Commercial Vehicle Pre-Trip Inspection and Vehicle Condition
What this domain tests
Whether you can carry out a documented daily walk-around check and recognise when a vehicle is not fit to leave the yard - and whether you know that driving a defective vehicle is an offence, however short the trip.
The walk-around sequence
Work in the same order every day: front lights and indicators, windscreen and wipers, mirrors, offside wheels and body, rear lights, reflectors and triangles, nearside wheels, then under the bonnet.
- Tyres: tread depth of at least 1.6 mm across the central three-quarters, correct pressure, no cuts, bulges or exposed cords, and check wheel-nut indicators are present and aligned.
- Brakes: for air-braked vehicles, let pressure build to the governed maximum, listen for the low-pressure warning, then test for leaks with the engine off. Any pressure that keeps falling is a defect.
- Fluids and belts: engine oil, coolant, brake and clutch fluid, washer bottle, power-steering fluid; check belts for cracking.
- Equipment: fire extinguisher in date, first aid kit, warning triangles, reflective vest, jack and wheel brace, speed limiter sealed and working, valid inspection certificate displayed.
Worked example
On starting the lorry the low-pressure buzzer sounds and the gauge climbs only slowly, falling once the engine is switched off. That indicates an air leak. You do not drive: brake performance depends on that pressure, and a loaded vehicle with a leak can lose its service brakes on the first long descent. You report the defect in writing and the vehicle stays in the yard.
Traps that cost marks
Checking only the tyres you can see from the driver's side, accepting "it was fine yesterday", ignoring a small air or oil leak, and missing an expired fire extinguisher or inspection certificate.