Pre-trip Inspection (Heavy Vehicles)

A pre-trip inspection course is a training program that teaches drivers how to systematically check a commercial or heavy truck and/or trailer for safety faults and mechanical problems before setting off.

A pre-trip inspection is a set of checks a driver does on a truck before driving it, usually at the start of every shift. It covers fluids, tyres and wheels, lights, brakes and air systems, couplings, the cab and the load. It’s also called a pre-start check, daily check, walk-around or circle check. The aim is to find faults while the truck is still parked, not after they cause a breakdown, a crash or a defect notice.

Pre-trip inspection training is for anyone who drives or manages trucks. The Pre-trip Inspection (Heavy Vehicles) course is used by:

• drivers of all types of trucks, including drivers working towards a class 2 licence
• drivers coming back to work after time away
• transport managers and supervisors who coach and check their drivers
• maintenance staff who want drivers to report faults early

The most serious risk of skipping a pre-trip inspection is a wheel coming off. This can cause major damage, or injure or kill other road users. Tyres with low air pressure can overheat and come apart. This can destroy the tyre and the airbag suspension, and the repair can cost thousands of dollars. Water in the oil can damage the engine. Fluid leaks, especially brake fluid, can lead to a crash. A fault found at a roadside or weighbridge inspection can also see the truck ordered off the road, with your client's freight stuck on board.

A truck pre-trip inspection should check six areas:

• the engine: oil, coolant, brake and power steering fluids, hoses and belts
• the cab: driving position, mirrors, gauges, warning lights and controls
• the outside: tyres, wheel nuts, hubs, suspension, air tanks, leaks, mudguards and markings
• all lights and indicators
• documents, such as the logbook
• the brakes, as you move off

Combination vehicles also need checks of the fifth wheel, trailer couplings, air lines and trailer documents. The Pre-trip Inspection (Heavy Vehicles) course teaches each of these in the order a driver does them on the job.

The course covers standard rigid and combination heavy vehicles in New Zealand licence classes 2 to 5. It is filmed on an 8x4 rigid curtainsider, a B-train and a tipper, and the core checks apply to refrigerated units, box trucks, transporters and most other heavy trucks. Optional modules cover combination vehicles (semi-trailers, B-trains and truck and trailer units), dangerous goods, tipper trucks, and trucks fitted with a cardan shaft park brake.

A thorough pre-trip inspection takes 5 to 10 minutes once a driver knows what they’re looking for. Combination vehicles and specialist units such as tippers take a little longer because there are couplings, air lines, and hydraulics to check as well.

Keeping a heavy vehicle roadworthy is a legal requirement in New Zealand. The driver and the operator are both responsible for it. NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) advises drivers to make a walk-around check part of their pre-trip routine. A truck is also a workplace. So the business running it must manage the risk of unsafe vehicles (Health and Safety at Work Act 2015). A daily pre-trip inspection is the most practical way to meet both duties. Some items you check, such as dangerous goods placards, are legal requirements in their own right.

No. You don't need a unit standard to do pre-trip inspections in New Zealand, and the Pre-trip Inspection (Heavy Vehicles) course doesn't award one. The NZQA unit standard for this skill is 15158. It covers pre-start checks on a heavy motor vehicle at level 3, with 4 credits. It's assessed by a training provider and is often part of commercial road transport qualifications.

Yes. The Pre-trip Inspection (Heavy Vehicles) course was filmed in New Zealand and covers New Zealand requirements. But a good pre-trip check is the same for any heavy vehicle, so the course is useful for drivers in Australia and other countries. Drivers outside New Zealand should check local rules on recording daily checks.

No. Managers can switch off the optional modules in the Pre-trip Inspection (Heavy Vehicles) course if their drivers don't need them. The optional modules are combination vehicles, dangerous goods, tipper trucks and cardan shaft park brakes. Switching off all four saves about 15 minutes.

Yes. You buy one course licence per driver and assign the pre-trip inspection course to each driver from your manager dashboard. This ensures that all your drivers are using the same efficient pre-trip inspection technique, and reduces the chance they'll miss something critical.

You can then track progress, keep training records, download certificates and run reports. These records are useful evidence for audits, clients and your health and safety records. You can add more managers at no extra cost.

Drivers get a certificate of achievement when they finish the Pre-trip Inspection (Heavy Vehicles) course. They can download and print it, and managers can download it from their dashboard. The course is online theory only. There's no practical assessment.

The Pre-trip Inspection (Heavy Vehicles) course takes around 45 minutes, depending on the trainee and which optional modules are switched on. It's split into short modules of 2 to 15 minutes. Drivers can do them in downtime between jobs.

• There are no prerequisites. Anyone can take this online course.
• It helps to have a truck nearby, so you can follow the course on your phone while you look at the truck.
• You will need one course licence per trainee taking the course - you can't use one licence for multiple trainees.
• You will need a computer, smartphone or tablet with internet access to take the theory training.

The pre-trip inspection course has language and literacy support:

• Video subtitles/captions are available for all videos - see above for the list. Choose the language in the video.
• Questions: 76 languages are available - check the language option at the top of the page (note that written answers must be in English).
• Question audio: play audio of every question in English
• Documents: English
• Some captions are AI-generated and, as such, may have occasional errors.