UVV Vehicle Inspection Template

The UVV inspection is the annual safety check of commercially used vehicles under the accident prevention regulations of the German employers' liability insurance associations. The legal basis is DGUV Regulation 70 "Vehicles": anyone operating vehicles in a business must have them inspected for roadworthy and operationally safe condition by a qualified person as needed, and at minimum once a year – and must document the result. That is what this template is for: an inspection record with 18 check items, a defect list, and a release note, free as a printable PDF and as an editable Word file.

Note that the document is German-language by design. It records compliance with a German regulation, and an inspector, an auditor, or the insurer will expect the German wording.

What the inspection covers

The check targets operational safety – everything that could endanger the driver, the load, or third parties in service. The record lists these areas as fixed rows with i. O. (in order), Mangel (defect), and entfällt (not applicable) columns:

• Lighting, brakes, tyres, steering and suspension
• Glazing and visibility, mirrors and vision aids including camera-monitor systems
• Seat belts and seats, warning devices
• Body, doors, and load area
• Load securing equipment – lashing points, lashing gear, bulkhead
• Tail lift or lifting platform, tow coupling
• Electrics, battery and charging cables, fluids and leak tightness
• Onboard equipment: first-aid kit with expiry date, warning triangle, hi-vis vests, fire extinguisher
• Onboard paperwork: registration, roadworthiness certificate, insurance

The not applicable column is deliberate. A company car has no tail lift; a van never used with a trailer has no coupling. An empty box is ambiguous if the record is ever questioned – a ticked "not applicable" is not.

Who may inspect

The inspection is performed by a qualified person under TRBS 1203, a term that replaced the earlier "Sachkundiger". Qualification means relevant vocational training, sufficient practical experience, and recent work in the field – in practice master mechanics, vehicle assessors, or suitably trained workshop staff.

You do not need to visit TÜV or an external inspection provider. If you run your own workshop with qualified staff, you may inspect in house – the documentation duty is the same either way.

Why the MOT is not enough

A common misconception is that passing the Hauptuntersuchung also covers UVV. The two rest on different legal bases – the HU follows the StVZO and targets road safety, the UVV inspection follows occupational safety law and targets operational safety. The scope differs accordingly: lashing points, bulkhead, hi-vis vests, and the first-aid kit are irrelevant to the HU but not to the UVV inspection.

Combining the appointments still makes sense and is common practice in workshops – you just end up needing two records, not one.

Handling defects

The record separates the finding from the consequence. Defects go into the list below with a deadline, a remedy date, and a confirmation. The result then has three levels:

1. No defects – vehicle is ready for service
2. Minor defects – continued operation permitted, remedy by the recorded deadline
3. Serious defects – vehicle grounded until the defects are remedied

The third level is the uncomfortable but important one. A company that keeps running a vehicle with a serious defect and then has an accident is in a far worse position than one that accepted a day of downtime.

Retention and deadlines

No specific form is prescribed – scope, date, result, defects, and the inspecting person must be traceable. Keep the record at least until the inspection after next; following a workplace accident the insurer may look back considerably further.

The next inspection field at the top of the record is the entry that matters most in practice. Missed UVV deadlines almost never surface at the vehicle – they surface in an incident. Anyone running more than a handful of vehicles should not track these dates in a spreadsheet but where the driver's licence checks and vehicle handovers already live – in fleet management with automatic reminders.

Related templates

• Driver's licence check – proof of the keeper's duty under § 21 StVG
• Truck pre-trip inspection – the daily visual check before departure
• Vehicle handover protocol – condition when handing over to the driver
• Driver's logbook – trip documentation for company cars