RSA Guide

1 RSA GuideTO KEEPING YOUR COMMERCIALVEHICLE ROADWORTHY dar s Um Sh bh ilteacht Ar Bh ithreRoad Safety AuthorityA Guide to keeping your commercial vehicle roadworthyFrom the Road Safety Authority (RSA)Copyright 2010 RSAD isclaimerThe contents of this Guide are expressed in broad terms and are not intended to be a detailed analysisofthe law. They do not and are not intended to provide legal advice or to represent a legalinterpretation of the law. While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the informationin the Guide , the Authority, its servants and agents assume no responsibility for and give no guaranteeabout the accuracy, completeness or up-to-date nature of the information and do not accept anyliability for any errors or have other guidesThis Guide complements our other guides for vehicle operators and drivers.

2 Theyinclude information on:managing for road safety;driver CPC (Certificate of Professional Competence);drivers hours and road-haulage enforcement;vehicle standards;vehicle testing;driver testing; anddigital can find details about these in Further Information, Appendix 6 or bylogging onto our website at dar s Um Sh bh ilteacht Ar Bh ithreRoad Safety AuthorityContents2 dar s Um Sh bh ilteacht Ar Bh ithreRoad Safety AuthoritySection 1: Introduction7 Maintaining goods vehicles, goods trailers and buses9 What are the benefits of an effective preventativemaintenance system?11 Preventative maintenance can cut costs12 Fix before you go12 Some examplesSection 2: What are management s role andresponsibilities?17 General responsibilities18 Using a maintenance system as part of your day-to-dayoperations19 Managing for road safety19 Designate a person to make sure your vehicles areroadworthy20 Making sure all vehicles you use are roadworthySection 3: What are the driver s role andresponsibilities?

3 23 General responsibilities23 Daily checks3 dar s Um Sh bh ilteacht Ar Bh ithreRoad Safety AuthoritySection 4: Preventative maintenance systems forvehicles27Is your level of maintenance adequate?28 What should operators do?29 What should drivers do?30 Who should maintain your vehicles?Section 5: Planned routine maintenance33 Regular vehicle maintenance inspections34 Planning your maintenance schedule35 What intervals should be used?Section 6: Driver s walk-around check39 What is the purpose of the driver daily walk-aroundcheck ?39 How long should it take?40 Tailor for individual vehicles40 Equipping your drivers to conduct a walk-around check41 What should the daily check include?51 Example of walk-around checks on an LGV fleet4 dar s Um Sh bh ilteacht Ar Bh ithreRoad Safety AuthoritySection 7: Reporting and recording systems55 System to record defects55 Someone responsible for taking action56A record for each vehicleSection 8: Assessing your maintenance system59 RSA operator maintenance system surveyPostersVan & LGV driver walk-around checks posterHGV driver walk-around checks posterBus & PSV driver walk-around checks posterAppendices67 Appendix 1: Key legal obligations85 Appendix 2: Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC)in road transport operation management87 Appendix 3: Driver Certificate of ProfessionalCompetence (Driver CPC)89 Appendix 4: Sample HGV vehicle inspection checklist91 Appendix 5.

4 Sample PSV vehicle inspection checklist93 Appendix 6: Further information (useful addresses, RSAbooklets)98 Appendix 7: Vehicle maintenance scheduling wallplannerSection 1:IntroductionSECTION 1: INTRODUCTION7 dar s Um Sh bh ilteacht Ar Bh ithreRoad Safety AuthoritySection 1 IntroductionMaintaining goods vehicles, goods trailers and busesWe have produced this Guide to keeping your commercial vehicle roadworthy to help commercial vehicle operators and drivers know how to make sure theirvehicles and trailers:comply with the law;are reliable;are roadworthy; andare you are an operator you can introduce a preventative maintenanceprogramme , which includes ongoing vehicle maintenance and should ensure these inspections are made by your drivers (through simpledaily visual checks on your vehicles) and by an appropriately trained person,who regularly carries out full vehicle maintenance and safety checks on Guide also gives advice on:how frequently you should carry out safety inspections;setting up a system for correcting any faults you find.

5 Andkeeping dar s Um Sh bh ilteacht Ar Bh ithreRoad Safety AuthorityYou need to keep your vehicles and trailers in a roadworthy condition all thetime and not just when you are preparing them for the annual you are an operator you must know your legal obligations and fulfil them. Thisincludes making sure your vehicles and trailers are always roadworthy and Guide will help you to meet your steps to maintaining your vehiclesIf you follow these few simple steps, your goods vehicle, trailer and buswillalways be reliable and roadworthy.>Give someone in your organisation overall responsibility formakingsure your vehicles are roadworthy.>Make sure your drivers always carry out daily walk-aroundchecks.>Fix defects in your yard before vehicles go on the road.

