UVV inspection in the fleet: duties, deadlines, records – and how software helps

The UVV inspection is an annual occupational safety duty of the employer for every company vehicle provided to employees as work equipment (§ 57 DGUV Vorschrift 70). It is separate from the general inspection (HU), must be carried out by a qualified person and documented in writing. Alongside it, annual driver instruction is a duty of its own. Fleet management software helps by keeping the deadline, inspection report and instruction record on the vehicle and flagging when they fall due.

What the UVV inspection is – and what it is not

UVV stands for Unfallverhütungsvorschriften, the accident prevention regulations of the statutory accident insurance institutions. For vehicles, DGUV Vorschrift 70 “Fahrzeuge” (formerly BGV D29) applies. The UVV inspection is not a general inspection: the HU under § 29 StVZO checks road safety in the interest of the general public, while the UVV inspection is an occupational safety duty the employer owes its employees. A defect-free HU result only covers the road-safety part; the occupational-safety part – load securing, high-visibility vests, first-aid kit, bodywork – must be inspected separately.

Legal basis: § 57 DGUV Vorschrift 70

Two duties: (1) Inspection duty – the employer has vehicles inspected for their operationally safe condition by a qualified person as required, at least once a year. (2) Record duty – the result is recorded in writing and kept at least until the next inspection. “As required” means the annual deadline is the minimum. High mileage, construction-site traffic or relevant damage can require shorter intervals. All vehicles used as work equipment in the company are affected – including company cars and pool vehicles, regardless of private use.

Who may inspect

Only a qualified person: someone with technical training and experience in vehicle engineering who is familiar with occupational safety and accident prevention regulations (DGUV Grundsatz 314-003). In practice, these are master motor-vehicle workshops, inspection organisations or suitably qualified in-house staff. A fleet manager without motor-vehicle qualifications is generally not. Combining it with a service or tyre change is permitted, as long as the UVV inspection is ordered, carried out and confirmed in writing as a separate service.

Scope of the inspection and follow-up

Road-safe condition: brakes, steering, lighting, tyres, visibility. Work-safe condition: safety devices, load securing equipment, partition grilles or nets, bodywork and attachments, high-visibility vests, first-aid kit. The qualified person documents defects and assesses operational safety. Good organisation includes a follow-up process: who fixes what by when, and who releases the vehicle again.

The second duty: driver instruction

Employees who drive vehicles must be instructed regularly – annually. This is an occupational safety duty of its own alongside the vehicle inspection and must also be documented.

Overview: duty · deadline · who · record

How fleet management software keeps the record

When it matters, what counts is not whether an inspection took place but whether it can be proven. After a workplace accident, the accident insurance institution asks for proof of inspection. Software helps in three places: it keeps the deadline per vehicle and flags when it falls due, it files the inspection report on the vehicle, and it documents the instruction per driver.

Example fleetfeat: the inspection report under DGUV Vorschrift 70 records the inspector, defects and result; completing it sets the next inspection deadline on the vehicle. Drivers open the instruction via a guest link without their own account, pass a 20-question test with at least 80 percent and receive a certificate as a PDF with a QR verification page that stays in the vehicle file. Included in the base price of €4.90 net per vehicle per month. The software replaces neither the qualified person nor the employer's responsibility.

Checklist for fleet managers

1. Record every vehicle with the date of its last UVV inspection and the next due date – separately from the HU.
2. Choose the qualified person (workshop, inspection organisation, in-house qualification) and order the inspection as a separate service.
3. File the inspection report on the vehicle; track defects with a deadline and a person responsible.
4. Carry out driver instruction annually and document it per driver.
5. Shorten intervals under heavy use – the annual deadline is the minimum.