Commercial Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance
What the exam tests
This domain tests pre-trip inspection, defect recognition and reporting, and the maintenance records a commercial operator must keep.
Core rules
- Do a walk-around before each shift: tyres and tread, wheel nuts and indicators, lights, mirrors, windscreen, wipers, fluids, leaks, brake and air-pressure warnings, coupling and load security.
- Test brakes, steering, horn and lights. Check that the emergency equipment, fire extinguisher, warning triangle and spare wheel are present and serviceable.
- Know the difference between a defect that makes the vehicle unsafe to move and one that can be scheduled. Brake, steering, tyre, coupling and load-security defects are normally 'do not drive' until repaired.
- Record defects, report them to the operator and keep the vehicle's inspection and maintenance records. Kuwait requires periodic vehicle inspection through the traffic authorities; commercial vehicles must also meet the operator's maintenance schedule.
Worked example
During a walk-around you find a deep cut on a front tyre with cords visible. The correct action is to take the vehicle out of service and report the defect; do not cover it with a boot or reduce the load and drive. Reason: exposed cords mean the tyre can fail under load or heat, and the defect affects steering and braking.
Traps
Relying on the dashboard warning light instead of checking fluids and tyres; missing a second tyre on a twin-wheel axle; signing off an inspection without doing it; forgetting to check the coupling after a trailer change.