluntary, and paper remains acceptable outside it.
Putting a Walkaround Check System in Place
A written process rests on four decisions. Choose the check list for each vehicle type, based on the DVSA points for HGVs and the shorter list above for vans and cars. Decide how checks are recorded, on paper or in an app, and who in the office receives defects. Set out what drivers do when they find a dangerous defect, including who can authorise a spare vehicle. Finally, agree how often a manager compares safety inspection findings with drivers’ reports, and record that review. Training at induction, refreshed through toolbox talks when inspections show missed defects, keeps the standard consistent.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Should a Walkaround Check Take?
DVSA does not set a fixed time, because a solo van takes far less checking than an articulated lorry with a loaded trailer. Operators are expected to allow enough time, and a large vehicle checked in a minute or two every day is unlikely to have had all 27 points covered.
Does a Walkaround Check Count as Working Time?
The check is work. For drivers covered by the GB domestic or retained EU drivers’ hours rules, it should be recorded on the tachograph as other work, not as a break or rest. It also counts towards the driver’s weekly working time under the Road Transport (Working Time) Regulations 2005, so planners should include it when building shift patterns.
Can a Driver Refuse to Drive a Vehicle With a Dangerous Defect?
A driver who has found and reported a dangerous defect should not drive the vehicle until it is repaired, and is entitled to refuse an instruction to do so. Driving it would expose the driver personally to prosecution, and an employer’s instruction is not a defence. Operators should state in their driver policy that such a refusal will not lead to disciplinary action.
Is a Walkaround Check the Same as a Safety Inspection or an MOT?
The three are separate checks. A walkaround check is a daily visual and functional check by the driver. Periodic safety inspections are carried out by a trained inspector at intervals the operator sets according to the vehicle’s age, type and use. HGVs also need an annual test, and vans and cars over three years old need an MOT.
This guide is general information based on DVSA and GOV.UK guidance at the time of writing. Operators should check the current guidance or take advice from a transport compliance specialist on their own licence undertakings.
