Vehicle inspection, maintenance and defect awareness
This section covers daily checks, scheduled maintenance, periodic inspection and defect reporting for heavy vehicles. The exam tests whether you can find a defect before it becomes a breakdown or collision.
Core rules
A daily walk-around check should cover tyres and wheel nuts, lights and indicators, mirrors, windscreen and wipers, fluid levels, air or hydraulic brake warning systems, load security and trailer coupling. Check tyre pressures cold and look for cuts, bulges and exposed cords. The periodic inspection (Fahas) is a legal roadworthiness check, not a substitute for daily checks. Any defect that affects safety must be reported and recorded before the vehicle is used; if it makes the vehicle unsafe, do not drive it. Warning lamps are information, not decoration: a red brake or engine lamp means stop and investigate.
Worked example
During a walk-around you find a bulge on an inner rear tyre. The tyre still holds pressure, so the truck could move, but the sidewall is weakened and may fail under load. The correct action is to remove the vehicle from service, record the defect and have the tyre replaced before loading. Driving to the depot because “it is only 5 km” is the wrong choice.
Traps
Treating the annual inspection as the only check; ignoring a red warning lamp because the vehicle still drives; signing a defect sheet without physically checking; and forgetting trailer coupling, airlines and electrical connections.