Vehicle inspection form template

A driver’s check before or after a trip: one tap per item, a photo and a do-not-drive screen when something is wrong, and the driver’s signature.

18 questions · about 2 min · logic · file upload · e-signature

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Is this a pre-trip or post-trip check? (required)

Driver’s name (required)

Date (required)

Vehicle or unit number (required)

Registration (licence plate)

Odometer reading (required)

Kilometres or miles, as the dashboard shows.

Enter a number of 0 or more.

Fuel level

What you get back

Every response lands in your results the moment it is sent. Turn on email notifications and each one arrives like this, and the same answers become a row in your spreadsheet.

From PulseFormCreator

Subject New response to Vehicle check

Is this a pre-trip or post-trip check?: Pre-trip
Driver’s name: Aroha Ngata
Date: 2026-09-21
Vehicle or unit number: U-114
Registration (licence plate): 1AB 2CD
Odometer reading: 48213

and 8 more answers

A sample email with made-up answers.

submitted_at	Is this a pre-trip or post-trip check?	Driver’s name	Date	Vehicle or unit number	Registration (licence plate)
2026-09-22T09:41:00.000Z	Pre-trip	Aroha Ngata	2026-09-21	U-114	1AB 2CD

The first 6 of 47 columns. Export to CSV or Excel, or send each response to Google Sheets, Notion, Airtable, Slack or a webhook as it arrives, all on the free plan. The answers above are made up.

What this form asks, and why

The last column shows how many of the 18 real vehicle inspection forms we read ask the same thing.

Question	Why it is there	Real forms
Is this a pre-trip or post-trip check? Required	One form for both, as Florida’s transit form does. Post-trip adds the on-return check.	5 of 18 forms
Driver’s name Required	Who checked it: US and UK rules both expect a name.	13 of 18 forms
Date Required	The printed sheet has no timestamp, so it needs this date.	12 of 18 forms
Vehicle or unit number Required	How the workshop finds the vehicle. Filled in from the QR sticker’s link.	11 of 18 forms
Registration (licence plate)	The identifier GOV.UK’s defect record names.	8 of 18 forms
Odometer reading Required	Service intervals and mileage logs both run on it.	11 of 18 forms
Fuel level	Catches the pool car handed back empty.	7 of 18 forms
Walk around the outside Required	In the order drivers walk round. Tyres are on 18 of 18 forms, the only item on every one.	18 of 18 forms
In the cab Required	What a driver can test from the seat.	15 of 18 forms
Equipment and paperwork Required	Whether the extinguisher and insurance card actually travel with the vehicle.	10 of 18 forms
What needs attention? Required Only when “Walk around the outside” is needs_attention or “In the cab” is needs_attention or “Equipment and paperwork” is needs_attention	Opens only when a row needs attention, so a clean check stays at two minutes.	8 of 18 forms
Photo of the problem Only when “Walk around the outside” is needs_attention or “In the cab” is needs_attention or “Equipment and paperwork” is needs_attention	Settles “was that dent there before?”. Only 1 of 18 forms take one.	1 of 18 forms
Is the vehicle safe to drive? Required Only when “Walk around the outside” is needs_attention or “In the cab” is needs_attention or “Equipment and paperwork” is needs_attention	The driver’s verdict, which GOV.UK asks for. “No” ends on a do-not-drive screen.	Our own recommendation
Who did you report it to? Only when “Walk around the outside” is needs_attention or “In the cab” is needs_attention or “Equipment and paperwork” is needs_attention	The rest of GOV.UK’s defect record.	1 of 18 forms
On return Only when “Is this a pre-trip or post-trip check?” is Post-trip	Post-trip only: the walk to the back a school bus cannot skip.	2 of 18 forms
Anything else we should know?	For what fits no row: a rattle, a smell, a sticky door.	8 of 18 forms
Declaration Required	New Orleans and a Montana county use almost exactly this wording.	4 of 18 forms
Driver’s signature Required	Only 10 of 18 forms have one, though the US DVIR rule says the driver must sign.	10 of 18 forms

What we left out

A column for each day of the week. 7 of 18 forms are weekly sheets. Online each check is its own row, and the export is the grid.
VIN. 4 of 18 forms ask. The fleet number identifies the vehicle; the VIN belongs in your fleet register.
A car outline to mark damage on. Hard to draw on with a thumb. The photo shows the same dent.

What 18 real vehicle inspection forms ask

In September 2026 we read 18 vehicle inspection forms that organisations use today (US 14, Australia 3, Canada 1) and recorded every field. This is how often each one appears. It is part of the Form Field Index.

