Free Pre-Start Checklist Template for Vehicles, Plant and Machinery

A pre-start check is the cheapest safety control you own. This pre-start checklist template covers light vehicles, trucks, plant and machinery. It takes ten to twenty minutes, it catches the tyre, the leak and the loose wheel nut before they become an incident, and it produces the record that proves the machine was fit to work. The whole thing is below. Copy it, adapt it to your own gear and use it.

Most templates you will find online are American, which means they check for a DOT annual inspection and a DVIR. This one is built around what Australian operators actually answer to, and the fault thresholds are the regulator’s own.

Is a pre-start checklist actually required by law?

Not in those words, and it is worth being straight about that because most pages on this subject imply otherwise.

No Australian law prescribes a pre-start checklist form. What the law does require is the thing the checklist delivers. Under the model work health and safety laws, a vehicle used for work is plant, so your utes sit under the same duties as your excavators. A person with management or control of plant must manage the risks associated with it and ensure it is maintained, inspected and where necessary tested by a competent person, in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations. For heavy vehicles, the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator puts it plainly in its own guidance: the operator of a heavy vehicle is responsible for ensuring that each vehicle is roadworthy, and a daily check is a quick visual inspection undertaken before leaving the yard, depot or rest area. Roadworthiness is also one of the duties that sits across every party in the Chain of Responsibility, not just the driver.

So the pre-start is not a form the law demands. It is the accepted way of discharging a duty the law absolutely does demand, and of evidencing that you discharged it. That distinction matters when someone asks you to prove it.

The pre-start checklist template: light vehicles and trucks

Work through it engine-off on the walk-around first, then start the machine for the function checks.

Wheels, tyres and hubs

Tyres correctly inflated
Tread depth and tyre condition
Sidewalls free of deep cuts, chunking, bumps, bulges or exposed cords
Dual tyres not contacting each other
Wheel nuts, studs and bolts present, not cracked or broken
Hub seals not leaking
Mudflaps and guards secure

Lights and reflectors

Headlights on high and low beam
Indicators, brake lights, tail lights, reversing lights
Clearance and marker lights operational
Beacons and work lights operational
Reflectors and lenses present and in good condition, not faded, broken or damaged
Number plates legible and secure

Mirrors, glass and vision

Mirrors present, secure, undamaged and correctly adjusted
Windows operational
Wipers and washers working, washer fluid topped up
Primary vision area of the windscreen clear of scoring, sandblasting or severe discolouration

Brakes and steering

Service brake pedal firm, no sponginess
Park brake holds on a grade and releases fully
Air pressure builds and holds
Brake failure indicators operational
Pressure and vacuum gauges operational
Air tank drain valves operational
Brake lines and hoses undamaged, no chafing
Steering free play within normal, no binding or unusual noise
Suspension and airbags undamaged, no leaks

Engine, driveline and exhaust

No fluid leaking from the vehicle: oil, fuel, water, coolant, refrigerant, hydraulic fluid or brake fluid
Engine oil, coolant, brake fluid, power steering fluid and AdBlue at level
Fuel sufficient for the shift
Belts and hoses in condition, air filter indicator clear
Battery secure, terminals clean and tight
Exhaust secure, no excessive smoke

Structure and body

Panels and readily visible structures secure
Chassis and sub-frame free of advanced rust, cracks, distortion or sagging
Horn operational, single tone, loud enough to warn other road users

Cab, controls and safety equipment

Seat adjusted and secure, seatbelts working and undamaged
Gauges and warning lights normal on start-up
Reversing alarm, camera and proximity sensors working
Fire extinguisher present, in date, accessible, pin secure
First aid kit present and complete
Warning triangles, wheel chocks and PPE on board
No loose objects in the cab

Couplings, load and trailer

Fifth wheel or ballrace and associated mountings secure
Towbar, drawbar and couplings securely mounted
Kingpin correctly engaged in the fifth wheel jaws
Air lines, electrical connectors and any ABS or EBS connectors correctly attached to the trailer
Trailer coupling secure, safety chains fitted
Load restrained and within capacity, restraints rated and in condition
Trailer lights and brakes working

Documentation

Registration current
Driver licence current and correct class
Work diary present where required
Mass and dimension placards, and dangerous goods signage where applicable

Two tips worth stealing from the regulator: if you are operating in a combination, do a tug test to confirm it is securely coupled. And if wheel nut indicators are fitted, they are the fastest way to spot a nut that is not properly fastened.

