Vehicle inspection, roadworthiness and pre-trip checks
Vehicle inspection, roadworthiness and pre-trip checks
This domain tests the daily walk-around, the statutory periodic inspection, and the judgement to defect a vehicle instead of driving it.
Legal inspection
- Heavy and commercial vehicles undergo periodic technical inspection (الفحص الدوري) at an approved station. The certificate must be valid and carried, and it covers brakes, steering, suspension, tyres, lights, emissions, chassis and body integrity.
- An inspection pass is a snapshot. It does not replace the daily check, and a defect found at the roadside is still the driver's responsibility.
Pre-trip walk-around
- Tyres: tread depth, cuts, bulges, sidewall damage, matching duals, cold pressures, valve caps, stones wedged in treads.
- Wheels: rust streaks around nuts, loose or missing nuts, cracked rims.
- Leaks and fluids under the vehicle: coolant, oil, fuel, washer.
- Lights, indicators, hazards, reflectors, marker boards, mirrors, wipers, horn.
- Load: securement, tarpaulin, tailgate, centre of gravity, overhead clearance.
- Coupling: fifth-wheel jaws closed and locked, kingpin engaged, air lines and electrical cable routed clear, landing legs raised, safety catch fitted.
- Safety equipment: charged extinguisher in date, warning triangle, first aid kit, spare wheel and tools.
Worked example
Cold start with the gauge at 0 kPa. After three minutes at fast idle it reads 620 kPa and the low-pressure buzzer has just stopped. Reasoning: the system should reach governor cut-out (around 800–830 kPa) within roughly three minutes. It does not, so the compressor or governor is performing poorly. The correct decision is to defect the vehicle, not to dispatch it and hope pressure builds on the road.
Traps that cost marks
- Signing the checklist without walking the vehicle, or pre-signing sheets.
- Passing a tyre with a sidewall bulge because the tread looks deep.
- Missing a partially closed fifth-wheel jaw during the coupling check.