Fleet compliance for grounds maintenance and landscaping firms
Crew vans and pickups go out with a mower or a chipper on the back, and in the busy months you take on extra staff. VCT puts the daily walkaround check on each driver's phone, trailer items included, checks every vehicle's MOT and road tax overnight and keeps the records ready if a client or insurer asks.
A walkaround check that covers the trailer too
In VCT the driver opens their phone's browser, sees the vehicle they have today and taps each item green, amber or red.
DVSA's guidance on van daily walkaround checks includes tow bars and trailers: the tow bar should be secure and the trailer attached properly, with the electrics working. You can add those items to the VCT checklist.
- Nothing to install from an app store, and no paper sheets to collect
- Anything amber or red reaches the office straight away with the driver's note
- Drivers only ever see their own vehicle and details
What makes a grounds fleet hard to keep track of
Grounds fleets change with the seasons, tow most days and spend more time on site than at the depot.
Seasonal crews
Extra drivers join for the growing season. Add them as drivers and they do the same check on their own phone from day one.
Towing every day
Mowers and chippers go out on trailers. A loose coupling or a dead trailer light is easy to miss in a rush. Put trailer items on the checklist.
Vehicles kept at home or on site
Some vehicles stay at a depot, some go home with the crew leader. VCT checks every vehicle's MOT and road tax every night, wherever it is parked.
Quiet winters
Declare a vehicle SORN for the winter and VCT shows it as off the road, with no reminders. Recheck it when it comes back.
Who can tow what
The trailer a driver can tow depends on when they passed their car test. GOV.UK's page on towing with a car says drivers who passed from 1 January 1997 can tow trailers up to 3,500kg MAM, and drivers who passed before then can usually drive a vehicle and trailer with a combined weight of up to 8,250kg MAM.
VCT doesn't read licence categories. You record each driver's licence check and consent in VCT and see when the next check is due. Automatic licence checking with DVLA is coming soon. See our guide to licence checks for employers.
GOV.UK also explains that a vehicle and trailer can need a goods vehicle operator's licence when their gross plated weights add up to more than 3,500kg. It also says you don't need one if your trailer's unladen weight is less than 1,020kg and you only carry your own goods. Some vehicles are exempt.
Every defect has an owner
In VCT, every red or amber item becomes work in the queue, with critical items at the top. Give it an owner and track it to done.
The defect only clears when a later check marks the same item green. A pickup doesn't drop off the list because somebody said it was sorted.
- One work queue across every depot, worst first
- See which drivers are checking and which aren't, over the last 30 days
- Service records and costs on each vehicle
From your spreadsheet to checked vehicles
- Import your vehicles. Upload your spreadsheet as a CSV. The preview shows exactly what will change before anything is saved.
- Add your trailer items. Start from the standard list and add the tow bar, coupling, breakaway cable and trailer lights.
- Add your crews. Drivers sign in on their phone's browser. Assign vehicles in the bookings timeline.
- Let VCT run overnight. Road tax with DVLA and the MOT with DVSA, with reminder emails before anything runs out.
- Deal with what comes up. The Action centre lists what needs action, worst first.
More on MOT and tax reminders, or see VCT vs spreadsheets.
Staff cars and records in one place
If supervisors or estimators drive their own cars between sites, those cars are your grey fleet. HSE's guidance on driving for work says the law applies to grey fleet vehicles as well as company vehicles. VCT checks staff cars every night and shows their business insurance expiry. More on grey fleet compliance.
Clients and insurers may ask how you check your vehicles. The compliance pack is a PDF for a period and depot you choose, covering road-legal status, inspections, defects and how fast they were fixed, MOT tests, services and costs.
- Text-message add-on: text drivers when the MOT, tax or insurance on their vehicle is about to run out, or when they haven't done the day's check
What it costs for a grounds maintenance fleet
£3.50 per vehicle a month, falling to £2.50 per vehicle for bigger fleets (minimum £35 a month), ex VAT. Every vehicle costs the rate for your fleet's size band, and staff cars count too. You pay monthly, with no contract.
For example, with 8 vehicles you pay the £35 minimum, which covers up to 10 vehicles. 16 crew vans and pickups cost 16 × £3.50 = £56 a month. 26 vehicles cost 26 × £3.25 = £84.50 a month.
Texts are the only add-on, at £10 a month for up to 200 texts. If prices go up, existing customers keep the price they signed up at. See full pricing.
Grounds maintenance fleet software FAQs
Can I add trailer checks to the walkaround?
Yes. You can edit the checklist for your company. Add items such as the tow bar, the coupling, the breakaway cable and the trailer lights alongside the standard list.
Can VCT look up our trailers?
No. Trailers have no registration number, so VCT can't check them automatically. You can still add trailer items to the walkaround check.
What happens to vehicles we lay up over winter?
If you declare a vehicle SORN, VCT shows it as off the road and stops sending reminders for it. When it comes back into use, you can recheck it with DVLA and DVSA at any time.
Does VCT track servicing on mowers and chippers?
No. VCT is for road vehicles. It doesn't track machines such as mowers, chippers or hedge cutters, or any inspections on them.
Is there a free trial?
There is no free trial. Enter a registration and your email on the homepage instead, and we'll email you a link to a demo with your own vehicle looked up live.
There's more on daily checks on the walkaround check app page and in our free van check sheet.
See it with one of your own vehicles
Enter a registration and your email on the homepage. We'll send you a link to a demo of VCT with your vehicle looked up live with DVLA and DVSA.