Inspection, Maintenance and Pre-Trip Checks
Daily checks before moving
The pre-trip walk-around is examinable as a routine: tyres (pressure, tread, cuts, stones), wheel nuts, brake and air pressure build-up, oil and coolant, lamps and indicators, wipers, mirrors, washer fluid, load and rope. Air-braked vehicles need the tank drained of water and pressure built to specification before moving.
Periodic inspection
User inspections fall at fixed intervals - typically 6 months for a private goods vehicle and 12 months for a private car, with 3-month intervals in commercial use. 車検 is separate: a private goods vehicle is first inspected at two years, then annually. Inspection is not maintenance; passing 車検 does not mean the vehicle is fit next month.
Tyres and brakes
The legal minimum tread is 1.6 mm; below that, wet grip collapses. Check for uneven wear, which points to alignment or pressure faults. Brake drag, pulling, or a soft pedal means off-road until fixed.
Worked example
A tread gauge reads 1.4 mm on the drive axle. The rule is 1.6 mm, so the tyre is illegal however much tread remains on the shoulders. Reason: water clearance depends on the grooves, so wet braking and hydroplaning resistance fail before the tyre looks bald.
Traps
Treating 車検 as a maintenance schedule; skipping the air-tank drain; checking only one tyre; forgetting the spare, jack and warning triangle.