LOCAL RULES: B.C. REG. 26/58

British Columbia driver vehicle inspection report requirements

Your British Columbia driver vehicle inspection report has 7 rules to meet. ReportDraft puts every one on your checklist and checks your draft before you sign.

  • A pre-trip inspection of the 12 listed items, load securement devices included
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In British Columbia, trip inspections and trip inspection reports are set by Part 9 of Division 37 of the Motor Vehicle Act Regulations. The list of items is the North American one plus load securement devices and brake adjustments, every report states the number plate, and a report with no defects has to say so. Here is each rule with a link to the official text, and how walkaround notes become a B.C. trip inspection report.

Last reviewed October 11, 2026 against the official sources listed below.

Driver vehicle inspectionBRITISH COLUMBIA / SAMPLE

Sample notes, 82 words

Carrier: Ridgeline Freight
Driver: Marcus Hale
Date: 10/06/2026, 6:40pm, end of day at the Elm St yard
Unit 214, trailer 5310
Odometer 412,883
...
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We sorted 12 items into 3 sections and flagged 1 to fix soon.

  • Fix soonItems inspected

    Audible air leak at the trailer gladhand seal

  • Worth watchingItems inspected

    Right steer tire worn to the wear bars on the outer edge

7 British Columbia rules on your checklist, including the number plate, every defect or a statement that none was found, the date and a signature.

Still to add

  • British Columbia lawNumber plate
  • British Columbia lawDefects found
  • RecommendedNotes for remarks

Filled in for you

Motor carrier or companyRidgeline Freight
Vehicle or unit number214
Trailer number(s)5310
DriverMarcus Hale
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What British Columbia requires

  • Before driving a commercial motor vehicle for the first time in a day, the driver or a person the carrier specifies prepares a legible written trip inspection report for each vehicle driven, stating the number plate, the unit or trailer number if applicable, any defect in the operation of each listed item, any other defect that may affect safe operation, that no defect was discovered or came to the driver's attention if that is the case, the date, and the signature of the driver or person making the reportMotor Vehicle Act Regulations, B.C. Reg. 26/58, s. 37.61 (3), (4)
  • When no defect was discovered or came to the driver's attention, the trip inspection report says soB.C. Reg. 26/58, s. 37.61 (4) (e)
  • A carrier must not permit a driver to drive, and a driver must not drive, a commercial motor vehicle unless the driver or a person the carrier specifies has inspected it daily before the first trip of the day (on a trip of more than one day, by the first rest stop of each later day) and is satisfied it is in safe operating condition, including at least: service brakes with trailer brake connections and brake adjustments, parking brake, steering mechanism, lighting devices and reflectors, tires, horn, windshield wipers, rear vision mirrors, coupling devices, wheels and rims, emergency equipment, and load securement devicesB.C. Reg. 26/58, s. 37.60 (1) to (4)
  • At the end of the final trip of the day (on a trip of more than one day, at the final rest stop of each later day), the driver or specified person inspects the vehicle again and records in the trip inspection report the defects found in that inspection or while operating the vehicleB.C. Reg. 26/58, s. 37.60 (6)
  • No one may drive a commercial motor vehicle without the current trip inspection report for it in their possession, and the driver produces it to a peace officer on requestB.C. Reg. 26/58, s. 37.61 (5), (6)
  • A carrier must not permit a driver to drive, and a driver must not drive, the vehicle before the carrier or its agent has repaired or corrected listed defects that may affect safe operation and certified on the report that each was corrected, or has certified on the report that correction is unnecessaryB.C. Reg. 26/58, s. 37.64
  • When two or more drivers drive the vehicle, one signature is enough if all agree on the defects to report; if they disagree, all sign and indicate the nature of the disagreementB.C. Reg. 26/58, s. 37.62
  • The driver who prepares a trip inspection report delivers the original to the carrier operating the vehicle, or the carrier's agent, within 20 days after completing itB.C. Reg. 26/58, s. 37.63
  • Within 30 days after receiving a trip inspection report, the carrier places it at its principal place of business in British Columbia (or another location the director approves in writing) and keeps the original for at least 3 months, available to a peace officer on requestB.C. Reg. 26/58, s. 37.65
  • A carrier must require every driver, or a person the carrier specifies, to prepare trip inspection reports as the section requiresB.C. Reg. 26/58, s. 37.61 (2)
  • The pre-trip inspection applies to commercial motor vehicles, which in Division 37 are motor vehicles used in business to carry persons or freight that are trucks or truck tractors (with any trailer) licensed over 5 000 kg, buses, commercial passenger vehicles under the Passenger Transportation Act, or business vehicles licensed over 5 000 kg. The trip inspection report rule covers vehicles under Part 1 of Division 25, including taxis, buses, commercial vehicles with a licensed gross vehicle weight over 8 200 kg, vehicles operated under the Passenger Transportation Act, driver training school vehicles, and trailers and semi-trailers; it does not apply to a commercial motor vehicle rented for a single trip, an emergency vehicle, a 2-axle vehicle (other than a bus, school bus, special activity bus or special vehicle) with a licensed gross vehicle weight of 14 600 kg or less, or a taxi whose carrier requires immediate notice of defectsB.C. Reg. 26/58, s. 37.01 (commercial motor vehicle) · B.C. Reg. 26/58, s. 37.61 (1) · B.C. Reg. 26/58, s. 25.01 (2)

