What this checklist is for
It is a recurring walk for a light or medium fleet car, cargo van, passenger van, or pickup. Mileage, insurance, registration, cargo securement, body condition, brake feel, wipers, glass, lamps, tires, and fluids is all part of it. For the walk as a whole, your choices are OK, Defect, or N/A. After filling out the screen, you can download your results as a CSV or PDF file.
This can happen during a weekly fleet review, when coming back to the yard from a jobsite, at the beginning of the shift, or right at the jobsite. First you find out who is driving the unit, including the driver, miles, VIN, and unit number. Next, you go around and look at the tires, lamps, open the hood, get into the cab and see what should be in the truck. Your answers only live as a tab in your browser. No one else can see anything but a blank form.
For vehicles with GVWR ≤ 10,000, tire standards is in accordance with 49 CFR 570.9 and NHTSA TireWise. Compare the door placard to cold pressure. Change tires once tread has reached 2/32 inch tread depth or tread wear bars is flush. Lamp equipment is per FMVSS No. 108 (49 CFR 571.108). Cargo on van floor or pickup bed is per NHTSA Secure Your Load guidance rather than the Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) tiedown table, except if unit is technically a CMV.
In the header section record the miles, the date, the location, the year, make, model, vehicle type, VIN, plate, unit number, fleet name, driver and the GVWR class. Record approximate fuel level and the odometer miles. Review open defects from previous walk.
Don’t think GVWR class is decoration. Typical half ton pickups and sedans is 10,000 pounds or less. One ton chassis and some medium duty vans is over 10,001 pounds. There are 5 CMV thresholds. These include GVWR, GCWR, GVW or GCW at 10,001 pounds or more, placarded hazardous materials, or certain numbers of passengers.
What it is not
- It is not the published vehicle inspection checklist. That form is a light-vehicle station inspection with a shop-style brake and steering block and an optional 20 mph stop from 49 CFR 570.5. This walk does not pull wheels and does not run that stop test.
- It is not the published truck inspection checklist and not a Class 7 or 8 tractor PM. No fifth wheel, gladhands, air-brake build, or 4/32 inch steer-axle CMV tread unless the unit in front of you is actually a CMV.
- It is not a 49 CFR 392.7 CMV pre-trip and not a 49 CFR 396.11 driver vehicle inspection report. Do not file this sheet as a DVIR.
- It is not a used-car buyer walk, a pre-purchase lift inspection, a title, a bill of sale, or an odometer disclosure statement. Mileage here is a fleet dispatch record.
How to fill each block
An example of an FMCSA non-CMV is a 7,000 pound pickup towing a 2,000 pound trailer. If your unit is a CMV, stop here with this light-fleet walk and use a CMV form because it isn’t the legal inspection.
Exterior, lamps, and tires
Exterior lamps: High beams, low beams, front turns and parking lamps, stop lamps and the high-mounted stop lamp if equipped, red tails, license-plate lamp, hazards, side markers, reflex reflectors, and reverse lamps. Check that all are working, turn on the lights, and ensure lenses stay the original color.
AAA says do a wall check at about 10 feet and then a monthly walk around checking plate lamps, side-marker lamps, backup lamps and parking lamps. Lenses must remain their original color. Stop and tail lamps is considered red by FMVSS 108. This is not clear. Glass must also be clean so it can be seen through.
Wipers should not skip or streak when wiping. The 2015 Chevrolet Express Cargo Van owner center pages say that cracks in the windshield and split wiper rubber are signs of wear on a fleet van.
Measure the tires when they are cold and have not been driven for more than three hours. Use the number from the Tire and Loading Information Label on the B-pillar or driver door, not the sidewall max. Note: A significant underinflation warning comes from your TPMS, but NHTSA TireWise says a gauge is required, too.
Default tread depth on this form is 2/32 inch. Do not copy 4/32 inch steer tread onto a non-CMV pickup. If the unit is over 10,000 lb GVWR, state in-use programs may use 49 CFR 570.62 (4/32 inch on front tires other than a trailer). Write that in Notes.
Secure the cargo with ties to prevent it from shifting, dropping, blowing out, or leaking. Tarp over loose stuff. Note: All 50 states plus the District of Columbia have unsecured-load laws, according to NHTSA. This is not the same as CMV cargo securement in 49 CFR 393.
With the engine off, check for leaks and fluids under the hood.
Keep oil between the full and add marks on the dipstick. The engine is cool.
Coolant should be in the reservoir. Open a hot radiator cap! Never.
Brake fluid should be between marks on the see-thru reservoir. Mark N/A if not equipped.
Check hydraulic power-steering fluid if equipped. Mark N/A if not equipped.
