Maintenance & inspection
What is a maintenance planner?
A maintenance planner is the forward schedule of safety inspections, services and tests for every vehicle and trailer on an operator licence, usually planned months ahead.
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<img src="https://fleetoptix.co.uk/glossary/maintenance-planner/diagram.svg" alt="maintenance planner — diagram from FleetOptix" width="880" height="620" loading="lazy">
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<a href="https://fleetoptix.co.uk/glossary/maintenance-planner">What is a maintenance planner?</a> — diagram by
<a href="https://fleetoptix.co.uk">FleetOptix</a>
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</figure>It is the first document a DVSA examiner asks for, because it shows at a glance whether inspections happen to a plan or when somebody remembers.
It should run forward, not backward. A planner covering the next six months demonstrates intent; one that only records what has already happened is a history, and it cannot show a missed inspection until it is missed.
It also needs to include trailers, hired vehicles and anything else specified on the licence, which is where fleets with mixed ownership arrangements most often have gaps.
What goes wrong in practice
- Planned only a few weeks ahead, so slippage is invisible until it happens.
- Trailers or hired vehicles omitted entirely.
- Plan and actual dates held separately, so nobody can see the drift.