Truck maintenance checklist

A truck maintenance checklist lists what to look at before a truck goes out: engine bay, cab, tyres, brakes, lights and any trailer coupling. It helps you catch a small fault before it turns into a breakdown.

This is a general walk-around list, not a legal one. Your truck’s manual, and the rules where you work, say what you must check and how often. Change the list to fit your truck.

Download the printable PDFDownload the spreadsheet

Engine bay

• Oil, coolant and power steering fluid levels
• Belts: cracks or fraying
• Hoses: leaks, bulges or soft spots
• Any sign of a leak under the engine
• Radiator and charge air cooler clear of debris

Cab

• Gauges: oil pressure, coolant temperature, voltmeter, air pressure
• Wipers, washers, heater and demister
• Mirrors adjusted
• Seat belt in good condition and locking
• Fire extinguisher, warning triangles and spare fuses, if your truck carries them

Outside

• Body panels, loose hardware, missing reflectors
• Mirrors, windows and windscreen free of cracks
• Truck sitting level, with no lean

Tyres, wheels and rims

• Pressure to the maker’s figure
• Tread depth, uneven wear, bald spots
• Cuts, bulges, exposed cords, sidewall damage
• Rims: cracks, bends or rust trails
• Wheel nuts tight, no leaking wheel seals

Brakes, and the air system if fitted

• Air leaks in hoses or brake chambers
• Brake lining wear
• Service and parking brakes working
• Slack adjusters and pushrods with proper clearance

Steering and suspension

• Steering play, power steering hoses
• Springs and shocks, any lean or sag

Lights

• Headlights, high beams, fog lights
• Indicators, brake lights, hazards
• Clearance and marker lamps
• Reflectors in place and visible

Coupling and trailer

If you tow or haul one.

• Fifth wheel: no cracks or missing parts
• Locking jaws fully around the kingpin, release arm closed and locked
• Air and electrical lines connected and not rubbing
• Landing gear fully raised
• Trailer lights working
• Trailer floor, rails and cross-members free of damage. Doors, seals and hinges in good condition

Keep the record with the truck

A paper tick-sheet gets lost. In Loggy you do the same check on your phone.

1. Open the truck and tap Inspect.
2. Pick a template, or tap Create your own and build the list above. Make a separate one for the trailer.
3. Mark each item P (pass), F (fail) or N (not applicable). Tap the clip to add a note and a photo.
4. Tap Review & Sign, draw your signature and submit.

If an item fails, tap to create a fault from it. The fault stays on the truck’s Active Faults list until someone fixes it. Inspections are free. Inspections help · Track faults

Service work is a separate list

This checklist is the walk-around. Services, oil changes and repairs get logged on their own, with the odometer, the workshop, the cost and the invoice. Your truck’s manual sets the intervals, and Loggy can remind you when the next one is due. Set a service reminder · Silverado 1500 schedule · F-150 schedule

Questions

Related: Truck and towing fleet maintenance app · Vehicle inspection checklist app · Prestart checklist for a small fleet · Free vehicle maintenance log · Equipment service intervals

Checks based on the Rush Truck Centers pre-trip and post-trip inspection checklist, read 9 November 2026.