Washer fluid is present. Don’t pour engine coolant in washer, a GM Express caution.
Belts, hoses, etc., look for new leaks. Fuel cap looks good?
Follow the OEM fluid names in the unit’s owner manual. Those are not universal for Toyota, Ram or Ford fleet units. Examples from GM materials include dexos1 engine oil, DEX-COOL coolant, and DOT 3 brake fluid.
What varies
Look inside and look at safety items. Retracting seatbelts should latch when used. Horn works. Warning lights should show then extinguish. Brake pedal is firm and not going to the floor. Parking brake holds on lot. Steer is usable to drive off the yard. Defroster clears up glass. No loose items in cab that can obstruct pedals or reach driver.
Brake feel on this walk is not the 49 CFR 570.5 shop method (125 lb hold, 80 percent pedal travel, or a 25 foot stop from 20 mph). Those are in-use inspection options for states and they're already on the vehicle inspection checklist. If it's hard to stop or brakes grind or chirp, GM Express owner care still thinks this is a defect today.
Check for documents inside the vehicle. Verify that the proof of registration and insurance is valid for the state where it was registered. Verify that the plate matches. Verify a current state inspection sticker is present, if applicable. Verify you have a fleet packet or manual onboard. Verify the odometer number in the header matches the dash.
In some states, like Alabama, the Motor Vehicle Registration Tag and Tax Receipt must be in the car. For example, New Jersey MVC requires either the insurance identification card to be present in the vehicle or in electronic format. Each state differs. Not all states allow electronic insurance. On a non-CMV half-ton pick up or sedan, mark the USDOT or cab-card row as N/A.
Sign off and record defects. Select one of four options: No Defects, Repaired prior to Dispatch, Scheduled (still safe), Vehicle not Dispatched. If it is safe for this shift, sign it; otherwise, do not. The supervisor line should be reserved for repairs already completed, not ones that will be completed at some point in the future.
A state periodic inspection sticker is not the same as the Federal lamp and tire rule for new vehicles (FMVSS). A state periodic inspection sticker is not the same as FMCSA rules specific to commercial motor vehicles. A Camry with a fleet logo on the door is not a commercial motor vehicle (CMV).
GVWR or combination weight of 10,001 pounds or more operating in interstate commerce = CMV.
A vehicle is a CMV if it meets the passenger-capacity threshold.
Vehicles carrying placarded hazardous materials are CMVs.
This paragraph doesn’t replace reading 49 CFR 390.5 for that unit and combination when in doubt.
The 49 CFR 570.9 light-vehicle regulation and NHTSA consumer figures: Tire replacement at 2/32 inch. Fleet policies vary; some pull earlier. State law varies, too, with some setting a deeper in-use limit. Don’t make up a Pass/Fail number that this form doesn’t say.
After you finish
The axle placard value is cold inflation. It might be different front to back. Insurance-card and registration-in-vehicle rules is state law. Treat New Jersey’s insurance card like it’s a statewide form, and Alabama’s glove-box receipt like it isn’t good anywhere else. Follow the state where the plate was issued. Follow any tougher fleet policy.
OEMs differ on fluid types, dipsticks, and sealed transmissions. Read the owner manual for that vehicle. Dual rear wheels might be added to medium-duty cab-chassis units. Still, check all tires. You do not need 4/32 inch of steer tread if the over-10,000-pound or CMV rule does not apply to that unit.
If your fleet wants a copy, download a filled-out PDF or CSV from the tab.
If your fleet wants a blank PDF to fill out in the yard, download a blank PDF.
Nothing is stored on BenchTab. It's an empty form for the next visitor.
Only store a copy if your fleet policy dictates keeping one.
This is not a CMV DVIR duty. It doesn't create a work order and it doesn't notify a shop.
Do not dispatch the vehicle if you discover any defects that make it unsafe.
Use the vehicle inspection checklist for a later shop inspection. For a CMV (tractor or straight truck), use the truck inspection checklist or pre-trip form instead of this walk.
Not a substitute for the OEM or a licensed inspection
Below the form, here’s the page-1 preview and printable blank PDF version. By the way, I put the article you’re reading below the form on purpose to keep the walk at the top of the page.
Not legal advice; not a replacement for the Owner-Manual procedure for the vehicle in question; no licensed or state inspection; and it is a recordkeeping template. Do not make up your own Pass/Fail limits not stated by the OEM, NHTSA, FMVSS 108, 49 CFR 570, 49 CFR 390.5, or 49 CFR 393.75. These are for light and medium fleet walks. Do not use these on a CMV; instead, use the CMV forms and rules.