The daily walkaround check is a legal requirement for commercial vehicle drivers in the UK and represents the most important single tyre safety activity in the fleet maintenance chain. A thorough and consistently performed inspection takes only a few minutes but can identify issues that, left undetected, could lead to serious roadside failures with significant safety, legal, and financial consequences.
Begin at the front nearside wheel and work systematically around the vehicle in a consistent direction, checking each wheel position in turn. At each tyre, look for visible cuts, bulges, or sidewall damage, check for objects embedded in the tread area, and verify that the valve cap is present. Assess whether the tyre appears correctly inflated — though a pressure gauge should be used regularly for accurate measurement rather than relying solely on visual assessment.
On dual-wheel axle positions, inspect both the inner and outer tyre and look for any foreign objects trapped between them. The tread wear indicator bars moulded into the tyre grooves provide a quick visual check against the minimum depth threshold, though a calibrated gauge should be used periodically to obtain actual tread depth measurements for maintenance records.
Any defect identified during the walkaround — however minor it may appear — must be reported to the transport manager or maintenance contact before the vehicle departs. Recording the concern in the vehicle defect log ensures it is formally logged and addressed before the vehicle enters service. For defects that cannot wait for a routine repair booking, a mobile tyre technician can assess and resolve the issue at the depot to keep the vehicle available for service.
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