When an item actually fails

This is the part generic templates leave out. A tick box tells an operator to look at the tyre. It does not tell them at what point the tyre is a defect. The NHVR publishes those thresholds in its own heavy vehicle daily checks guidance, and they are worth putting in front of your drivers.

A tyre fails if it does not have at least 1.5mm of tread depth in a continuous band running around the whole circumference and extending across at least 75 per cent of the tyre width. An LED lamp fails if more than 30 per cent of the individual LEDs do not function, so a lamp with ten LEDs needs at least seven working. The windscreen primary vision area, meaning the area swept by the wipers, must be free of any bullseye or star fracture exceeding 16mm in diameter, any hairline crack longer than 30mm, and any crack from the edge of the windscreen longer than 75mm. On leaks, the faults specifically called out are oil escaping from the engine, gearbox, differential, brake system, power steering or any joint or seal onto brake friction surfaces, the exhaust system or the road surface.

The regulator is also clear on what this list is not. It is a visual check and a guide only, it should be adapted to your own circumstances, and it does not replace a full safety inspection. The National Heavy Vehicle Inspection Manual carries the full component list and inspection criteria if you want to build a deeper check.

The pre-start checklist template: plant and machinery

For excavators, loaders, dozers, rollers and telehandlers. Add the manufacturer’s own daily items from the operation and maintenance manual, because they are specific to the machine and they govern.

Operator readiness

Operator fit for duty and not fatigued or impaired
Correct licence or high risk work licence held for this machine
Operator familiar with this machine and its controls
Site conditions, exclusion zones and traffic plan understood
Communications working

Engine and fluids

Engine oil, coolant, fuel and AdBlue at level
Hydraulic oil at level
Air filter indicator clear, radiator and cooling pack free of debris
Belts and hoses in condition
No leaks under the machine

Hydraulics and attachments

Hydraulic hoses free of chafing or weeping
Cylinders and rams undamaged, no scoring
Quick hitch or coupler locked, pins in place and secured
Boom, stick and arm free of cracks
Pins and bushes in condition
Bucket teeth, cutting edge and ground engaging tools in condition

Undercarriage, tracks and tyres

Track tension correct, shoes and bolts secure
Idlers, rollers and sprockets in condition
Final drives and drive motors free of leaks
Tyre condition and pressure, wheel nuts secure on wheeled machines

Safety systems

Seatbelt and operator restraint working
ROPS or FOPS structure undamaged and correctly mounted
Reversing alarm and travel alarm working
Beacon and work lights working
Horn working
Emergency stop and battery isolator working
Swing, boom and travel locks functioning
Guards, covers and handrails in place
Fire extinguisher present, in date and accessible

Cab and controls

Brakes and steering responding correctly
All controls and joysticks functioning as expected
Gauges and instruments normal, no warning lights
Mirrors and reversing camera clear and adjusted
Wipers working, cab glass clear
Access steps and platform clean and undamaged
No loose objects in the cab

Records and compliance

Safety decals and data plates present and legible
Operation and maintenance manual on board
Hour meter reading recorded
Service status checked, machine not overdue
Load chart present and legible on machines that need one

Electric and gas-powered vehicles

Nearly every checklist template still in circulation predates the fleet electrifying, and it shows. The NHVR guidance covers both, and these items belong on your form now rather than after the first incident.

