Question 1

Which laws and guidance govern daily walkaround checks?

Accepted Answer

Daily walkaround checks sit at the heart of DVSA's Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness, and underpin the roadworthiness undertakings on your operator's licence. A responsible person must carry out the check before use, drivers must promptly report defects, and knowingly using a defective vehicle is a prosecutable offence.

Question 2

How long must I keep walkaround and defect records?

Accepted Answer

DVSA expects walkaround reports, defect reports and the record of their rectification to be kept for at least 15 months. HaulGuard retains them for the full window automatically.

Question 3

What is a nil-defect report?

Accepted Answer

A nil-defect report is a positive record that a check was carried out and no defects were found. HaulGuard logs nil-defect checks as evidence rather than leaving a silent gap.

Question 4

Does HaulGuard help my OCRS or Earned Recognition?

Accepted Answer

Consistent, complete digital records support a healthier Operator Compliance Risk Score and a DVSA Earned Recognition application. We describe HaulGuard as Earned Recognition–ready; confirm current scheme requirements with DVSA.

Question 5

Will it stand up in a DVSA audit or with a Traffic Commissioner?

Accepted Answer

Yes — checks and defects are timestamped, GPS-stamped and evidenced, retained for 15 months, and exportable as a complete evidence pack on demand.

Question 6

What are the main UK drivers' hours limits?

Accepted Answer

Under the assimilated EU rules you may drive 9 hours a day — extendable to 10 hours twice in a fixed week — up to 56 hours in a single fixed week and 90 hours across any two consecutive fixed weeks. After no more than 4 hours 30 minutes of driving you must take a break of at least 45 minutes, and a regular daily rest is at least 11 continuous hours. The separate Road Transport (Working Time) Regulations 2005 limit total work — driving plus other work — to 48 hours a week on average over a reference period usually of 17 weeks, with a 60-hour ceiling in any single week.

Question 7

Do my vans need a tachograph from July 2026?

Accepted Answer

Only if they are used on international journeys for hire or reward. From 1 July 2026 a goods vehicle with a maximum permissible mass over 2.5 tonnes and up to 3.5 tonnes must be fitted with a smart tachograph 2 and follow the assimilated EU drivers' hours rules — but only when all three of those conditions apply together. A van used only within the UK is not affected, and the 2.5-tonne figure is the maximum permissible mass of the combination, so it includes any trailer.

Question 8

Does it work offline?

Accepted Answer

Yes. HaulGuard is an offline-first mobile PWA — drivers complete checks with no signal at the depot or roadside, and they sync automatically when back online.

Question 9

Which vehicle types and templates does HaulGuard support?

Accepted Answer

HGVs, PCVs/PSVs and vans. You add vehicles by registration and use the built-in DVSA templates or your own custom checks.

Question 10

Can I use custom check templates?

Accepted Answer

Yes — use the built-in DVSA walkaround templates or tailor custom templates for your operation.

Question 11

Is there a mechanic portal?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Defects route to a mechanic's mobile portal for repair and sign-off, creating a closed-loop record from fault to fix.

Question 12

What counts as an active vehicle?

Accepted Answer

You're billed only for vehicles actively in use. Archived and off-road vehicles are never billed.

Question 13

Where can I find full pricing details?

Accepted Answer

Full pricing, the calculator, and the Founding Fleet programme are on our Pricing page — trial length is 30 days with up to 10 vehicles, and there's no long-term contract.

Question 14

Where is my data hosted and is it secure?

Accepted Answer

Data is stored on managed, encrypted cloud infrastructure with automated backups; billing is handled by Stripe. Non-essential analytics only run with your consent.

Question 15

Is HaulGuard GDPR-compliant?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We process data in line with UK GDPR and provide a Data Processing Agreement on request.

Question 16

Who owns my data?

Accepted Answer

You do. You can export your records at any time, and cancelling your subscription never deletes them.

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