Pre-Operational Daily Checks: Cabin, Engine, Tyres, Brakes, and Lights

Why a daily check is a legal requirement, not a formality

Under the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL), which applies in Victoria through the Heavy Vehicle National Law Application Act 2013 (Vic), every heavy vehicle used on a road must comply with the heavy vehicle standards — the Australian Design Rules (ADRs) and the Heavy Vehicle (Vehicle Standards) National Regulation. A driver is a Chain of Responsibility (CoR) party and shares the Primary Duty under HVNL s26C to ensure the safety of transport activities, so far as is reasonably practicable. Driving a vehicle with a known defect is a breach of that duty.

The NHVR publishes the Guide to creating heavy vehicle daily checks, which lists the items and areas that may be covered in a quick visual inspection undertaken prior to leaving the yard, depot, or rest area. A daily check does not replace scheduled maintenance; it catches the defects that develop between services — a slow air leak, a chafed tyre, a blown brake-light globe — before they become a major defect on the road.

The check must be recorded. Most Victorian operators use a written or electronic daily-check sheet that the driver signs and dates; under NHVR Basic Fatigue Management / Standard Hours record-keeping and operator management-system rules, the completed sheet is part of the operator's maintenance evidence. If an authorised officer or a VicRoads Transport Safety Officer stops the truck, a current, signed daily check is strong evidence that the driver and operator have met their Primary Duty.

The full daily-check sequence

The sequence below follows the order used in Victorian heavy-vehicle training and the NHVR daily-check guide. Do the checks in the same order every day so that nothing is missed.

1. Cabin drill (before you start the engine)

• Adjust the seat so you can fully depress the brake and clutch pedals without stretching.
• Fasten the seatbelt and check it is not frayed, cut, or twisted.
• Adjust both side mirrors and the interior mirror; confirm the mirror surface is at least 150 cm² each, not cracked, deteriorated, or obscured.
• Check the windscreen for cracks, stars, or damage that impairs vision within the swept area of the wipers; confirm wiper blades are intact and the washer reservoir is full.
• Confirm the horn works, the demister and windscreen demist function, and the speedometer and odometer are illuminated and legible.
• Confirm the registration label/disc is current and the number plates are clean, visible, and illuminated.

2. Around-vehicle walk-around (before opening the bonnet)

• Walk clockwise around the whole vehicle so you face oncoming traffic on the road side.
• Look for body damage, loose panels, missing mudguards or mudflaps, and rear marking plates (mandatory on vehicles > 12 tonne GVM) that are faded, torn, or missing.
• Check that conspicuity (reflective contour) tape is present and clean where the vehicle is required to display it.
• Inspect the load area: tailgate or barn doors closed and latched, load restraint equipment (chains, straps, turnbuckles) stowed or correctly fitted, no loose debris or unsecured items on the deck.
• Look underneath for fluid pools — oil, coolant, fuel, or brake fluid — that indicate a leak developed overnight.

3. Engine bay (with the engine off, bonnet or cab tilted)

• Check engine oil level on the dipstick; top up if below the low mark. Look for coolant, power-steering fluid, and (for air-braked vehicles) the air-compressor governor cut-in range.
• Inspect coolant level at the overflow reservoir (never open a hot pressurised radiator cap).
• Inspect belts (fan, alternator, air-compressor, power-steering) for correct tension, cracking, fraying, glazing, or oil contamination.
• Inspect hoses for swelling, softening, cracking, chafing, or leaks, especially where a hose contacts a moving part or heat source.
• Check the battery is secured, terminals are clean and tight, and the isolation switch (where fitted) functions.
• Check the fuel system: fuel cap present and sealing, no leaks, fuel lines not contacting moving or hot parts.
• Check the exhaust is securely mounted, not leaking, and not directing gases onto brake lines, hoses, or the load.

4. Tyres and wheels

• Walk around every axle group. For a rigid truck this includes the steer axle and every drive and tag-axle wheel.
• Measure tread depth in the principal grooves. The NHVIM minimum is 1.5 mm in a continuous band around the whole circumference and across at least 75% of the tyre width. Most operators use a 2 mm internal trigger so the tyre is not borderline by the next check.
• Inspect each tyre for cuts that expose cords or wire, chunking, bulges, bumps, ply separations, embedded objects, and signs of carcass failure. Any of these is a major defect — the tyre must not be driven on.
• Confirm dual tyres do not contact each other and that nothing is trapped between them (stones, debris).
• Inspect wheels and rims for cracks, buckles, elongated stud holes, and loose or missing wheel nuts. On a wheel with visible studs, check for any nut that has backed off — look for rust streaks radiating from a nut, which is a sign it is loosening.
• Confirm tyres match the manufacturer's tyre placard (size, load rating, speed rating of at least 100 km/h) and that re-grooving is only present on tyres marked suitable for re-grooving.

5. Brakes

The brake check differs for air and hydraulic systems; the detailed comparison is in Section 4.2. At the daily-check stage the driver confirms:

• Brake pedal has an anti-slip surface, is not broken or missing, and has normal travel before firm resistance.
• Park brake engages and holds the vehicle on the gradient it is parked on.
• Air-braked vehicles: air pressure builds to the cut-out range (typically around 825–930 kPa, confirm against the vehicle gauge) with the engine at fast idle; the low-pressure warning buzzer/light works when pressure is drained; the air reservoir drain valves are at the lowest point and are not clogged.
• Hydraulic-braked vehicles: brake fluid level at the reservoir is between MIN and MAX; no fluid leaks at callipers, wheel cylinders, or master cylinder; the pedal does not slowly sink under sustained foot pressure (which indicates an internal leak).
• Brake hoses and pipes are securely clipped, not cracked, kinked, chafed, bulging, or heat-damaged, and do not leak.
• Brake drums and discs are fitted, not cracked, and not missing pieces; friction material is not contaminated with oil, grease, or brake fluid.

6. Lights and reflectors

With the ignition on and a helper (or by checking reflections against a wall), confirm:

• Headlights (white) — low and high beam both work and are aimed so the beam does not rise above or to the right of headlight centre at 8 m.
• Tail lights (red), brake lights (red), and reversing lights (white, mandatory on motor vehicles built after 30 June 1975).
• Direction indicators (yellow) front and rear, and side-repeaters where fitted.
• Clearance and end-outline marker lights — white or yellow to the front, red to the rear — so the full width and height of the vehicle is visible at night.
• Side marker lights (yellow to front half, red to rear half) on vehicles over 2.2 m wide.
• Number-plate light illuminates the rear plate.
• Reflectors — red to the rear, yellow to the side, white or yellow to the front — are present, the correct colour, and not cracked or faded.
• Lenses are securely mounted, not cracked, faded, or letting in moisture or dirt. For LED light assemblies, no more than 30% of the individual LEDs in a single assembly may be failed (e.g. at least 7 of 10 must work).

If any mandatory light or reflector is inoperative and cannot be repaired before departure, the vehicle is not roadworthy.