On high voltage systems, check that the high voltage wiring shows no damage, deterioration or signs of chafing, that no electrolyte is leaking, that the rechargeable energy storage system warning light cycles when the ignition is switched on, and that the appropriate electric vehicle number plate label is fitted. On gas systems, whether hydrogen, CNG or LNG, check the container is in good condition and free of corrosion, damage, cuts or dents, that it is adequately restrained and the restraints are not damaged, loose or deteriorated, that no leaking from the gas lines is evident, that the hydrogen system warning light cycles on ignition, and that the correct number plate label is fitted.

What to do when you find a defect

The checklist is the easy half. The half that decides whether it was worth doing is what happens in the next ten minutes.

Anything affecting brakes, steering, tyres, couplings, load restraint or the operator restraint means the machine does not move. Tag it out, isolate it and tell the supervisor before the shift plan gets rearranged around it. For everything else, the test is whether the fault will get worse or unsafe during the shift. Either way the defect needs to be recorded against that specific asset with enough detail for a mechanic to act on it, which in practice means a photo, because a written description of a hydraulic weep is worth very little to the person who has to find it.

Then it has to be closed out. A defect register that only records faults is a list of things you knew about and did nothing about, which is worse evidence than no register at all. The loop is defect raised, assessed, work order created, rectified, signed off, and the record kept on the machine.

How long do you keep the records?

Honestly: there is no single national retention period for pre-start records, and any page telling you a specific number of years without citing something is guessing. What is defensible is keeping them for as long as they might be needed, which in practice is driven by your accreditation requirements, your insurer, the statutory limitation periods for a workplace incident, and the working life of the asset. The practical answer most operators land on is to keep them for the life of the asset, because the cost of storage is nil once the records are digital and the cost of not having them is not.

When the clipboard stops working

A paper pre-start works fine on one site with six machines. It stops working at the point where the forms live in a glovebox, the defects reach the office days later, and nobody can put their hand on the inspection history for the machine an auditor has just asked about.

That is the point where operators move the check onto a phone. In TFO Software, pre-starts and inspections are completed in the field with photos attached, time-stamped against the specific asset and stored on its record permanently. Faults and defects raised by an operator reach the office as they are logged rather than at the end of the week. The Risk Assessment Builder lets you build risk assessments for operators to sign onto as part of their pre-start, with every signature stored against the asset, and every asset carries its own QR code so anyone in the field can scan the machine and pull up its documentation and maintenance history. On the compliance side, FleetSafety handles the part the checklist assumes but does not check, which is whether the person operating the machine is inducted, licensed and current. Defects flow into FleetMaint as work orders, so the loop actually closes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the template free to use?

Yes. The full checklist is on this page and you are welcome to copy it, adapt it and use it in your own business without buying anything.

Are pre-start checks legally required in Australia?

No law prescribes the checklist itself. The law requires that plant is safe, maintained and inspected, and that heavy vehicles are roadworthy before they leave the yard. A pre-start check is the accepted way of meeting the daily part of that duty and of proving you met it.

Who is responsible for completing the pre-start?

The operator or driver completes it, but the duty sits with the business. A person with management or control of plant cannot delegate the obligation by handing out a form, which is why the record and the follow-up matter as much as the tick boxes.

How often should a pre-start be done?

Before the machine is used for the first time each shift, and again on a change of operator, because the second operator is the one who will be affected by anything the first one missed.

How long does it take?

An experienced operator will work through a heavy vehicle check in ten to twenty minutes. Plant is usually quicker once the walk-around is habit.

Are digital pre-start checklists valid, or does it have to be paper?

Nothing requires paper. What matters is that the check was done by the right person, that the record is accurate and time-stamped, and that it can be produced when asked. A digital record generally does that better than a carbon copy in a glovebox.

What is the difference between a pre-start and a roadworthy inspection?

A pre-start is a daily visual check by the operator. A roadworthy or annual safety inspection is a full mechanical inspection against the national criteria. The regulator is explicit that a daily check does not replace a full safety inspection.

Take the checklist and use it. If the paper version has stopped keeping up, have a chat to the team about putting your pre-starts on a phone instead. Get in touch, book a demo, or start a 14-day free trial and run a week of pre-starts through TFO Software on your own gear.