What should a pre-trip inspection cover for light-duty fleet vehicles?

This is general information, not legal advice. Check the rules in your province or state.

Is a pre-trip inspection required, and is it worth doing?

A pre-trip inspection (also called a circle check or walk-around) is legally required for commercial vehicles above certain weights. For the cars, SUVs, half-ton pickups and vans that most small fleets run, it's usually good practice rather than law. This article keeps the two apart. We checked US federal rules, Canada's National Safety Code and Ontario's rules; states and other provinces have their own, so check yours. This isn't legal advice.

What does the law require?

United States: FMCSA rules for commercial motor vehicles

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations apply to commercial motor vehicles (CMVs). Under 49 CFR § 390.5, that includes vehicles used in interstate commerce with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR), gross combination weight rating, or actual gross or combination weight of 4,536 kg (10,001 lb) or more, whichever is greater. It also includes some passenger vans by seating capacity and vehicles carrying placarded hazardous materials.

Two sections of 49 CFR Part 396 cover the daily routine:

• Before driving (§ 396.13). The driver must "be satisfied that the motor vehicle is in safe operating condition," review the last driver vehicle inspection report, and sign it to acknowledge any repairs certified on it.
• After the day's work (§ 396.11). The driver reports on at least: service brakes, parking brake, steering, lights and reflectors, tires, horn, wipers, mirrors, coupling devices, wheels and rims, and emergency equipment. A written report is needed only if a defect is found or reported. The carrier must fix safety defects before the vehicle is driven again and keep the reports for three months. The report rules don't apply to a carrier operating only one CMV (or to private non-business passenger carriers and driveaway-towaway operations).

States set their own rules for trips that stay inside the state. Many adopt the federal rules, sometimes with different weight thresholds (our general understanding; check your state).

Canada: National Safety Code Standard 13 and Ontario

Canada's commercial vehicle rules build on the National Safety Code (NSC), a set of standards "developed by the member jurisdictions of CCMTA in conjunction with the motor carrier industry." Each province and territory applies it through its own law, so details vary. Standard 13, Trip Inspection, applies to commercial vehicles, defined as trucks, tractors and trailers "exceeding a registered gross vehicle weight of 4 500 kg," and buses seating more than 10. Under it:

• trucks are inspected against Schedule 1 "every 24 hours" when operated;
• the driver carries the inspection schedule and a report with the plate or unit number, date, time, location, odometer reading and signature;
• defects go on the report, and major defects are reported to the carrier at once. No one may drive a commercial vehicle with a major defect;
• Standard 13 notes that some jurisdictions exempt certain vehicles.

Ontario requires a daily inspection of trucks whose total gross weight or registered gross weight is more than 4,500 kg, of tow trucks of any weight, and of buses. The Ontario government says an inspection with no defect found "is valid for 24 hours," and the driver must "carry and produce an inspection schedule based on your vehicle, as well as a corresponding valid inspection report."

Does your vehicle cross the line?

Check the GVWR on the door-jamb label of each vehicle, and in Canada the registered gross weight too. Most cars and small SUVs sit well below both thresholds. Heavier pickups and cargo vans can come close to them or exceed them. In the US, actual and combination weights count too, so a pickup towing a trailer can cross 10,001 lb. In Ontario the power unit's total gross weight (its actual loaded weight on the road) or its registered gross weight counts, so a lighter truck registered heavier, or heavily loaded, can be covered (our reading of both rules). If a vehicle is covered, the legal inspection and paperwork apply in full.

What should a walk-around cover below the thresholds?

Tires, leaks, lights, glass, load, dashboard warnings, the first metres of driving and the emergency kit, in about two minutes (our estimate). For vehicles under the thresholds, no federal or NSC rule sets the checklist, so we built one. It adapts the categories of NSC Schedule 1 and § 396.11 to a car or van, plus Transport Canada's tire advice.

Tires, monthly and properly. A glance catches damage, not pressure. Transport Canada's Riding On Air guide says to measure pressure with a gauge "at least once a month" when the tires are cold, meaning parked at least three hours or driven no more than 2 km. It also says to replace tires worn to the tread-wear indicator, 1.5 mm (2/32 in), and not to use tires worn close to 4 mm (5/32 in) on snow-covered roads.

Warning lights. Some lights mean stop, others mean book a service. Our guide to the check engine light explains the difference, and the owner's manual has the final word for each vehicle.

When should the vehicle stay parked?

When it has a major defect, a flashing check engine light, a smell of fuel, signs of overheating or a damaged or visibly low tire. NSC Schedule 1 lists what counts as a major defect for a commercial vehicle with hydraulic brakes. The list includes an inoperative parking brake, inoperative brake boost, a brake fluid leak, brake pedal fade, a brake warning light other than ABS, and a brake fluid reservoir under a quarter full. It also includes failure of both low-beam headlamps or both brake lamps. The list is written for trucks over 4,500 kg, but we'd apply the same bar to a car or van.

Also keep the vehicle parked if it has:

• a flashing check engine light;
• a smell of fuel;
• signs of overheating;
• a tire that's damaged or visibly low.

Report the fault and have it inspected. Don't let a driver talk themselves into "just this one trip."

How do you make the inspection report count?

An inspection only helps if defects reach someone who fixes them. Our suggestions:

• One channel. A paper sheet in the vehicle, a shared form or a message thread; anything that records the vehicle, date, defect and who reported it.
• Close the loop. Record when each defect was fixed. That mirrors the § 396.11 repair certification, and it shows drivers their reports matter.
• Feed your maintenance plan. Repeated reports on the same vehicle are a signal. See how to schedule preventive maintenance.