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Printable circle check checklist
A circle check is the daily inspection of a commercial vehicle's accessible parts, valid for 24 hours, and it must be done before the vehicle is driven. Pick your province and vehicle: the tool shows the official list that applies and gives you the report to print.
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NSC Schedule 1: truck, tractor and trailer
This schedule applies to trucks, tractors and trailers or combinations thereof exceeding a registered gross vehicle weight of 4500 kg.
Items to check
- 1.Air brake system
- 2.Cab
- 3.Cargo securement
- 4.Coupling devices
- 5.Dangerous goods
- 6.Driver controls
- 7.Driver seat
- 8.Electric brake system
- 9.Emergency equipment and safety devices
- 10.Exhaust system
- 11.Frame and cargo body
- 12.Fuel system
- 13.General
- 14.Glass and mirrors
- 15.Heater/defroster
- 16.Horn
- 17.Hydraulic brake system
- 18.Lamps and reflectors
- 19.Steering
- 20.Suspension system
- 21.Tires
- 22.Wheels, hubs and fasteners
- 23.Windshield wiper/washer
PDF, US Letter, one inspection per sheet
The checklist uses the official headings. The defects that make each item minor or major are in the official list, and its address is printed on the report.
What the circle check rule requires in Quebec
Before driving, the driver makes sure a circle check was done on the vehicle in the previous 24 hours. The SAAQ rule has applied since November 20, 2016.
The driver or a person the operator designates can do the check. A driver who accepts a check done by someone else countersigns the report; one who refuses it does the check again.
It covers vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 4,500 kg or more, combinations where at least one vehicle reaches that weight, buses, minibuses and tow trucks of any weight, and vehicles under 4,500 kg carrying dangerous substances that require safety marks.
Exempt vehicles include tool vehicles, farm tractors, farm machinery and farm trailers, heavy vehicles needed by an emergency service or in a disaster, and heavy vehicles a person uses for personal, non-commercial purposes.
What the circle check report must contain
The SAAQ lists the contents: the licence plate or unit number, the operator's name, the date and time, the municipality or place on the road, the defects noted during the trip and during the check (or a note that there were none), the printed name of the person who did the check, a signed declaration that the vehicle was inspected as required, the signature of a driver who accepts a check done by someone else, and the odometer reading. An electronic report is allowed.
Minor or major defect: what changes
- Minor defect: no immediate threat, but it can get worse quickly. The owner has 48 hours to have it repaired; after that, the vehicle may not be driven.
- Major defect: an immediate threat to safety. The vehicle may not be driven until it is repaired.
- The operator signs the report when there is a defect, tells the owner without delay and sends the owner a copy. The operator and the owner each keep the circle check documents for at least 6 months, and the owner keeps proof of repairs for at least 12 months.
The circle check elsewhere in Canada: NSC Standard 13
Outside Quebec, the daily trip inspection follows Standard 13 of the National Safety Code, published by the CCMTA. Trucks, tractors and trailers over 4,500 kg registered weight are inspected every 24 hours against Schedule 1, buses against Schedule 2, and some motor coaches against Schedule 3, with a Schedule 4 inspection every 30 days or 12,000 km.
The standard requires a report with the same basic details, immediate reporting of a major defect, the original sent to the carrier within 20 days and kept for 6 months. Each province adopts it in its own regulation: Ontario states that a daily inspection is valid for 24 hours (O. Reg. 199/07), and Saskatchewan's threshold for trucks is 11,794 kg. Check the rule of the province where you drive.
Questions about the circle check
- How long is a circle check valid?
- 24 hours. Before driving, the driver must make sure a circle check was done on the vehicle within the previous 24 hours, according to the SAAQ. If the last check is older than that, a new one is needed before the vehicle leaves. In Ontario, Regulation 199/07 also states that a daily inspection is valid for 24 hours.
- Who can do the circle check?
- The driver or a person the operator designates. When a designated person does it, the operator is accountable, and the driver either accepts it by countersigning the report or refuses it and does the check again. For buses, minibuses, tow trucks and emergency vehicles, a driver can also accept the previous driver's check and then becomes accountable for it.
- Which list of defects applies in Quebec?
- The SAAQ publishes three. List 1 covers heavy vehicles other than buses, minibuses and motor coaches. List 2 covers buses other than motor coaches, minibuses and any trailer towed by a bus, minibus or motor coach. List 3 covers motor coaches only. The generator on this page picks the right one from the vehicle you choose.
- How long do you keep a circle check report?
- In Quebec, the operator and the owner each keep a copy of the circle check documents for at least 6 months, and the owner keeps any document proving a defect was repaired for at least 12 months. Elsewhere in Canada, NSC Standard 13 asks the carrier to keep the original report and the certification of repairs for at least 6 months.
- Can the circle check report be electronic?
- Yes. The SAAQ says the regulation sets what the report contains, not its format, so an electronic document is allowed if it meets Quebec's Act to establish a legal framework for information technology. NSC Standard 13 also accepts an equivalent electronic format. A circle check app on a phone therefore does the same job as this paper report.