Operators of commercial vehicles are facing increased pressure from regulatory agencies to comply with Daily Vehicle Inspection Report (DVIR) requirements.

That’s the conclusion of Jeff Kaley of GE Capital Fleet Services. Kaley works with fleet managers, (including managers of private fleets) to help them understand the ramifications of the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s new Compliance, Safety, and Accountability (CSA) program.

Earlier this year, Kaley spoke to truckinginfo.com about the CSA program and how fleet managers can ensure their fleet doesn’t run afoul of DVIR regulations. His insights make it clear that it’s become riskier to tolerate inadequate completion of DVIRs.

“With CSA in the driver’s seat measuring both the drivers and the fleets, fleet tolerance levels have been lowered substantially with the extra scrutiny the government has put on them,” Kaley said.

Although Kaley was speaking specifically about the CSA program, his comments apply to Canada as well, where enforcement of DVIR requirements remains a priority. Canada’s participation in June’s Roadcheck 2013 across North America is evidence of this. So, too, are the continued efforts by local agencies to ensure that commercial vehicles on the road are safe, such as in May when a crackdown by Edmonton Police resulted in 153 commercial vehicles being taken off the road (over 40 percent of the vehicles stopped).

In addressing the increased effort by government agencies to ensure commercial vehicle safety, Kaley made several key points about inspection management that fleet managers should take to heart.

• “The biggest thing we push is making sure they have a strong fleet policy in place and strong enforcement to ensure that a driver is complying not only with DVIRs but all aspects of compliance.”  In other words, compliance starts at the top. If you don’t have management buy-in and support—as well as a sound plan for execution of daily inspections—DVIRs and other compliance-related actions won’t get done as they should.
• “Make sure you have a mechanism in place to guarantee that DVIR documentation is filled out correctly.”  This mechanism is ideally an inspection checklist with equipment-specific detail, such as The Checker. The inspection checklist not only ensures that the critical components of the equipment are checked, it serves as the documentation in case a vehicle is pulled, an accident occurs, or a company faces a safety audit.
• “Check to ensure that information that’s required is on that document, including a driver’s signature, and if there is a defect noted, that there is a mechanic or driver signature indicating that defect has been fixed before that vehicle goes out and conducts business.” The whole point of doing daily inspections is to fix problems before a vehicle is operated unsafely. To lower the risk of non-compliance, the daily inspection reports must be done—but they also must be acted upon!
• “There are a few companies that offer electronic DVIRs, usually a handheld device you’re going around the vehicle with. I think that’s going to become a very viable option for fleets. The majority of fleets can tie that to reporting for maintenance trends and other analysis.” The Checker is one such inspection checklist—able to be used in paper book form or for mobile inspections on digital inspection forms. As Kaley suggests, the inspection data gathered and entered into inspection software can provide valuable guidance for maintenance, scheduling, capital budgeting, and other crucial business functions.

Conclusion

DVIRs are required for commercial vehicles across North America, and a detailed, equipment-specific equipment inspection checklist such as The Checker can help fleet managers make sure that their drivers know how to inspect and are filling out the forms correctly—and that any necessary maintenance is being performed before operation. Compliance isn’t the only benefit of equipment inspection checklists, but it’s one that no fleet manager can afford to ignore.

Photo courtesy of West Midlands Police via Creative Commons.