Dashpivot Article – How to Fill Out a Driver Vehicle Inspection Report

how to fill out a driver vehicle inspection report

How to Fill Out a Driver Vehicle Inspection Report

To ensure compliance of commercial vehicle operations in terms of safety, a driver vehicle inspection report must be filled up. This report can help identify and put into record any defects or decencies that might affect the over-all safety of a vehicle, and it's operation. Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to fill out a Driver Vehicle Inspection Report, ensuring you cover all necessary steps and maintain compliance with regulations.

Understanding DVIR

The Driver Vehicle Inspection Report is a daily vehicle inspection report required by the Department of Transportation (DOT) in many countries, including the United States. These are formal documents that signifies that a driver has inspected their vehicles prior and post operation. Such comprehensive inspections are the first line of defence against mechanical failures and risks of hazards on the road.

By conducting pre-trip and post-trip inspections, commercial drivers play a very important part in sustaining fleet safety and reliability. The complied reports create a documented history of each vehicle’s maintenance needs, repairs, and overall condition, giving the necessary data for fleet management decisions.

The primary vision for this is to make sure that any mechanical issues or safety concerns are identified and provided with the correct measures to prevent unwanted accidents and maintain road safety.

How to Fill Out a Driver Vehicle Inspection Report?

How to Fill Out a Driver Vehicle Inspection Report - Learn the Standards

Understand what your local regulations require for DVIRs. For example, in the United States, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, or FMCSA, outlines Driver Vehicle Inspection Report requirements. Drivers need to inspect the vehicle's brakes, steering, lights and reflectors, tires, horns, mirrors, and emergency equipment.

Regulations are also clear on specifying what components of the vehicle should be inspected, and the time frame should be expounded on how long should DVIRs are retained. The structured arrangements of these vehicle parts on the checklist ensures that drivers and service staffs can examine the vehicle thoroughly, discern problems, and keep up with the safety requirements. Non-adherence to the regulations of DVIRs may bring about fines and penalties, And increase chances of unwanted injuries and accidents. Since it is vital for road safety, commercial vehicle drivers and owners should have full and complete understanding of their territory regulations.

Down to the Details

Performing a detailed inspection provides a clearer picture of the vehicle’s health, that is why no item in the inspection checklist should be overlooked. If possible, search every nook and cranny of the commercial vehicle for something unusual to have a more detailed inspection. These thorough inspections should be done pre-trip and post trip.

Pre-trip inspection is a preparatory procedure before driving which ensures that the commercial vehicle is roadworthy.

Post-trip inspections is a recorded detail of all the problems and issues the driver encounters while driving. Conducting and compiling these two inspections would be valuable for maintenance planning, as it provides enough details to make predictive maintenance models. A detailed document of a vehicle’s assessment gives fleet managers better decision-making in resource allocation for addressing vehicular issues and problems.

How to Fill Out a Driver Vehicle Inspection Report - Learn the Standards - Correct and Accurate

Information from a report are the data that mechanic’s, asset owners, and auditors base off to make decisions. It is inevitably important that driver’s filling out these reports should input the correct data, and no mistakes should be tolerated in doing so. Usually an inspection report has these parts: First, the date and vehicle information. This field requires the driver to input the date of inspection, the make and model of the vehicle, and the vehicle identification number.

Sometimes, more detailed inspection reports require more information in these fields, like time inspected, and shift inspected. The second part is the checklist items. This is the part that drivers need to inspect carefully if the listed vehicle components are physically okay, and functioning properly.

This is the most significant part of the report, as this is where the defects and issues are found. The drivers must never be in complacent in performing this, as checking this carelessly could lead to road problems and resulting in unwanted accidents. This just adds to the need to know exactly how to fill out a driver vehicle inspection report.

The last part of the report should be the driver's information (e.g. name, ID no, license no.), signature, and date signed. This is to signify the validity of the inspection and recognises that the driver has successfully filled out the report.

Report to Support

Defects or problems within the vehicle found by the driver during inspection should be reported to their managers or supervisors right away. Reporting can document these problems and address them promptly. The report can be as simple as the inspection checklist they completed, which provides a clear record of the identified problems. This process has to be followed to the letter, as regulatory standards insists that all problems and defects found have to be addressed before allowing the vehicle on the road.

The jeopardy that comes with failing to comply to these reports can be the safety of the driver, and non-adherence to law, which attracts additional costs due to legal penalties. Reporting must be done proactively to immediately address defects of vehicles. This maintains the safety in the workplace in a way where a driver and his surroundings are always protected.

Retain to Maintain

DVIRs should be retained in an agreed timeframe. These records are verification that mobile vehicle inspections are conducted and that any issues found are already addressed. This could be achieved if DVIR records are filed systematically and kept in a secure location that is easily accessible. Keeping the records well-organised is important as it ensures that there is compliance in inspection and also maintains a history of maintenance records of the vehicles, recurrent issues, which generally improves the fleet management. It shows organisations care about safety and accountability, as well as maintaining their regulatory compliance.

Competencies of a Driver

Knowledge and Skills

Before filling the DVIR, it is important that the driver understands what he is checking. It must be assured that he has the knowledge and understanding of the commercial vehicle he is driving and inspecting. Lack of knowledge could lead to complacency, which could result in superficial inspections. This kind of approach has the potential to miss out important details and hazards not being identified. With satisfactory knowledge and skills, attention to detail will be brought forth, and make credible inspection reports.

Values Infused

The competencies required also doesn’t necessarily mean that it ends with knowledge and skills but also requires certain values. Honesty is one of the values a driver should possess. Filling out a DVIR requires the honesty during the evaluation process. With an honest inspection, reports are more reliable and accurate, which helps in giving the appropriate maintenance response and safety measures. Drivers are also required to have integrity. Inspections should not be done just for the sake of compliance, but must be done because he sees the value of why they need to. This solidifies a driver’s responsibility towards himself, his co-workers, and his surroundings.

Driver Vehicle Inspection Report (DVIR)

Use this inspection report form for free yourself

Create automated processes around your DVIRs to automate knowing how to fill out a driver vehicle inspection report

If you're running DVIRs regularly, and you might have several vehicles or even a fleet of vehicles, the paperwork can quickly pile up. A dedicated Driver Vehicle Inspection Report app or dedicated asset management system like the Gearbelt Assets Cloud can help manage DVIRs to save time and reduce double handling.

These systems also provide the guardrails with which people can easily perform standard tasks like filling out a driver vehicle inspection report without having to have worked in the role or at a company for a long period of time.

Bucket Truck Inspection Checklist Template

Bucket Truck Inspection Checklist Template

Keep your bucket trucks running smoothly by following this inspection checklist template.

Vehicle Log Book template

Vehicle Log Book template

Say goodbye to clunky, messy and disorganised log books using a smarter digital vehicle look book template like this.

Vehicle Pre Start Checklist template

Vehicle Pre Start Checklist template

Get your pre start vehicle checks right every time no matter where you are or what your device you are using.

Sitemate builds best in class tools for built world companies.

Über Felmar Niecel Mantalaba

Felmar is a mechanical engineer whose 4 years of experience in the mining industry inspired him to write and share stories to progress the revolution of new technologies and create smarter, smoother ways of living.

Hinterlassen Sie einen Kommentar