Here is a summary regarding the Safety Round and the different possible scenarios.
Who should perform the Safety Round?
It is the driver or a person designated by the operator who must carry out the vehicle check to ensure that it meets the current standards. The Highway Safety Code specifies that every heavy vehicle must have been checked within the last 24 hours, otherwise a new "safety round" must be conducted.
1- Goods Transport
To know the procedure for performing a countersignature in Geotab Drive, click here.
- The vehicle safety round can also be carried out by a person designated by the operator. In this case, the operator becomes responsible, and the driver can accept or refuse it.
- If accepted, the driver ensures that the round is valid (done within the last 24 hours) and countersigns the round report to confirm they have acknowledged it. The driver is then not held responsible for the round, but remains responsible for keeping the report up to date and reporting any defects observed during the journey.
- If refused, the driver must redo the round and fill out a new report.
- When the vehicle is used by more than one driver, each of them must perform the vehicle safety round when taking the wheel.
- If a driver refuses the safety round conducted by a person designated by the operator, they must redo a safety round and fill out a new report.
- All subsequent drivers called to drive the vehicle must also do so because the last round was not conducted by a person designated by the operator.
- If the round is not conducted by a person designated by the operator, a driver who takes over a vehicle on which they have performed a safety round within a 24-hour period does not have to fill out a new round report.
- However, they must ensure that the round report they filled out is on board the vehicle and still reflects the condition of the vehicle.
- Therefore, when another driver has used the vehicle in the meantime, it is advisable for them to redo the round or review the other driver's round report to update their own report if any defects have been detected.
2- Passenger Transport
To know the procedure for performing a countersignature in Geotab Drive, click here.
- A driver can countersign the round report conducted by the previous driver and thus accept the round, even if the latter is not a person designated by the operator to conduct it.
- If accepted, the driver ensures that the round is valid (done within the last 24 hours) and countersigns the round report to confirm they have acknowledged it.
- The driver is then held responsible for the round conducted by the previous driver since it was not conducted by a person designated by the operator.
- The driver must also keep the report up to date and report any defects observed during the journey.
- If refused, the driver must redo the round and fill out a new report.
- If the safety round was conducted by a person designated by the operator, each driver must review the round report, ensure that the round was conducted within the last 24 hours.
- If accepted, they must countersign the report and ensure it is kept up to date.
- If a driver refuses the safety round conducted by the designated person, they must redo a round and thus take responsibility for it.