Daily Equipment Inspection Checklist

How to use the checklist

1. Set up the header. Enter your company name and logo once. Then the machine or unit number, its type, the date, the hour meter reading, and who did the inspection.
2. Shape the checklist. It starts with 17 items, and picking the machine type drops the ones that do not apply. Remove what you do not check and add what your machines carry. The list is saved in your browser.
3. Mark every item. Tap Good, Needs Service, or N/A on each row and add a note where it helps. All good fills only the rows you have not marked. Every row needs a mark before the PDF builds.
4. Download or print blank. Download the filled PDF for the machine, or print a blank landscape form with five machine columns for the clipboard. Tap Next machine to clear the marks and keep the checklist.

What OSHA’s construction rules say about clearing equipment

OSHA’s construction rules for equipment are in 29 CFR 1926 Subpart O. Which section applies depends on the machine.

• Site clearing. Section 1926.604 says all equipment used in site clearing has rollover guards, and rider-operated equipment also has an overhead and rear canopy guard: 1/8-inch steel plate or 1/4-inch woven wire mesh overhead, and 1/4-inch mesh across the rear opening, with openings no greater than 1 inch. It also has the crew protected from irritant and toxic plants and told what first aid is available.
• Loaders, dozers, and tractors. Section 1926.602 covers scrapers, loaders, crawler or wheel tractors, bulldozers, off-highway trucks, graders, agricultural and industrial tractors, and similar equipment. It sets what the machine must have: service brakes that stop and hold it fully loaded, a horn on machines that run in both directions, kept working, and a reverse alarm, or someone signaling, when the view to the rear is blocked. Its specific rules for rubber-tired skid steers are reserved, pending standards still being developed.
• Trucks on the job. Section 1926.601 covers vehicles that operate within an off-highway jobsite, not open to public traffic, and not the equipment in 1926.602. Paragraph (b)(14) has every vehicle in use checked at the beginning of each shift: service brakes, the parking brake, emergency brakes, tires, horn, steering, coupling devices, seat belts, operating controls, and safety devices. Lights, reflectors, wipers, defrosters, and fire extinguishers count too where the vehicle needs them. All defects are corrected before the vehicle is placed in service.
• Every contractor. Section 1926.20(b)(2) calls for frequent and regular inspections of job sites, materials, and equipment by competent persons the employer designates.
• The first aid kit. Section 1926.50(d)(2) has the employer check the kit before it goes out on each job and at least weekly on each job, so used items get replaced.

What the rules do not say

• There is no official OSHA form. The 17 items here come from a contractor’s paper sheet plus teeth and cutters, not from a regulation. Build your list from the operation and maintenance manuals and the rules above.
• The earthmoving rules have no start-of-shift check. The per-shift check in 1926.601 does not reach the equipment in 1926.602, and 1926.602 sets none of its own. The general duty to inspect equipment in 1926.20(b)(2) still applies.
• 1926.601(b)(14) does not say to write it down. It requires the check and the repair. A signed sheet is still the easiest way to show the check was done.

The truck and trailer that haul the mulcher

• When the federal rules apply. The federal motor carrier rules cover vehicles used in interstate commerce (49 CFR 390.3T) with a gross vehicle weight rating or gross combination weight rating of 10,001 pounds or more (390.5T). The combination counts, so the trailer’s rating adds to the truck’s. A truck that stays in one state falls under that state’s rules. Check yours.
• Before driving. 49 CFR 396.13 has the driver be satisfied the vehicle is in safe operating condition, review the last inspection report if one was required, and sign it.
• At the end of the day. Section 396.11 has the driver write a report on each vehicle at the end of each day’s work, covering brakes, the parking brake, steering, lights and reflectors, tires, horn, wipers, mirrors, coupling devices, wheels and rims, and emergency equipment. No report is needed when no defect is found or reported, reports are kept three months, and a carrier running only one commercial motor vehicle is exempt from the section. Before the truck runs again, the carrier repairs any listed defect likely to affect safe operation and certifies on the report that it was repaired or that no repair was needed.

Clearing at a mine or quarry

30 CFR Part 56 covers surface metal and nonmetal mines, including open pit mines. A clearing contractor working on mine property is covered too: the 1979 MSHA and OSHA agreement counts an independent contractor performing services or construction at a mine as an operator, and a borrow pit falls under OSHA unless it is on mine property or related to mining. Section 56.14100 has the equipment operator inspect self-propelled mobile equipment before it goes into operation on that shift. Equipment with a defect that makes it hazardous to run is taken out of service or tagged. Safety defects that are not fixed right away are reported to and recorded by the mine operator, and the record is kept until the defect is corrected.

