An LV pre-start checklist is the check a driver completes on a mine site light vehicle before taking it into the pit: brakes, steering, lights and every item of mine fit-out, with any fault graded so everyone knows whether the vehicle can move. Below is a complete checklist you can use in the field, grouped by section, with what good looks like and when to escalate for each check.
This guide covers what Queensland and New South Wales law requires of a light vehicle pre-start in mining, how sites grade faults as Category A, B and C, mine-specific fit-out, the full checklist, and how LV pre-starts quietly stop working. For where the pre-start sits among a mine’s other statutory and operational checks, see our guide to mine site inspections in Australia.
Why the light vehicle pre-start matters more than it looks
A light vehicle is the smallest thing on a haul road and the hardest for a truck operator to see. The controls that keep it visible and in contact, the flag, beacon, radio, lights and reversing alarm, are fitted to the vehicle itself. When one fails the vehicle still drives, which is why the failure goes unnoticed. And because a light vehicle can have three drivers in a day, the pre-start is the only point where each one is made to look before relying on it.
The NSW Resources Regulator’s vehicle guidance lists more than a decade of its own alerts and investigations involving light vehicles, including a light vehicle crushed by a dump truck. For the wider picture, see our guide to vehicle interaction as a principal hazard.
What the law actually says about checking a light vehicle
Neither the Queensland coal regulation nor the NSW mines regulation prescribes an LV pre-start form. The law requires a procedure for checking mobile plant, which includes light vehicles, and names the safety systems it must cover.
Queensland coal mines
Section 73 of the Coal Mining Safety and Health Regulation 2017 requires a coal mine to have a standard operating procedure for checking mobile plant. The procedure must provide for the operator, as soon as practicable after taking control of the plant, to check that its brakes, steering, lights and any other safety features are functioning properly. That is the legal core of the LV pre-start.
Several neighbouring sections shape the rest of the checklist:
- Section 71 requires the safety and health management system to provide for plant to be checked for hazards by a competent person, periodically and, if the plant has been stopped for at least 24 hours, before it is started again.
- Section 75 requires the site senior executive to risk assess vehicle types and their use to decide whether seat belts are needed, and says that if a seat belt is installed in mobile plant, the person in that seat must wear it while the plant is moving.
- Section 76 requires a standard operating procedure for using mobile plant, including ways of minimising the risks of light and heavy vehicle interaction and of overtaking and parking.
Queensland metalliferous mines and quarries sit under a separate regulation, so check your own instrument rather than borrowing the coal section numbers.
New South Wales mines
Section 32 of the Work Health and Safety (Mines and Petroleum Sites) Regulation 2022 requires the mine operator to manage the risks of mobile plant movement. The matters it must have regard to include interactions between large and small mobile plant, and the maintenance, testing and inspection of brakes, steering, lights and other safety features. Roads or other vehicle operating areas are also listed as a principal hazard under section 4, with Schedule 1 naming interaction between heavy and light vehicles as a matter the controls must consider.
The Resources Regulator’s technical reference guide for roads and other vehicle operating areas (Version 1, July 2025) goes further. It is guidance rather than law, but it describes prestart inspections based on manufacturer or approved engineering advice, highlighted machine down items, a method for notifying and managing equipment failures, and radio call-up protocols.
For how pre-start obligations fit together across all plant, not just light vehicles, see pre-start inspection requirements in mining.
Pre-start fault categories: how sites grade Category A, B and C
Many mine sites grade LV pre-start defects into three levels. Be clear about what this is: a site convention, not a statutory scheme. Neither regulation above defines a Category A fault. The letters and boundaries vary between sites, but the logic is consistent.
| Grade (common usage) | What it means | Typical examples | What happens next |
|---|---|---|---|
| Category A | Do not operate. The vehicle is unsafe to move or has lost a control the site relies on. | Brakes or steering defective, no working radio, seat belt damaged, flag or beacon missing, fuel or brake fluid leak | Vehicle tagged out, supervisor told, not used until repaired and cleared |
| Category B | Can be used with care, but must be repaired within a set time, commonly before the next shift. | Single marker light out, cracked windscreen outside the driver’s view, reversing camera fault where an alarm still works | Reported to the workshop with a due time; the next driver checks it has been fixed |
| Category C | Report and schedule. No effect on safe operation today. | Minor body damage, cabin cleanliness, worn floor mat, faded decal | Recorded and added to the next service |
Two rules make grading work. The site decides in advance which items are always Category A and prints that on the form, so the driver is not making a judgement call at 5.30 am. And every Category B fault has an owner and a deadline: a “B” carried for a fortnight is an A that nobody has admitted to.