6 >Put in place an effective maintenance programme.>Monitor all vehicle maintenance, defects and repairs.>Make sure you have access to the facilities and expertise tomaintainand repair your vehicles.>Make sure all staff involved with the roadworthiness of vehiclesare trained in their duties and know their dar s Um Sh bh ilteacht Ar Bh ithreRoad Safety AuthorityWhat are the benefits of an effective preventativemaintenance system?Compared to a poorly-maintained vehicle, a well-maintained vehicle:is more reliable;is cheaper to run;helps to reduce the major expenses caused by vehicle breakdowns andcollisions;helps you deliver a reliable service to your customers;enhances your reputation for reliability; andincreases your business a vehicle has a faulty part or system that is left unrepaired, it may be stoppedby the Garda and prohibited from further use.

7 The driver and operator are alsoat risk of receiving a fine, prison sentence or penalty points. You can find detailsof the key legal requirements and penalties for breaches in Key legal obligations,Appendix 1In 2008, RSA vehicle inspectors stopped 3,244 HGVs at roadside checks inIreland. We found:21% of HGVs had braking defects;21% of HGVs had lighting or other marking defects; and12% of HGVs had tyre or other wheel vehicles were not roadworthy and were therefore unsafe for use. Most ofthese defects would have been noticed if the driver had conducted a walk-around check before the vehicle had started its journey. These defects wouldthen have been rectified before the vehicle was put into service, resulting in asafer and more reliable dar s Um Sh bh ilteacht Ar Bh ithreRoad Safety AuthorityKey benefits of maintaining your vehiclesFor your BusinessAneffective preventative vehicle maintenance system:>increases customer satisfaction due to consistent on- timedeliveries;>reduces operating costs due to fewer vehicle breakdowns;>improves vehicle fuel consumption;>reduces overall maintenance and operating costs;>increases vehicle residual value and protects your assets;>lowers insurance costs;>reduces the risk of vehicle downtime at roadside checks.

8 For Road SafetyEnsures the safety and roadworthiness of your vehicles:>increases driver safety and improves their working environment;>increases passenger safety;>increases road safety for other road users; and>ensures your vehicles meet the minimum standards defined dar s Um Sh bh ilteacht Ar Bh ithreRoad Safety AuthorityPreventative maintenance can cut costsA preventative maintenance system can reduce the operating costs of a stitch in time saves nine philosophy can:save excessive and unplanned expenditure on large and unexpectedmaintenance jobs; andminimise unscheduled disruptions to your operation when vehicles areout of action for periods of your vehicles are poorly looked after you will:shorten their life;increase their whole-life vehicle cost; andreduce the residual value of vehicles you run on a short-term dar s Um Sh bh ilteacht Ar Bh ithreRoad Safety AuthorityFix before you goIt is far easier to fix any problem in your yard rather than do so on the you carry out these types of repairs in your yard:the vehicle will be safer and more reliable;you and your drivers can avoid penalty point offences.

9 Andyou will minimise delays at vehicle roadside defects occur once the journey has begun, but you have evidence that you oryour driver carried out a daily check in advance of the journey, it may reduce anydriver examplesThe following examples demonstrate the benefits of a preventative 1: Worn brake padsA small operator with two vehicles did not schedule maintenance on its were only serviced when business was quiet and every year when theannual roadworthiness test was due. Over a busy period, the brake pads woredown on the front brakes of one of the operator s vehicles. This was not noticeduntil the driver heard an unusual grinding noise when using the the worn brake pads had been identified in a preventative maintenancesystem, they would have quickly been spotted and replaced.

10 This could havesaved the brake discs from being scored and the resulting cost of theirreplacement, not to mention preventing the risk of driving a vehicle withdefective brakes and the disruption to business of having the vehicle out ofaction at an unplanned dar s Um Sh bh ilteacht Ar Bh ithreRoad Safety AuthorityExample 2: Wheel misalignmentA large operator who put in place a wheel-alignment programme to reduce fuelconsumption, tyre wear and vehicle wear and tear achieved the followingbenefits:fuel savings of on articulated lorries;fuel savings of 3%-11% on rigid lorries;22% increase in tyre life on steered axles;10% increase in tyre life on drive axles; andlower reported driver 3: Minimising breakdownsAn operator licensed for domestic and commercial waste collection operates 100trucks and vans that process about 166,000 tonnes of waste each year.