When an item needs service

1. Mark it and say what is wrong. “Teeth/Cutters, Needs Service, two teeth broken on the left side” tells whoever fixes it where to look.
2. Keep it from running if it is unsafe. Under 1926.20(b)(3), equipment that does not comply with the construction standards is tagged or has its controls locked so it cannot be used, or it is removed from where it operates.
3. Fix it before it goes back to work. That is the 1926.601(b)(14) rule for trucks on the job, and a sound rule for any machine.

Sources and assumptions

Every statement above about what a rule requires comes from the regulation or agreement text below, checked on October 29, 2026. The default items come from a contractor’s paper inspection form plus teeth and cutters, not from a regulation, and nothing on the checklist has a default mark. The type scoping follows what MulchDeck does for a new company. The hour meter is optional; left blank, the PDF says Not recorded.

OSHA 29 CFR 1926.604

Site clearing. “(a)(1) Employees engaged in site clearing shall be protected from hazards of irritant and toxic plants and suitably instructed in the first aid treatment available. (a)(2) All equipment used in site clearing operations shall be equipped with rollover guards meeting the requirements of this subpart. In addition, rider-operated equipment shall be equipped with an overhead and rear canopy guard meeting the following requirements: (a)(2)(i) The overhead covering on this canopy structure shall be of not less than 1/8-inch steel plate or 1/4-inch woven wire mesh with openings no greater than 1 inch, or equivalent. (a)(2)(ii) The opening in the rear of the canopy structure shall be covered with not less than 1/4-inch woven wire mesh with openings no greater than 1 inch.”

OSHA 29 CFR 1926.602

Material handling equipment. “(a)(1) These rules apply to the following types of earthmoving equipment: scrapers, loaders, crawler or wheel tractors, bulldozers, off-highway trucks, graders, agricultural and industrial tractors, and similar equipment. The promulgation of specific rules for compactors and rubber-tired "skid-steer" equipment is reserved pending consideration of standards currently being developed. ... (a)(4) Brakes. All earthmoving equipment mentioned in this § 1926.602(a) shall have a service braking system capable of stopping and holding the equipment fully loaded ... (a)(9)(i) All bidirectional machines, such as rollers, compacters, front-end loaders, bulldozers, and similar equipment, shall be equipped with a horn, distinguishable from the surrounding noise level, which shall be operated as needed when the machine is moving in either direction. The horn shall be maintained in an operative condition. (a)(9)(ii) No employer shall permit earthmoving or compacting equipment which has an obstructed view to the rear to be used in reverse gear unless the equipment has in operation a reverse signal alarm distinguishable from the surrounding noise level or an employee signals that it is safe to do so.”

OSHA 29 CFR 1926.601

Motor vehicles. “(a) Coverage. Motor vehicles as covered by this part are those vehicles that operate within an off-highway jobsite, not open to public traffic. The requirements of this section do not apply to equipment for which rules are prescribed in § 1926.602. ... (b)(14) All vehicles in use shall be checked at the beginning of each shift to assure that the following parts, equipment, and accessories are in safe operating condition and free of apparent damage that could cause failure while in use: service brakes, including trailer brake connections; parking system (hand brake); emergency stopping system (brakes); tires; horn; steering mechanism; coupling devices; seat belts; operating controls; and safety devices. All defects shall be corrected before the vehicle is placed in service. These requirements also apply to equipment such as lights, reflectors, windshield wipers, defrosters, fire extinguishers, etc., where such equipment is necessary.”

OSHA 29 CFR 1926.20

General safety and health provisions. “(b)(2) Such programs shall provide for frequent and regular inspections of the job sites, materials, and equipment to be made by competent persons designated by the employers. (b)(3) The use of any machinery, tool, material, or equipment which is not in compliance with any applicable requirement of this part is prohibited. Such machine, tool, material, or equipment shall either be identified as unsafe by tagging or locking the controls to render them inoperable or shall be physically removed from its place of operation.”

OSHA 29 CFR 1926.50

Medical services and first aid. “(d)(2) The contents of the first aid kit shall be placed in a weatherproof container with individual sealed packages for each type of item, and shall be checked by the employer before being sent out on each job and at least weekly on each job to ensure that the expended items are replaced.”

