Form library · Health and safety
Trailer inspection checklist
For drivers and people managing trailer defects. Record trailer and combination, walkaround and defect decision. Try the form below, see every question or download a blank PDF or Word copy.
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What is the relationship between a walkaround and a safety inspection?
DVSA guidance separates driver walkaround checks and defect reporting from planned safety inspections and maintenance. A trailer must not be used in an unroadworthy condition. Use the checks appropriate to the trailer, its operation and the responsible operator arrangements.
Last updated . Facts checked by the SiteSurvey team on 6 October 2026 against DVSA guide to maintaining roadworthiness and DVSA heavy goods vehicle daily walkaround checks.
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Want to see one filled in? See a completed trailer inspection report (PDF), made by SiteSurvey from a fictional site visit.
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Your team completes the trailer inspection on site in the SiteSurvey app on iPhone, iPad and Android phones and tablets. The project name and address fill in for them, it works without signal, and it syncs when the device is back online with photos kept against the question they answer.
Customers and subcontractors do not need the app: send them a link and they can fill it in from any browser.
Every question in the trailer inspection template
A trailer walkaround record covering identification, coupling, braking connections, wheels, lights, bodywork, loading and defect reporting. 5 sections and 40 questions. Follow-up questions and guidance appear only when an answer calls for them, so the person on site never sees the ones that do not apply.
Make it your own: every question is editable
This is a starting point, not a fixed form. Once it is in your SiteSurvey account you can reword any question, add or remove questions, sections and answer options, and add your own logo, so it fits the way your team works and the jobs you do.
Details you only enter once
Add this form to a project in SiteSurvey and it fills in what the project already knows, so nobody on site retypes it and every form on the job uses the same names. Anything filled in can still be changed.
- Project: the project name
- Site or premises address: the site address, from the space or the project
- Client or organisation: the project's customer
Record details and scope
- ProjectShort answer
Filled in from the project in SiteSurvey.
Fills in from the project name - Site or premises addressShort answerFills in from the site address, from the space or the project
- Client or organisationShort answerFills in from the project's customer
- Record date*Date
- Person completing the record*Short answer
- CheckThis is a walkaround and defect record. It is not an MOT, a planned workshop safety inspection, a brake-performance test or an approval to tow an unsuitable combination.
- CheckDVSA guidance separates driver walkaround checks and defect reporting from planned safety inspections and maintenance. A trailer must not be used in an unroadworthy condition. Use the checks appropriate to the trailer, its operation and the responsible operator arrangements.
Trailer and combination
- Trailer registration or fleet ID*Short answer
- Trailer type and configuration*Short answer
- Towing vehicle registrationShort answer
- Driver or checker*Short answer
- Responsible operatorShort answer
- Maintenance and safety inspection referenceShort answer
Walkaround
- Coupling and security devices checked*Choose one
- Acceptable
- Action needed
- Not checked
- Not applicable
- Action, limitation or reason not applicable*NotesShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Brake and electrical connections checked where fitted*Choose one
- Acceptable
- Action needed
- Not checked
- Not applicable
- Action, limitation or reason not applicable*NotesShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Wheels, tyres and visible fixings checked*Choose one
- Acceptable
- Action needed
- Not checked
- Not applicable
- Action, limitation or reason not applicable*NotesShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Lights, reflectors and number plates checked*Choose one
- Acceptable
- Action needed
- Not checked
- Not applicable
- Action, limitation or reason not applicable*NotesShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Body, doors and landing legs checked where fitted*Choose one
- Acceptable
- Action needed
- Not checked
- Not applicable
- Action, limitation or reason not applicable*NotesShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Load restraint, load distribution and visible damage reviewed*Choose one
- Acceptable
- Action needed
- Not checked
- Not applicable
- Action, limitation or reason not applicable*NotesShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Supporting photosPhotos
Defect decision
- Were defects found?*Choose one
- Yes
- No
- Defects and action taken*Notes
Locate each defect precisely and record who received the report. Keep the repair decision separate from the observation.
Shown when “Were defects found?” is “Yes” - Person notifiedShort answer
- How use was stopped where necessaryNotes
- Repair and recheck referenceShort answer
Actions and review
- Are further actions required?*Choose one
- Yes
- No
- Further actionRepeat for each further action. Each one asks:Shown when “Are further actions required?” is “Yes”
- Action and evidence reference*Notes
- Person responsible*Short answer
- Target dateDate
- Action status*Choose one
- Open
- In progress
- Completed
- Completion evidence*NotesShown when “Action status” is “Completed”
- Outstanding limitations and information to pass onNotes
- Record status*Choose one
- Ready for review
- Further work needed
- Work or use stopped
- Reviewed byShort answer
- Review dateDate
- Author signature*Signature
- CheckSigning records the information entered. It does not itself certify legal compliance, remove a limitation or authorise unsafe work.
Scope and responsibility
This is a walkaround and defect record. It is not an MOT, a planned workshop safety inspection, a brake-performance test or an approval to tow an unsuitable combination.
What a useful entry looks like
Defects and action taken
Locate each defect precisely and record who received the report. Keep the repair decision separate from the observation.
Rear left lamp lens cracked on trailer TR-08. Photo T08-03 attached; defect reported to the transport supervisor under job D-104.
Fictional example of record wording. Use the actual evidence and approved arrangements for your job; this is not a completed report or an instruction to carry out the work.
See it filled in
A completed trailer inspection report, made by SiteSurvey from a fictional site visit: every answer, the photos, the guidance that applied and the sign-off, ready to send as a PDF.
Trailer Inspection FAQs
How should I record “Defects and action taken”?
Locate each defect precisely and record who received the report. Keep the repair decision separate from the observation.
Can this cover a hired trailer?
Yes. Record the owner or operator information and the maintenance evidence available. Hiring a trailer does not remove the need to address defects.
Can I record a nil-defect check?
Yes. Select no defects only after performing the applicable checks. Not checked remains a limitation, not an acceptable result.
Does it test the brakes?
It records the checks and defects observed. It does not replace a brake test or any required safety inspection.
What are the limits of this template?
This is a walkaround and defect record. It is not an MOT, a planned workshop safety inspection, a brake-performance test or an approval to tow an unsuitable combination.
Can I complete this form on site and share the record?
In the SiteSurvey app the form works offline, with photos and signatures recorded against the questions. Share the completed record as a PDF or a link. Dates and action owners are recorded fields; this form does not send reminders or update other systems.
Related
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Templates that go with the trailer inspection form
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A loading and unloading readiness record covering vehicle position, segregation, load information, equipment, communication and controlled departure.
A warehouse walk-through covering aisles, storage, pedestrian routes, loading areas, handling, emergency access and corrective actions.
An HGV walkaround record covering vehicle and trailer identification, driver checks, defect reporting, restrictions and authorised rectification references.
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