What is a vehicle inspection?
A vehicle inspection is a thorough check of a vehicle’s condition to ensure it meets safety and operational standards. Inspections typically involve examining key components such as brakes, tyres, lights and fluid levels. These inspections ensure the vehicle is safe to drive, functions properly, and complies with company regulations.
Challenges with traditional vehicle inspections
Despite their importance, traditional vehicle inspections often face several challenges, particularly when paper-based processes are involved. Physical inspection forms can be easily lost, misplaced, or forgotten, leading to inconsistent reporting and insufficient tracking of issues. Without centralised reporting, urgent vehicle problems may go unnoticed by management, increasing the risk of costly downtime or safety hazards. Additionally, drivers may sometimes forget or neglect to complete inspections on time, which can jeopardise vehicle health and driver safety.
Another significant issue with traditional inspections is the lack of workflow and audit trails. Paper checklists often do not provide a clear process for follow-up actions, making it harder for management to track compliance or identify trends in vehicle maintenance needs. These challenges can ultimately result in poor vehicle health, greater risk for drivers, and higher operating costs.
Why is a digitised vehicle inspection important?
A digital vehicle inspection involves a checklist that drivers complete to ensure that a vehicle is roadworthy and free from any significant damage or faults. This checklist can be customised based on the specific needs of the vehicle or asset, the driver’s responsibilities, and the company’s safety and operational policies.
Digital vehicle inspections provide increased visibility and compliance across the fleet. The system ensures accountability among drivers, making it easier to track and enforce company policies effectively. Comprehensive reporting allows managers to maintain a clear audit trail, further supporting compliance efforts. Finally, by going paperless, a digital platform eliminates the common challenges of manual inspections. This not only reduces the risk of losing paper checklists but also saves time by streamlining the inspection process, with real-time results securely stored and easily accessible.
At LBM Fleet, we view vehicle inspections as a fundamental part of fleet management for several reasons. Regular vehicle inspections directly contribute to safer vehicles and drivers by identifying and addressing potential issues before they escalate into serious problems. This proactive approach not only enhances safety but also helps reduce maintenance costs.
“Daily pre-start checks are mandatory practice for light vehicles and the entire fleet, including fire tanks and trucks that aren’t used daily. Given the nature of our work, we find pre-start checks help keep our vehicles running efficiently and keep our drivers safe. Drivers do this on their phone or iPad and the information flows straight to managers. It’s firmly grounded in safety – if you see something, you note it, and we can make sure it is actioned.”
Bram van der Schaar, Fleet Manager, Forestry Corporation of NSW
How LBM Fleet vehicle inspection works
LBM Fleet’s vehicle inspection process begins with management and admin users setting up the inspection checklist, frequencies and notifications in the system. Once configured, drivers are required to complete the inspections. Any faults identified or incomplete audits are then notified to managers. All the inspections data is sent to the systems for comprehensive reporting and analysis, ensuring the system is ready for audits.
Key features of LBM Fleet vehicle inspection module include:
- Customisable Inspection Lists: Tailored to meet specific vehicle or driver needs, the questions can address everything from tyre conditions to engine diagnostics.
- Photo Attachment Functionality: The photo attachment functionality is useful to provide visual detail when identifying issues that may affect the safety of the vehicle.
- Flexible Scheduling: Ensuring that safety protocols are followed without disrupting operational flow.
- Automated Reporting: With our built-in workflows, any detected faults or damages can be automatically reported, making it easier for fleet managers to address issues promptly.
- Inspection Audits: Enables companies to conduct regular vehicle audits and measure compliance. This is useful for tool of trade vehicles where a periodic vehicle check is more appropriate.
At LBM Fleet, vehicle inspections are more than just a routine – they are an essential part of our commitment to fleet safety, efficiency and compliance. By embracing modern technology and automating the inspection process, we help fleet managers reduce risks, lower costs and maintain working vehicles, all while ensuring the safety of drivers.
Whether you manage a small fleet or a large-scale operation, our customisable vehicle inspection solutions can be tailored to your requirements, ensuring your fleet is always road-ready and road-safe.
If you’re looking to explore how LBM Fleet vehicle inspection solutions can enhance your fleets safety, efficiency and compliance, get in contact with us today.