OSHA 29 CFR 1910.266

Logging operations. “(b)(2) This standard applies to all logging operations as defined by this section. ... (c) Logging operations. Operations associated with felling and moving trees and logs from the stump to the point of delivery, such as, but not limited to, marking danger trees and trees/logs to be cut to length, felling, limbing, bucking, debarking, chipping, yarding, loading, unloading, storing, and transporting machines, equipment and personnel to, from and between logging sites. ... (f)(1)(ii) The employer shall assure that each machine, including any machine provided by an employee, is inspected before initial use during each workshift. Defects or damage shall be repaired or the unserviceable machine shall be replaced before work is commenced.”

MSHA 30 CFR 56.1

Purpose and scope. “This part 56 sets forth mandatory safety and health standards for each surface metal or nonmetal mine, including open pit mines, subject to the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977.”

MSHA 30 CFR 56.14100

Safety defects; examination, correction and records. “(a) Self-propelled mobile equipment to be used during a shift shall be inspected by the equipment operator before being placed in operation on that shift. ... (c) When defects make continued operation hazardous to persons, the defective items including self-propelled mobile equipment shall be taken out of service and placed in a designated area posted for that purpose, or a tag or other effective method of marking the defective items shall be used to prohibit further use until the defects are corrected. (d) Defects on self-propelled mobile equipment affecting safety, which are not corrected immediately, shall be reported to and recorded by the mine operator. The records shall be kept at the mine or nearest mine office from the date the defects are recorded, until the defects are corrected.”

MSHA and OSHA Interagency Agreement (1979)

Jurisdiction over mines and borrow pits. “"Borrow Pits" are subject to OSHA jurisdiction except those borrow pits located on mine property or related to mining. ... "Any owner, lessee, or other person who operates, controls, or supervises a coal or other mine or any independent contractor performing services or construction at such mine."”

FMCSA 49 CFR 390.3T

General applicability. “(a)(1) The rules in this subchapter are applicable to all employers, employees, and commercial motor vehicles that transport property or passengers in interstate commerce.”

FMCSA 49 CFR 390.5T

Definitions. “Commercial motor vehicle means any self-propelled or towed motor vehicle used on a highway in interstate commerce to transport passengers or property when the vehicle ... (1) Has a gross vehicle weight rating or gross combination weight rating, or gross vehicle weight or gross combination weight, of 4,536 kg (10,001 pounds) or more, whichever is greater;”

FMCSA 49 CFR 396.11

Driver vehicle inspection report(s). “(a)(1) Report required. Every motor carrier shall require its drivers to report, and every driver shall prepare a report in writing at the completion of each day's work on each vehicle operated ... The report shall cover at least the following parts and accessories: (i) Service brakes including trailer brake connections; (ii) Parking brake; (iii) Steering mechanism; (iv) Lighting devices and reflectors; (v) Tires; (vi) Horn; (vii) Windshield wipers; (viii) Rear vision mirrors; (ix) Coupling devices; (x) Wheels and rims; (xi) Emergency equipment. (2) Report content. (i) ... Drivers are not required to prepare a report if no defect or deficiency is discovered by or reported to the driver. ... (3) Corrective action. (i) Prior to requiring or permitting a driver to operate a vehicle, every motor carrier or its agent shall repair any defect or deficiency listed on the driver vehicle inspection report which would be likely to affect the safety of operation of the vehicle. (ii) Every motor carrier or its agent shall certify on the driver vehicle inspection report which lists any defect or deficiency that the defect or deficiency has been repaired or that repair is unnecessary before the vehicle is operated again. (4) Retention period for reports. Every motor carrier shall maintain the driver vehicle inspection report, the certification of repairs, and the certification of the driver's review for three months from the date the written report was prepared. (5) Exceptions. The rules in this section shall not apply to a private motor carrier of passengers (nonbusiness), a driveaway-towaway operation, or any motor carrier operating only one commercial motor vehicle.”

FMCSA 49 CFR 396.13

Driver inspection. “Before driving a motor vehicle, the driver shall: (a) Be satisfied that the motor vehicle is in safe operating condition; (b) Review the last driver vehicle inspection report if required by § 396.11(a)(2)(i); and (c) Sign the report to acknowledge that the driver has reviewed it and that there is a certification that the required repairs have been performed.”

Frequently asked questions

Related free tools

• Machine-Hour / TCO Calculator, what each machine costs per hour, repairs and teeth included.
• Equipment Break-Even Calculator, the hourly rate that covers the whole rig.
• Mobilization Fee Calculator, what it costs to haul the rig to the job.