7 signs your fleet needs a digital checklist

Vehicle inspection is a process that requires time and attention, and these issues are even more pronounced when paper checklists are used.

Paper adds little speed to the routine and contradicts the aim of building a more sustainable fleet, a topic increasingly present in transport industry trends.

Forms need to be carried from managers to drivers, then returned to the central office. New sheets are then required to open work orders, which in turn need to reach the workshop or the operation's team of mechanics.

You also need a filing system to store all documents generated throughout the year.

The digital checklist is an excellent way to resolve this situation, with checklists completed in the app and saved on the platform, where they can be accessed whenever needed.

In addition, the employees involved receive updates as inspections are recorded and completed, reducing the need to send forms or work orders manually.

Learn about other situations improved by a digital checklist for vehicle inspection:

• Slow inspections;
• Loss of completed checklists;
• Rework to fill in spreadsheets;
• High vehicle idle time;
• Little or no control of occurrences by driver;
• Missing vehicle histories;
• Difficulty identifying anomalies.

Inspections take too long

Checking vehicle items is a task that requires calm and attention, right? So it does take some of drivers' time. However, with paper checklists it can take even longer, because drivers must stop what they are doing to write down the information collected.

In many cases, carrying out inspections is a task these professionals find bothersome. This leads many of them not to give the inspection process its due importance.

In other words, they may fill it in carelessly or simply draw a big line across the paper to return to the manager, as if the vehicle had no issues. Their aim is to avoid spending time on inspection and set off on the route as soon as possible.

However, this can have other consequences: more failures arriving without clear records, increased correction costs and a lack of predictability when planning vehicle repairs and replacements.

With the digital checklist for vehicle inspection, the process becomes simpler and can be completed in a few minutes. Drivers only need their phones with the app installed and to open the desired checklist.

They can then use one hand to check the necessary item and the other to mark OK or NOK in the app. When they need both hands to examine a component, they simply put the phone in a pocket and take it out again to record the information.

Some completed checklists get lost

The amount of paper in a fleet is high when paper checklists are used. Even in a small fleet, the different inspections, especially daily ones, accumulate a lot of paper.

If you have 10 vehicles completing at least one departure checklist, that is already at least 10 sheets per day. By the end of the month, you have 300 sheets on your hands.

It is normal for some checklists to get lost amid so much paper. This can happen because drivers forget to complete the checklist or forget to hand it to the manager afterward.

However, it can also happen when managers themselves fail to read and transfer the data to their management spreadsheets. Or simply because they let too much paper accumulate and the checklist gets lost in a stack of documents.

As a result, vehicles may end up setting off on routes with open items, without the corrections necessary to ensure their safety and performance on the road.

The main advantage of the digital checklist is simple: once the inspection is completed and the checklist signed, it is saved in the system and can be consulted whenever necessary, without relying on physical paper filing.

Rework to fill in spreadsheets

Generally, those who use paper checklists also use fleet control spreadsheets. In these cases, managers need to read the information entered in each inspection before entering the data into spreadsheets on their computers.

Although spreadsheets make various functions easier, providing a more complete and practical view of the different vehicles in an operation, they also bring this downside: rework.

With the digital checklist, information is entered directly into the control system (video in Portuguese), reducing manual retyping and helping keep inspection records within the same management workflow.

Vehicle idle time is high

With paper checklists, it takes a long time to analyze each one, identify issues and send the necessary work orders. By then, the vehicle may already have left on its route or broken down completely.

In the latter case, the vehicle sits idle in the garage, parking area or workshop.

Depending on the size of your operation, an idle vehicle can delay all deliveries and, consequently, generate very high expenses.

That is why adopting the digital checklist for vehicle inspection is the most viable alternative. By automating work orders from inspections, corrections can be assigned more quickly.

This more modern checklist model also has practical, automated views, such as the Checklist Traffic Light.

This is a screen where all vehicles with open items requiring a service are listed and identified by the issue's severity level (normal, moderate or critical).

There is little or no control of occurrences by driver

If drivers are not identified on completed checklists, it is also impossible to know who was responsible for recording or failing to record a vehicle issue. This is something the electronic checklist system changes.

This changes because each user has unique access to the system and app, and driver identification is required when starting any checklist.

In addition, at the end of each inspection, drivers still need to add their electronic signatures, confirming that they completed the checklist.

Not having vehicle histories

Although spreadsheets can meet this need, they are limited. A single spreadsheet cannot include all the information from every checklist completed over the last 5 years.

Of course, this is only an example, but it conveys the general idea:

The logistics spreadsheets work for medium-term control; when we think about a longer period, things become a little complicated.

For several reasons, including:

• Lack of practicality when searching for the desired information;
• Limited control over customization of data views;
• Inability to maintain long-term control while always using the same spreadsheet.

So, for quick, simple and easy access to data about the fleet's license plates, a digital checklist system is your best option.

It saves information entered during inspections and generates reports automatically; you only need to define the operation, dates and any other filters you need.

Difficulty identifying anomalies

When vehicle inspections use paper checklists, you may take a long time to assess all the sheets submitted and identify the issues found in each vehicle.

As a result, some vehicles setting off on their planned routes are likely to have critical items still open.

You should avoid this at all costs, because it affects not only fleet costs or assets, but the safety of drivers and other road users.

Automated work orders are, once again, a solution. Beyond that, updating the system after every completed inspection helps resolve the issue with less reliance on manually checking papers.

To learn even more about the features and benefits of the Digital Checklist (in Portuguese) for vehicle inspection, schedule a demonstration with one of our specialists.