Free template
Preventive maintenance checklist
A preventive maintenance checklist records the service done on a vehicle: fluids and filters, brakes, tires, lights and the other items your mechanic checks, plus when the next service is due. Fill it in on this page, add your company name and logo, then print it or save it as a PDF.
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Preventive maintenance checklist
Vehicle and service
Engine and fluids
Brakes, tires and chassis
Lights, cab and coupling
Findings and parts
Next service due
Signatures
Technician
Signature
Reviewed by
Signature
Service intervals are left off this form on purpose: take them from each vehicle's manufacturer maintenance schedule, and record the next service due by date, odometer or engine hours.
Rule cited: FMCSA, 49 CFR 396.3, Inspection, repair, and maintenance (law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/49/396.3).
Why preventive maintenance needs a written record
A written checklist shows what was checked, what was found and when the next service is due, so nothing depends on memory. In the United States, FMCSA rule 49 CFR 396.3 requires motor carriers to systematically inspect, repair and maintain the vehicles they control, and to keep maintenance records. This form does not set service intervals: take them from each vehicle's manufacturer maintenance schedule.
Service reminders from real engine hours and kilometres
High Point GPS tracking records each vehicle's odometer and engine hours from the engine and can send maintenance reminders. FleetZap, our own maintenance software (fleetzap.com), schedules preventive maintenance by engine hours or kilometres, with inspections and work orders in one place.
Get a quoteFour tips for preventive maintenance records
Record the odometer and engine hours on every checklist. They are what the next service is planned from.
Take intervals from the manufacturer's maintenance schedule, and use its severe service schedule if it has one and your vehicles idle a lot or tow.
Write down the part numbers and fluid types used, so the next service uses the same ones.
Keep each completed checklist in the vehicle's file, with the work orders for any repairs it led to.
Questions about preventive maintenance
- What should a preventive maintenance checklist include?
- It should identify the vehicle with its unit number, VIN, odometer and engine hours, then list the items checked: oil and filters, fluids, belts and hoses, battery, brakes, tires and wheels, steering and suspension, lights, coupling devices and exhaust. It ends with the defects found, the parts used, when the next service is due and the technician's signature.
- How often should preventive maintenance be done?
- Follow the manufacturer's maintenance schedule for each vehicle. It sets intervals by distance, engine hours or time, and the right interval depends on the make, model and how the vehicle is used. This form does not state intervals for that reason. Record the next due date, odometer reading or engine hours on each completed checklist so the next service is not missed.
- Is preventive maintenance required by law in the United States?
- Yes, for motor carriers under FMCSA rules. 49 CFR 396.3 requires every motor carrier to systematically inspect, repair and maintain the vehicles it controls. Most carriers must also keep maintenance records for each vehicle they control for 30 consecutive days, kept for 1 year where the vehicle is housed or maintained and for 6 months after it leaves their control.
- Is anything I type sent to High Point GPS?
- No. The checklist runs entirely in your browser, and nothing you type is sent to us. Your entries stay in this browser on this device until you clear them. When it is done, print it for signatures or save it as a PDF, and clear the form if you use a shared computer.
- How does GPS tracking help with preventive maintenance?
- Tracking records each vehicle's real odometer and engine hours, so the next service is planned on actual use instead of estimates. FleetZap, our own maintenance software, schedules preventive maintenance by engine hours or kilometres and keeps the work orders for each repair. High Point GPS provides and supports the tracking that feeds it, in English and French.