Vehicle inspection form and checklist

A vehicle inspection checklist for drivers before or after a trip, with a photo when something is wrong, and a pass/fail version for a mechanic’s annual inspection.

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

Vehicle or unit number (required)

Walk around the outside (required)

	OK	Needs attention	N/A
Tires and wheels: pressure, tread, damage, lug nuts
Lights and turn signals
Mirrors
Wipers and washer fluid
Body: no new dents or scratches
Windshield and windows: no cracks or chips
Nothing leaking under the vehicle
Oil, coolant and other fluid levels

In the cab (required)

Equipment and paperwork (required)

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

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Print it as a PDF Word version

Change the questions in Word, then print.

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
Vehicle or unit number: U-114
Walk around the outside: Tires and wheels: pressure, tread, damage, lug nuts: OK; Lights and turn signals: OK; Mirrors: OK; Wipers and washer fluid: OK; Body: no new dents or scratches: Needs attention; Windshield and windows: no cracks or chips: OK; Nothing leaking under the vehicle: OK; Oil, coolant and other fluid levels: OK
In the cab: Brakes, including the parking brake: OK; Seat belts: OK; Horn: OK; Gauges and dashboard warning lights: OK; Seats secure and adjusted: OK; Steering: OK; Heater, defroster and air conditioning: OK
Equipment and paperwork: Fire extinguisher, first aid kit, warning triangles: OK; Registration, insurance card and accident report kit: OK; Clean inside: OK
What needs attention?: New scrape on the rear passenger door, about 20 cm long. It was not there at Friday’s check.

and 8 more answers

A sample email with made-up answers.

submitted_at	Is this a pre-trip or post-trip check?	Vehicle or unit number	Walk around the outside	In the cab	Equipment and paperwork
22 Sep 2026 09:41	Pre-trip	U-114	Tires and wheels: pressure, tread, damage, lug nuts: OK \| Lights and turn signals: OK \| Mirrors: OK \| Wipers and washer fluid: OK \| Body: no new dents or scratches: Needs attention \| Windshield and windows: no cracks or chips: OK \| Nothing leaking under the vehicle: OK \| Oil, coolant and other fluid levels: OK	Brakes, including the parking brake: OK \| Seat belts: OK \| Horn: OK \| Gauges and dashboard warning lights: OK \| Seats secure and adjusted: OK \| Steering: OK \| Heater, defroster and air conditioning: OK	Fire extinguisher, first aid kit, warning triangles: OK \| Registration, insurance card and accident report kit: OK \| Clean inside: OK

Export to CSV or Excel, or send responses to Google Sheets, Notion, Airtable, Slack or a webhook. All free.

What happens after someone submits

Set these up once in the Workflows tab, and a defect reaches whoever books repairs the day a driver finds it.

Submitted
A driver marks a defect

Whoever books repairs gets an email, sent only when “What needs attention?” has an answer, so clean checks stay out of it.
That email goes out

A PDF of the whole check is attached, ready to forward to the workshop.
Any check is sent

A new row lands in your Google Sheet, so each vehicle’s checks build into one log.

Set this up when you use the template

What this form asks, and why

The last column shows how often real vehicle inspection forms ask for it.

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
Vehicle or unit number Required	How the workshop finds the vehicle. Filled in from the QR sticker’s link.	11 of 18 forms
Walk around the outside Required	In the order drivers walk around. Tires 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 any row in “Walk around the outside”, “In the cab” or “Equipment and paperwork” is marked “Needs attention”	A clean check never sees it, so it stays at two minutes.	8 of 18 forms
Photos of the problem Only when any row in “Walk around the outside”, “In the cab” or “Equipment and paperwork” is marked “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 any row in “Walk around the outside”, “In the cab” or “Equipment and paperwork” is marked “Needs attention”	The driver’s verdict, which GOV.UK asks for.	Our own recommendation
Who did you report it to? Only when any row in “Walk around the outside”, “In the cab” or “Equipment and paperwork” is marked “Needs attention”	The rest of GOV.UK’s defect record.	1 of 18 forms
Odometer reading Required	Service intervals and mileage logs both run on it.	11 of 18 forms
License plate	The identifier GOV.UK’s defect record names.	8 of 18 forms
Fuel level	Catches the pool car handed back empty.	7 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 a rattle, a smell or a sticky door.	8 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
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. A fleet number identifies the vehicle; the annual inspection version asks for the VIN.
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

How many include each field, from forms organizations use today. Part of the Form Field Index.

Tires and lug nuts 18 of 18
Lights and turn signals 17 of 18
Mirrors present, clean, adjusted 16 of 18
Windscreen wipers and/or washer fluid 16 of 18
Service and/or parking brake 15 of 18
Exterior body condition or new damage 14 of 18
Seat belts work 14 of 18
Driver’s or inspector’s name 13 of 18

Read September 2026 · US 14, Australia 3, Canada 1 · Sources

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 any row in “Walk around the outside”, “In the cab” or “Equipment and paperwork” is marked “Needs attention”

shows “What needs attention?”, “Photos of the problem”, “Is the vehicle safe to drive?” and “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

Make it yours

A QR sticker in every cab

Link each sticker to ?vehicle=U114&plate=KXT4821 and the hidden fields fill in the vehicle.
Name your fleet contact

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

Add a “Repaired by, and when?” question, shown only when “What needs attention?” has an answer, so each defect report also holds its fix.

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
Goods and passenger vehicle operators 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.

Can I use it for an Uber or Lyft vehicle inspection?

Pick “Annual safety inspection (mechanic)” above the preview: Pass or Fail for the 20 parts on Michigan’s rideshare and taxi worksheet, with the VIN and the mechanic’s license number. Check what your platform accepts.

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?

Not quite the job? One of these may fit, or browse all inspection, report and evaluation forms.

accident report form
After a crash or near miss: its accident preset records what happened.
rental inspection checklist
For a rented home’s condition at handover, room by room.
roof inspection checklist
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.