What is a DVSA walkaround check?

It is a first-use inspection of the vehicle for defects, done by the driver or a designated person and recorded. DVSA's Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness describes the standard licensed operators are expected to meet. The guide expects at least one check in every 24-hour period the vehicle is used.

Do vans under 3.5 tonnes have to do one?

Many do not fall under operator licensing if they stay in Great Britain. You still must not use a vehicle in a dangerous condition, and Amazon, DPD and other carriers commonly require the check in the contract.

What should the record contain?

Vehicle, driver, date and time, items passed or failed, the defect note, and the name of the person who cleared it. DVSA expects defect reports to be kept for at least 15 months, and recommends keeping nil reports for at least 3 months. A blank sheet signed at the end of the day is a weak record.

Does Zerity decide that a defect is clear?

No. Zerity stores the inspection against the driver and the vehicle. A named person still has to record the assessment, the repair and the date it was finished. Zerity is not a workshop work-order system.

DVSA

DVSA walkaround checks for courier vans

A DVSA walkaround check is the first-use inspection of a vehicle for defects, recorded before the vehicle is used. Where an operator's licence applies, DVSA's Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness expects that check and a written defect report. Vans used only in Great Britain at or under 3.5 tonnes are often outside operator licensing, but the roadworthiness duty remains.

What the guide expects

DVSA publishes the standard for licensed operators in the Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness (GOV.UK). The driver or a designated responsible person carries out the walkaround before the vehicle is used on the road. At least one check is required every day, or at least once in every 24-hour period the vehicle is used.

The operator can delegate the check. If they do, the driver still needs to see evidence that it was done and that the vehicle was free of defects. The illustrated list for heavy goods vehicles is Carry out HGV daily walkaround checks (GOV.UK). A van contract often asks for the same habit even when the HGV sheet is not the legal form. How depots run that check in software is covered by the vehicle walkaround check app article, not by repeating it here.

The defect record

DVSA expects a system that reports and records defects which may affect roadworthiness, including how they were put right before the vehicle is used. The flow is short.

Report the defect in writing. Record a nil defect when the check finds nothing. A nil report shows the check happened.
If the defect is dangerous, keep the vehicle off the road until it is repaired. Do not send it out on a promise to look later.
Name the person who assessed it, the repair, and the date the work was finished.
Keep the record. Defect reports, the assessment and the repair must be kept for at least 15 months. DVSA recommends keeping nil reports for at least 3 months. Electronic records are acceptable if they can be produced.

An owner-driver may have nobody to report to except a transport manager, if they have one. The guide still expects the defect and the remedial action to be recorded and held for at least 15 months.

Fields DVSA expects on a driver defect report
Field	What to write
Vehicle	Registration or identification mark. Trailer identity if one is coupled.
Date and time	When the check was done, not when the sheet was signed at the end of the shift.
Items passed or failed	A list of what was looked at. Nil if nothing was found.
Defect and assessment	The symptom, and whether it was dangerous. The GOV.UK HGV page includes who it was reported to.
Clearance	The name of the person who cleared it, the rectification, and the date the work was completed.

Safety inspections and service dates sit next to this record. The reminder habit is covered in fleet service reminders. Zerity stores the inspection against the driver and the vehicle, and it tracks MOT, tax and insurance expiry. It does not raise a workshop job card, and it does not decide that a defect is closed.

When an operator licence applies

GOV.UK says you will usually need a goods vehicle operator's licence if you use a goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes gross plated weight, or an unladen weight over 1,525 kg where there is no plated weight, to carry goods for hire or reward or in connection with a trade or business. You also need a standard international licence to carry other people's goods for hire or reward in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland when the van's maximum authorised mass is over 2.5 tonnes, or the van and trailer combination is over that weight. Vans used only in the UK, at or under 3.5 tonnes, do not need that licence on the GOV.UK rule as published. Read Goods vehicle operator licensing guide (GOV.UK) and Transport goods in Europe in vans or car and trailers (GOV.UK). The Zerity page for the 2.5 tonne question is operator licence for vans over 2.5 tonnes.

Drivers' hours, in one paragraph

Drivers' hours and tachograph rules depend on the vehicle weight and on whether the journey is in scope. Do not assume a courier van is exempt. GOV.UK publishes the manuals at Drivers' hours: goods vehicles (GOV.UK). If a 2026 change applies to the van, it will be on that page. Read van driver hours rules before you write a depot policy. This URL does not own that subject.

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Reviewed 25 September 2026. Figures and duties below are taken from the official pages linked here. Read the live page before you rely on a date.