Tyres and wheel nuts 18 of 18 (18 of 18 forms)
Lights and indicators 17 of 18 (17 of 18 forms)
Mirrors present, clean, adjusted 16 of 18 (16 of 18 forms)
Windscreen wipers and/or washer fluid 16 of 18 (16 of 18 forms)
Service and/or parking brake 15 of 18 (15 of 18 forms)
Exterior body condition or new damage 14 of 18 (14 of 18 forms)
Seat belts work 14 of 18 (14 of 18 forms)
Driver’s or inspector’s name 13 of 18 (13 of 18 forms)
Horn works 13 of 18 (13 of 18 forms)
Date of the inspection 12 of 18 (12 of 18 forms)
Oil, coolant and fluid levels 12 of 18 (12 of 18 forms)
Gauges and warning lights 12 of 18 (12 of 18 forms)

The 18 forms we read

City of New Orleans · city government (fleet policy attachment), US
Clark University (Risk Management) · university, US
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Facilities Management) · university, US
Dawson County, Montana · county government, US
Douglas County, Georgia · county government (risk / safety forms series ORS-19 to ORS-45), US
University of British Columbia (Travel & Field Safety) · university, Canada
Angelo State University · university, US
NOCAC (nocac.org community action agency) · nonprofit community action agency (Head Start bus transport), US
Curtin University (Health and Safety) · university, Australia
Florida Department of Transportation (Transit Office) · state transportation department (form for transit agencies), US
New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission · state motor vehicle agency (school bus driver's vehicle inspection report), US
Iowa Department of Education (Pupil Transportation) · state education department (form used by school districts), US
City of Edinburg, Texas (HR / Risk Management) · city government, US
Fairfax County Sheriff's Office · sheriff's office (law enforcement fleet), US
Montgomery County Board of Developmental Disabilities Services (mcbdds.org) · county developmental disabilities services board (client transport), US
Alexander County, North Carolina · county government, US
Whitehorse City Council · local council (fleet), Australia
Queensland Department of Education (Organisational Safety and Wellbeing) · state education department (staff driving), Australia

How the form changes as people answer

Most people see a shorter form. These questions and screens only appear when an answer calls for them.

When “Walk around the outside” is needs_attention or “In the cab” is needs_attention or “Equipment and paperwork” is needs_attention

shows “What needs attention?”, “Photo of the problem”, “Is the vehicle safe to drive?”, “Who did you report it to?”
When “Is this a pre-trip or post-trip check?” is Post-trip

shows “On return”
When “Is the vehicle safe to drive?” is No, do not drive it

shows the “Do not drive this vehicle” ending
At the end

shows one of 2 thank-you screens: “Check recorded for …”, “Do not drive this vehicle”

Make it yours

A QR sticker in every cab

Link each sticker to ?vehicle=U114&plate=1AB2CD and the hidden fields fill in the vehicle.
Hear about defects the same day

Turn on Connect → Email me, or Slack, so a defect reaches whoever books repairs.
Name your fleet contact

Put the person and number to call on the “Do not drive this vehicle” ending.

Good practice and the law

US
Commercial drivers who find or are told of a defect sign a written report at the end of the day’s work. Carriers keep it three months, on paper or electronically. 49 CFR 396.11
UK
Van drivers should use a form that lists the items checked each day. GOV.UK, van daily walkaround checks
UK
Operator-licence holders keep drivers’ defect reports, with the repairs made, for at least 15 months. DVSA, guide to maintaining roadworthiness

Questions about this template

Do drivers need to fill it in when nothing is wrong?

The US rule asks for a report only when there is a defect; GOV.UK says record “nil”. Here a clean check is every row OK and a signature.

Is this the Uber or Lyft vehicle inspection form?

No. Rideshare platforms set their own inspection rules and forms; this one is for fleets checking their own vehicles.

Is there a version for trucks?

Pick “Truck (DVIR)” above the preview. It starts on post-trip and adds what 49 CFR 396.11 lists beyond a car check: coupling devices, trailer brakes, wheels and rims.

What happens when a driver marks the vehicle unsafe?

They still sign, then see a screen telling them not to drive it and who to call.

Which form do you need?

The vehicle inspection form is one of the inspection, report & evaluation forms. If it is not quite the job, one of these may be.

Incident report form template
After a crash or near miss: its accident preset records what happened.
Move-in inspection form template
For a rented home’s condition at handover, room by room.
Roof inspection report template
For a one-off professional inspection with repair prices for a client.

Start with the vehicle inspection form template

Open it in the editor, add your fleet contact and print a QR code for each vehicle.

Use this template

Updated 22 September 2026. Evidence read September 2026 from 18 real forms.