HGVs (Heavy Goods Vehicles) play a vital role in the transportation industry by facilitating the efficient transportation of goods nationwide. Utilising HGV inspections, this guide provides valuable insights for maintaining the roadworthiness and safety of heavy goods vehicles.
What is an HGV inspection?
The HGV inspection is a comprehensive examination ensuring heavy goods vehicles’ roadworthiness and compliance with safety regulations. This assessment involves inspecting the vehicle’s interior, exterior, technical systems, and documentation.
Daily vehicle checks, or “walkaround checks,” are crucial for maintaining fleet roadworthiness, as mandated by DVSA regulations. Drivers must inspect lights, tyres, wheel fixings, bodywork, trailer coupling, load security and in-cab vehicle height indicators before each journey. These checks ensure compliance with DVSA standards and help avoid issues during roadside inspections.
DVSA roadside checks enforce compliance by examining vehicle conditions, driver documentation and operating licenses. Inspectors help identify defects like brake failures or underinflated tyres, which are among the most common causes of vehicle safety issues. Non-compliance can result in fines, prohibition notices and potential vehicle impoundment, directly impacting fleet productivity and safety.
The legal requirements for HGV inspections
The inspections of Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGV) go beyond being a safety practice; they are a legal requirement mandated by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) in the United Kingdom. These inspections are crucial to ensure safety and compliance with the law. Non-compliance with these regulations can have profound consequences for businesses, including penalties such as the suspension of your fleet’s operating license and fines.
Failing an HGV inspection can lead to various implications such as
- Expensive repairs
- Vehicle Impoundments
- Increased insurance premiums
Operating an unsafe vehicle puts not only the driver at risk but also poses a danger to other road users and the goods being transported.
Webfleet research bears that out. For our European Road Safety Report, we surveyed 1050 fleet decision-makers. And when it came to identifying the most common causes of accidents, a stunning 66% pointed to vehicle failures due to a lack of maintenance.
Additionally, the UK Fleet Safety Report by Webfleet reveals alarming statistics: 27% of fleet accidents were due to mechanical failure, while 23% of fleet decision-makers cited inadequate vehicle maintenance as a contributing factor. To mitigate these risks and ensure legal compliance, fleet managers must implement stringent daily walk-around checks and adhere to maintenance schedules. As stated above, failing to do so will lead to fines, suspensions and sometimes prison.To stay ahead of DVSA regulatory updates and their implications for your fleet, read our detailed blog on Navigating DVSA Regulatory Changes.
How to prepare for an HGV inspection
Before an HGV inspection, which can also be referred to as a daily walk around check, you should have a pre-inspection checklist that includes key focus areas to help prepare your vehicle thoroughly.
Exterior inspection
It includes examining for any visible damages such as body work, mirrors provide proper visibility, ensuring tyres have good tread depth and lights work in order.
Interior inspection
This checks the condition of the seatbelt, the driver’s seat, dashboard controls, gauges, safety equipment and the cabin is free of obstructions and clean.
Mechanical inspection
HGV operators must conduct comprehensive vehicle inspections to ensure mechanical compliance and safety. The DVSA recommends a 24-point checklist for vehicle walkarounds, which covers critical components such as engines, brakes, suspension, fluid levels, exhaust, emissions, tyres, lights, and steering. This thorough approach ensures compliance and prepares vehicles for smooth roadside checks.
While these inspections can be completed using traditional paper methods, modern fleet management solutions like Webfleet offer more efficient and comprehensive options.
For example, Webfleet’s fleet safety and maintenance solutions. By utilising this system, you can go beyond traditional methods and benefit from features such as driver support, active coaching for drivers, fleet protection, mitigation of unexpected incidents, and improved vehicle maintenance management. This ensures that you stay proactive in addressing challenges, enhancing safety, and maintaining the optimal performance of your fleet.
Checking your HGV brakes and tyres
Regular tyre checks are vital for enhancing the safety of your fleet operations, and thus are important for the inspections. According to the DVSA standard, Heavy Goods Vehicles should have a tread depth of at least 1mm. Any tread depth below this requires an immediate report and a prompt replacement of the affected tyres. To ensure that you stay within the recommended tyre pressure range of 8 to 9 bar (not exceeding 10).
