Category C vehicle technology and daily inspection
What the exam tests
Category C covers goods vehicles over 3.5 t maximum mass, with no more than eight passenger seats, and may be combined with a trailer over 750 kg in category C+E. The exam tests daily walk-around checks and basic fault recognition.
Core rules
- Walk around the vehicle before departure: tyres, wheels, lights, reflectors, plates, mirrors, windscreen, wipers, fluids, leaks and load security.
- Check tyre pressure when cold, look for cuts, bulges and trapped stones, and inspect twin tyres for contact.
- Check air-brake pressure build-up, listen for leaks, drain moisture from air tanks where fitted, and confirm the low-pressure warning works.
- Test service brake, parking brake, steering play, horn and all lamps. Confirm the fifth-wheel or drawbar coupling is locked and the trailer legs are raised.
- Watch the dashboard after starting: ABS/EBS, brake, engine and AdBlue warnings must go out as designed.
Worked example
After starting, the air-pressure gauge stays below normal and the low-pressure buzzer sounds. The driver must not depart. The defect could be a leak, a failed compressor or a blocked drain; the vehicle stays put until pressure builds and the warning clears.
Traps that cost marks
Checking lights only from the cab; ignoring a small air leak; forgetting to check the coupling jaws; treating a warning lamp as normal because the truck still moves.
Key points
- Category C: goods vehicle over 3.5 t.
- Daily walk-around before every first departure.
- Cold tyre pressure and sidewall damage.
- Air pressure and low-pressure warning are critical.
- Warning lamp on: investigate, do not ignore.