Before the first trip, and after the last

Before the first trip of the day, the driver or a person the carrier names inspects the vehicle and must be satisfied it is in safe operating condition. The inspection covers at least the service brakes, including trailer brake connections and brake adjustments, the parking brake, steering mechanism, lighting devices and reflectors, tires, horn, windshield wipers, rear vision mirrors, coupling devices, wheels and rims, emergency equipment and load securement devices. On a trip longer than a day, it is done again by the first rest stop of each day.

At the end of the final trip of the day, the vehicle is inspected again, and any defects found then or while driving go on the trip inspection report.

What the trip inspection report states

A legible written report is prepared for each vehicle before it is driven for the first time that day. It states the number plate, the unit or trailer number if there is one, any defect in the listed items, any other defect that may affect safe operation, the date, and carries the signature of the person making it. When nothing was found, the report says that no defect was discovered or came to the driver's attention.

Team drivers who agree on the defects need only one signature. If they disagree, all of them sign and note the disagreement.

Defects, repairs and paperwork

The vehicle may not be driven again until the carrier or its agent has corrected listed defects that may affect safe operation and certified that on the report, or certified that correction is unnecessary. The driver keeps the current report while driving and shows it to a peace officer on request.

The driver delivers the original report to the carrier within 20 days. Within 30 days the carrier files it at its principal place of business in B.C., and keeps the original for at least 3 months.

Which vehicles need the report

The daily inspection applies to commercial motor vehicles: business trucks and tractors licensed over 5 000 kg, buses and passenger transportation vehicles. The written report rule covers taxis, buses, commercial vehicles licensed over 8 200 kg, passenger transportation and driver training vehicles, and trailers. A vehicle rented for a single trip, an emergency vehicle, and a 2-axle vehicle licensed at 14 600 kg or less (other than buses and special vehicles) are outside the report rule.

From walkaround notes to a B.C. trip inspection report

Note each defect with the unit it is on. ReportDraft rates the 12 listed items, load securement devices included, prints the number plate and date, states when no defect was found, and ends with the driver's signature, the carrier's certification and a line for team drivers who disagree.

Common mistakes

  • Skipping load securement devices, which B.C. adds to the usual list.
  • Leaving the number plate off the report.
  • Handing in a report with no defects that does not say none were found.
  • Driving out before the carrier has certified the defects corrected or correction unnecessary.
  • Holding reports past 20 days before giving them to the carrier.

Sources

Last reviewed October 11, 2026. Next review due January 11, 2027. This page explains published rules to help you write your report. It is not legal advice; the official text linked above governs.