Submitting Daily Inspection Reports to the Operator

Single Daily Inspection Reports

Expired reports must be forwarded to the operator as soon as possible, but no later than 20 days after the date of inspection.

Reports must be forwarded to the operator's principal place of business, or to a terminal or business address specified by the operator.

Daily Inspection Report Books

Report books that are full, or have passed the operator's pre-determined end-date or use period, must be forwarded to the operator's principal place of business, or to a terminal or business address specified by the operator.

NOTE: If the daily inspection reports are contained in a book that is kept in the commercial motor vehicle, and the operator has regular access to the vehicle, the reports are deemed to be submitted when they are in the truck, bus or school-purposes vehicle, and do not have to be forwarded to the office within the 20-day timeframe.

Where to Get Daily Inspection Reports

• Operators are required to supply drivers with the appropriate reports

Handing Over Valid Daily Inspection Reports to Another Driver

• A driver may hand over a valid original copy of a daily inspection report to another driver who is driving for the same operator. The second driver is obligated to submit the report to the operator.
• A driver may hand over a duplicate copy of the original inspection report or a hand-written reproduction to a driver working for a different operator. In this case, each driver must submit a report to their respective operators.
• There is no legal obligation under the HTA for a driver to hand over a report to another driver, whether or not they drive for the same operator. However, there may be a contractual or an employment-law obligation to pass along a report to another driver.
• A driver who receives a valid daily or under-vehicle report for a vehicle that was inspected by another person may rely on the report as proof that the inspection was conducted as required, unless the driver has reason to believe otherwise. The report is valid, provided the current driver has signed the inspection report.

Contents of Daily Inspection Reports

Both single reports and report books must contain the following minimum line items:

• Licence-plate number and plate jurisdiction of the vehicle
• Operator's name
• Date and time of the inspection
• City, town, village or highway location where the inspection was conducted
• Printed name of the person who conducted the inspection
• Odometer reading of the commercial motor vehicle
• List of major and minor defects found during the inspection, if any
• A statement that no major or minor defects were found, if none
• Major and minor defects found while en route
• A statement, signed by the person who conducted the inspection, that the vehicle was inspected in accordance with this regulation
• Signature of each driver who did not conduct the initial inspection

Line-item language may be altered to a "like meaning." Any altered language must continue to indicate what the completed information means. Operators are free to add and re-arrange line items.

The Ministry of Transportation does not approve blank inspection reports for operators. Operators are required to purchase or create a report that complies with the requirements of Section 7 of Regulation 199/07, Daily Inspection Report.

 

Operators can combine daily inspection reports with schedules, and they can be on the same document. Single reports may also be combined with hours-of-service logbooks, as long as all line items for both requirements are included. Here are two examples:

Example 1

• The daily inspection report requires a line item for the odometer reading. The logbook requires the driver to record the odometer readings at the start and end of the shift/trip. Also, if the driver uses the vehicle for personal transportation to a place of lodging or so on during the trip, there is a requirement to enter the start and finish odometer readings for this personal distance travelled.
• Therefore, a combined daily report and logbook may require five different odometer line items representing five readings, if the daily inspection were conducted at a different distance from when the driver started the trip and the vehicle was used for personal purposes during the trip.
• If a vehicle is never used for personal purposes during a trip, it is not necessary to have these odometer line items on either a logbook report or a combined daily report.

Example 2

If the vehicle is always inspected at the same starting location as the driver's trip or shift, a check box may be used to indicate that the odometer reading applies to the inspection reading, as well as the driver's start reading.

• Odometer reading, start of driver's day and at time of inspection (enter value)

Sample Daily Inspection Reports

Inspection-report formats and layouts are not prescribed by regulation. The regulation sets out a minimum of information to be recorded on a report.

Reports may, at the option of the operator:

Contain an inspection checklist and additional information

• Single reports may be printed at the back of hours-of-service logbooks
• Information may be permanently printed on the reports when it does not change (for example, operator’s name, plate number and so on)
• Reports may also be printed with the vehicle's inspection schedule(s).
• Reports other than report books may be produced in carbon or carbonless sets that automatically create extra copies when the top page is completed. Some operators may prefer to use multi-copied reports for internal distribution purposes. Also, valid legible copies of these reports may be passed on to the next driver of a vehicle, while the person who inspected the vehicle retains the original.

Many variations of a report are possible, depending on the operation of the vehicles and inspection personnel. Operators are free to create a report that best meets the needs of their operation.

In the following samples, "Signature of each driver who was not the inspection person" may be removed if the vehicle is inspected by the driver and not driven by a second driver.

See the appendices at the end of this module for samples.

Certification of Repairs

Ontario operators may include a "certification of repairs" section on inspection reports to track defects and repairs.

When a report lists a defect, and the defect was repaired without the operator creating a separate repair order, the repair and any parts used must be noted on the report. In this case, the report becomes a maintenance record and must be retained for two years.

This applies whether or not the report contains a separate "certification of repairs" section.

Samples may be found in the appendices at the end of this module.

Daily Inspection Report Books Kept in the Vehicle

Report books kept in the vehicle may only be used for a vehicle that returns at the end of the day to a location where the operator has access to the vehicle and the book. The operator must be able to produce the book upon an officer's request. Also, defects written in the book must be reported to the operator verbally, by telephone or other means when the book is not handed into the operator.

A report book must be carried, and produced upon the request of an officer. If the inspection schedule is not contained within the book, the driver is required to carry and produce the applicable schedule.

The following information must be printed somewhere on or in the book;

• Operator's name
• Licence-plate number
• Plate jurisdiction of the vehicle

Sample optional information items that may be printed somewhere on or in the book:

• Unit number
• Vehicle identification number
• Make of vehicle
• Year of vehicle
• Period covered

See the appendices at the back of this module for samples.