Heavy vehicle safety and inspection requirements
What the exam tests
You need to know how heavy vehicles are inspected, what a certificate of fitness (CoF) covers, and what daily checks a driver must do.
CoF and inspections
Heavy vehicles, generally over 3,500 kg GLW, need a current CoF instead of a warrant of fitness. A CoF is issued after an inspection by an NZTA-approved organisation and normally lasts six months. It covers structure, brakes, steering, tyres, lights, glazing, exhaust and load-security items. A CoF is not a daily guarantee: the driver must still check the vehicle before each trip.
Pre-trip checks
- Tyres: tread depth at least 1.5 mm, correct pressure, no cuts, bulges or exposed cords; load rating suitable.
- Brakes: pedal feel, air pressure build-up, no warning lights, no air leaks.
- Lights, indicators, horn, mirrors, wipers and windscreen.
- Couplings, safety chains, air lines and load restraints.
- Fire extinguisher, wheel chocks and warning equipment where required.
- Conspicuity markings and rear markers secure and clean.
Worked example
A driver finds a front tyre with 1.2 mm tread and a small bulge. The legal minimum is 1.5 mm, and a bulge indicates structural damage. The truck must not be used until the tyre is replaced; a current CoF does not make it legal to drive a defective tyre. The defect should be recorded and reported.
Traps
- Treating the CoF as a substitute for daily checks.
- Thinking a CoF lasts 12 months.
- Ignoring tyre load rating because the tread looks fine.
- Failing to report a defect because the vehicle still drives.