This checklist will help ensure your operators are prioritizing safety and planning ahead, effectively reducing breakdowns that cost you both time and money.
Find out what your commerical vehicle maintenance checklist should include in our guide below, plus learn how to build your own digital checklist with doForms.
Table of Contents
A commercial vehicle maintenance checklist is a paper-based or electronic form that consists of items that truck drivers, mechanics and other relevant parties must inspect in order to ensure the reliable functioning of a commercial vehicle.
Commercial vehicle maintenance checklists vary slightly depending on the particular vehicle, whether a delivery van, a semi-truck, a passenger bus or a construction vehicle, and the specific usage.
These checklists allow transport businesses and fleet managers to schedule maintenance and repairs before the vehicle(s) leave for transportation duties and, in doing so, avoid breakdowns.
They also help ensure that operators and drivers are prioritizing driver safety and increasing the lifespan of the vehicle through preventative maintenance care.
If your business relies on operating commercial vehicles with uninterrupted transportation, commercial vehicle maintenance checklists are vital to reduce costly downtime.
The aim of a preventative program is to identify potential problems before they arise and put actionable measures in place to prevent them.
A preventive maintenance checklist should include the manufacturer’s recommendations on vehicle maintenance and the approximate time when a vehicle should be serviced.
The rest of the truck maintenance checklist will differ depending on the type of vehicle and its specifications.
Some of the typical items on preventive maintenance checklist include:
Demand maintenance is performed only when the need arises.
This means replacing or fixing certain truck parts only when they break down. Demand maintenance can also occur after an independent inspection that determines wear and tear that needs to be addressed on a truck.
Demand maintenance checklists usually include items such as:
When preventative and demand maintenance are neglected, a crisis occurs.
Crisis maintenance is performed when a truck breaks down due to sudden failure, resulting in the need for a replacement vehicle to continue operation.
A crisis maintenance checklist will focus on identifying and addressing urgent and critical maintenance tasks required during a crisis situation, such as immediate repairs to ensure safety, restoring essential functionalities and reducing the risk of further damage.
The items to check will depend on the nature of the crisis and the component of the vehicle or equipment that is affected.
Crisis maintenance incurs additional costs, including:
A maintenance record checklist is typically used during routine maintenance or inspections to make sure that all necessary maintenance tasks are completed and documented.
Maintenance checklists verify that schedules were followed, record the details of maintenance performed and list outstanding or upcoming maintenance needs.
Keeping these detailed maintenance records:
Scheduled and preventative maintenance can reduce the occurrence of breakdowns, which minimizes downtime and revenue loss.
The use of checklist ensures that every part of the vehicle is properly inspected, to increase driver safety.
A truck maintenance checklist should include an inspection of the following parts:
A truck maintenance checklist should also include the recommended time between servicing and the next inspection.
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Commercial vehicle maintenance forms’ must-have elements help mechanics stay on top of things at all times
Regular and preventative commercial vehicle servicing is crucial for ensuring that the transportation of goods, products and services goes as planned.
As per the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, commercial motor vehicles are prohibited to operate if their condition could cause a breakdown or an accident.
A checklist helps ensure that every part of a commercial vehicle is inspected properly and a detailed record of each inspection is kept.
The benefits of preventive maintenance servicing include:
Truck maintenance checklists help your business keep its fleet in top-notch condition
A mobile form solution, doForms allows you to collect and store data in a secure location, create custom checklists and reports and much more.
Our mobile forms collect data on smartphones or tablets, with or without internet, so you can edit forms, manage employee data and more in the office or on the go.
With doForms, you can create unique commercial vehicle maintenance checklists to accommodate any number of vehicles or drivers. Our forms include an electronic signature capture feature and the ability to upload and attach photos or videos.
The data captured with doForms can be synced with other software, giving you everything you need in one centralized database.
Simply choose a template from our vast form library or start your own custom form with our user-friendly interface and convenient drag and drop features.
Once your form or checklist is ready, save it in a secure location and send it out to drivers or mechanics to fill out as needed.
Although you will need to customize your checklists to meet the specific needs and requirements of your commercial vehicles, based on their make, model, usage patterns and industry-specific regulations, here are some tips that can help you create an efficient checklist:
Commercial vehicle maintenance checklists help companies keep their fleet of vehicles in optimal condition, safe and reliable for the transport of goods and services to retailers and consumers.
There are three main types of vehicle maintenance checklists:
Using commercial vehicle maintenance checklists allow you to:
By swapping out your paper-based checklists for digital checklists with doForms, you can save money, get organized and prioritize the safety and health of both your drivers and your fleet.
doForms allows you to create custom checklists, reports and other forms, collect data and store everything you need in one secure, centralized location, where you can access it with or without internet, in the office or on the go.
