A good truck maintenance schedule will help you ensure your fleet stays operational and profitable. It will help you stay compliant while managing any potential issues with your vehicles long before they become problematic. This way, you can safeguard your drivers and your business, and there’ll be less chance of any downtime due to the need for substantial or emergency repairs.
In this post we’ll explore some of the daily, weekly, monthly, and annual tasks that contribute to a good truck maintenance schedule.
For fleet managers, preventative maintenance is an essential part of your risk management responsibilities. Our commercial motoring experts can help you understand the risks your fleet might face, and we can help you get the specialist insurance cover you need at a competitive price. For more information, contact us on 020 8290 9099 or email us at commercial.motor@anthonyjones.com.
Daily Checks to Keep Your Fleet Roadworthy
The DVSA defines “roadworthiness” as “complying with the appropriate vehicle construction, road safety, environmental and operating standards required by law in the UK.”
It’s a criminal offence to drive unroadworthy vehicles. This means that drivers, operators, and fleet managers have a legal duty to ensure their vehicles are safe to drive.
Legislation outlines that either a driver or a designated responsible person must conduct a walkaround check of a vehicle at least once in every 24 hour period the vehicle is in service. Any defects or deficiencies must be rectified before the vehicle’s used. The law also requires you to record any defects, along with any work you undertake as a result of your safety inspections.
Daily Truck Checklist
The daily checks should incorporate both the inside and outside of the vehicle. Things to look out for include:
- Lights and indicators
- Driver’s front view, including the functionality of the windscreen wipers and washers
- Fuel and oil leaks
- Tyres and wheel fixings
- Brakes and brake lines
- Electrical connections – including the ISO cable
- Number plate and markers
You can access a full daily maintenance checklist, which includes templates for numerous vehicle types, on the DVSA’s website. This document also details your exact legal responsibilities in this area, along with information on who is liable for ensuring your fleet meets these standards.
Ongoing Fleet Maintenance Servicing Schedule
Beyond the essential daily checks, you’ll need to establish a fleet maintenance service schedule. This schedule should include:
- Periodic or preventative maintenance – Every vehicle in your fleet needs to get adequate maintenance on an ongoing basis depending on its age and its mileage. The older a vehicle, and the more miles it covers, the more regularly it will need this periodic maintenance.
- MOT – Every vehicle will need to get an MOT once a year. This will include a series of checks and tests to ensure the vehicle is roadworthy.
- Servicing – Separate to maintenance, every vehicle will also need to undergo periodic servicing. This can include battery health checks, oil changes, wheel balancing, and more. Again, the number of services required in a 12 month period will depend on the vehicle’s age and mileage.
- Tyre Changes – It’s best practice to change your vehicles’ tyres on a periodic basis based on their mileage, or sooner should you ever spot any signs of defects or damage.
Fleet Maintenance Schedule Templates
You’ll find a number of free fleet maintenance spreadsheet templates here. Please note that you need to subscribe to the site to access their downloads.
It’s also worth noting that, as these are spreadsheet templates, you’ll need to maintain them manually. And while they could prove invaluable in ensuring that you never overlook any important aspects of fleet management, they will still require a lot of time-consuming admin.
For best results, invest in some good fleet management software. This way, you can get automated alerts for every vehicle in your fleet based on its age or mileage, so you can rest assured that you will never miss a vital maintenance deadline. TechRadar has a good roundup of the best fleet management software, which they seem to update every year.
We Can Help You Keep Your Fleet Safe, Compliant, and Operational
At Anthony Jones, we know what it takes to keep fleets and drivers safe on the roads. Since 1984, we’ve understood the unique challenges faced by owner operator HGV and lorry drivers.
Whether you’re an independent truck driver or manage a large haulage fleet of HGVs and lorries, we’re here to help you get the right commercial truck and HGV insurance to cover you against every possibility.
For more information, contact us on 020 8290 9099 or email us at commercial.motor@anthonyjones.com.
