Record Keeping requirements

As the owner or user of a commercial vehicle you are required to keep detailed records in relation to the inspection, maintenance and repair of vehicles. Find out more about what records you need to keep

What records are operators obliged to keep and for how long ?

As an owner or user of commercial vehicles you are required to keep detailed records in relation to the inspection, maintenance and repair of vehicles. These records must be retained for at least two (2) years after their creation.

These records should include the following:

vehicle registration number, model, year of manufacture and hire purchase agreement/leasing arrangement (if applicable);
when the vehicle had its last annual roadworthiness test;
details of when and what maintenance was carried out and by whom;
details of all defects reported/discovered;
details of when defects were rectified, including date and by whom;
parts and service invoices.

Authorised Officers from Bureau Veritas or AA. Ireland, the RSA’s appointed Technical Service Providers, will undertake inspections at vehicle owner/operators premises to check compliance with the recording of defects and also that the operator has an effective maintenance system in place for vehicles. Operators will need to show the Authorised Officer that there is scheduled maintenance, inspections and vehicle repairs to prevent roadworthiness issues occurring

Guidelines on setting up a record keeping system

The recording system can be paper based or an electronic one and you will have to decide which best suits your business having regard to fleet size and chosen internal vehicle maintenance procedures and routine.

The RSA’s Guide to keeping your commercial vehicle roadworthy (PDF) includes examples of record keeping systems .

The RSA has also developed a sample excel file which can be modified for your own use. The service and repair details on each vehicle can be stored on a single sheet within the spreadsheet. Authorised officers will require that the original documentation relating to maintenance and repairs is retained for inspection

Link to sample excel planned maintenance record (XLS).

Alternatively planned maintenance can be recorded on a simple wall chart (PDF) such as the one provided by the RSA .

The wall chart is A1 in size and allows you to view due dates for: Service, Commercial Vehicle Test and Tacho Check for each vehicle at a glance.

Visit our online ordering facility to order your free wallchart.