Worn brakes are a leading cause of commercial vehicle MOT failures. The DVSA reported that ‘Brake Systems and Components’ were the leading cause of MOT failure at 5.7% in Q4 2023. Inspecting brake pads on multi-axle trucks can be challenging, leading to potential oversight. Commercial trucks weigh 20 to 30 times more than a typical passenger car, presenting huge safety and liability risks in the case of brake failure. This underscores the importance of daily vehicle checks to ensure no defects are missed and all issues are promptly reported and addressed.
The latest Webfleet Trailer solution provides 24/7 tyre view with tyre pressure monitoring (TPMS) in-built, safety monitoring with fault detection, enabling you to address any issues before they escalate into major repairs. The integrated Electronic Braking Performance Monitoring System (EBPMS) allows you to report on your vehicle’s brakes.
The Webfleet Trailer solution generates a bespoke Webfleet Braking Performance Report. The report identifies any abnormalities in braking performance through remote monitoring of your vehicle’s braking events. It alerts you if the values fall below the pass mark of 5 set by the DVSA.
Webfleet Trailer enables you to exceed the requirements for conducting a roller braking test at least four times per year, resulting in a significant reduction of £100 in annual inspection costs for each Heavy Goods Vehicle in your fleet.
HGV inspection manual DVSA
The DVSA has provided an extensive guidebook for operators and inspectors of Heavy Goods Vehicles. This handbook encompasses all aspects of HGV inspections, from pre-inspection procedures to a detailed checklist for each vehicle component.
It is a valuable resource that promotes the smooth and efficient operation of HGVs while upholding the highest safety and compliance standards. The HGV inspection manual offers a step-by-step guide. It empowers operators and inspectors to conduct thorough inspections and identify any potential issues or concerns.
By adhering to the guidelines outlined in this manual, operators can proactively manage their fleet, minimise downtime, and optimise the performance of their HGVs.
It serves as an indispensable tool for those committed to ensuring the utmost safety and regulatory compliance in the operation of Heavy Goods Vehicles.
What to do if you find any HGV defects
Ensuring the thorough inspection of all vehicles in your fleet, it is crucial to address any identified defects promptly. After conducting the necessary checks mentioned above, it is your responsibility to immediately report any defects discovered. If a defect poses a safety risk, it is imperative that the vehicle is not driven.
According to a UK and Ireland study of over 500 UK and Ireland-based HGV drivers cited by Webfleet, 39.3% never perform daily walkaround checks, while 15.8% rarely do. This means 55.1% of respondents don’t regularly conduct these crucial safety inspections, raising concerns about adherence to safety protocols in the commercial driving sector.[1]
With the comprehensive technical solutions provided by Webfleet, users can avoid the need for manual recording of defect details such as the vehicle’s registration number, name, and date of identification.
Webfleet’s Vehicle Check app allows drivers to complete predefined checklists via their smartphones, eliminating paperwork and ensuring all defects are documented in real-time. Fleet managers and drivers can access immediate updates, enabling fast decision-making and efficient communication. The DVSA also requires the retention of all defect reports for a period of 15 months, as paper checklists can be prone to misplacement. Digital reports provide a secure and organised solution to meet this requirement.
Take control of your fleet’s safety and compliance: request a demo
Fleet managers and drivers will receive real-time updates via the Webfleet app, ensuring immediate access to information on any issues. This streamlined process eliminates the need for manual documentation and ensures efficient communication between all parties involved.
The DVSA also requires the retention of all defect reports for a period of 15 months, as paper checklists can be prone to misplacement.
Guarantee the security of your driver and vehicle. Maintain the optimal state of your vehicle, reducing the cost of inspection spent per vehicle. Remain on top of your vehicle maintenance decreasing the chances of inspection failures within your fleet operations.
Request a demo of Webfleet’s fleet management solutions today and see how our tools can help you manage defects, improve vehicle safety, and reduce downtime.
- HGV Drivers Failing to Carry Out Walkaround Checks Says Survey – Commercial Fleet (2020)