Mine-site light vehicle fit-out
A mine light vehicle is not a road vehicle with a sticker on it. The site specifies its fit-out, usually in the traffic management plan or a vehicle standard, and every item is a control the pre-start should check: a flag and buggy whip at the site’s specified height, a working beacon, a two-way radio on the right channel, seat belts in every seat, an in-date fire extinguisher and first aid kit, a reversing alarm, and the vehicle number and reflective markings. Section 3 of the checklist below covers each one.
For tyres, our tyre and rim inspection checklist goes into more depth.
The complete LV pre-start checklist
Adapt this to your fleet and your site’s fit-out standard, and set your own grade for each line. The suggested grade in the last column reflects common practice; it is not a legal classification.
1. Walk-around (engine off)
| Check | What good looks like | Escalate if | Suggested grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leaks under the vehicle | Ground dry beneath engine, gearbox and axles | Fuel, brake fluid or coolant leak, or oil pooling | A for fuel or brake fluid, B otherwise |
| Tyres and wheels | Inflated, no cuts, bulges or exposed cords, all wheel nuts present | Cut to the cords, sidewall bulge, missing or loose wheel nut | A |
| Body and glass | No sharp edges, windscreen clear in the driver’s view | Crack in the driver’s line of sight, panel damage with a sharp edge | A in line of sight, B or C otherwise |
| Mirrors | All present, secure, clean, adjusted | Mirror missing or broken | B |
| Load and tray | Load restrained, nothing loose in the tray or cabin | Unsecured load or loose items in the cabin | Fix before moving |
| Spare wheel, jack and wheel brace | Present, spare inflated, secured | Missing or spare flat | B |
| Tow hitch and recovery points | Secure, pin and clip present if towing | Damaged hitch or missing pin | A if towing |
2. Fluids and engine bay
| Check | What good looks like | Escalate if | Suggested grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine oil | Between the marks on the dipstick | Below minimum, or milky | A if below minimum |
| Coolant | At level in the overflow tank (check cold only) | Low or empty, or visible leak | B, A if empty |
| Brake fluid | At level in the reservoir | Below minimum | A |
| Fuel | Enough for the shift, cap secure | Low with no refuel planned, cap missing | B |
| Washer fluid | Topped up | Empty during dusty or wet conditions | B |
| Belts, hoses and wiring | No fraying, cracking, rubbing or loose connections | Frayed belt, split hose, exposed wiring | B, A if split hose is leaking |
| Battery | Secure, terminals tight, no corrosion | Loose battery or damaged terminal | B |
3. Mine fit-out and emergency equipment
| Check | What good looks like | Escalate if | Suggested grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flag and buggy whip | Fitted, upright, to site height, flag and whip light intact | Missing, broken or bent over | A |
| Beacon | Operating and visible from all sides | Not working or obscured | A |
| Two-way radio | Powers on, correct channel, radio check answered | No transmit or receive, handpiece damaged | A |
| Fire extinguisher | Mounted, in date, gauge in the green, seal intact | Missing, discharged, out of date or unsecured | A |
| First aid kit | Present, in date, complete | Missing or depleted | B |
| Vehicle number and reflective markings | Visible, clean, intact | Number unreadable or markings missing | B |
| Wheel chocks (where the site requires them) | Present and stowed | Missing | Per site rule |
| Site access sticker or permit | Present and current | Expired or missing | Per site rule |
4. In the cab (engine running)
| Check | What good looks like | Escalate if | Suggested grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seat belts, every seat | Latch, release and retract, webbing undamaged | Any belt fails to latch or webbing is cut | A |
| Warning lights and gauges | No warning lights after start-up, gauges reading normally | Brake, oil pressure, temperature or engine warning lit | A |
| Horn | Loud and clear | Not working | A |
| Headlights, high beam and tail lights | All working, lenses clean | Headlight out, or any light out on night shift | A on night shift, B by day |
| Indicators, hazard and brake lights | All working | Any not working | B, A if brake lights out |
| Reversing alarm and camera | Alarm audible, camera image clear | Alarm not working | A for alarm, B for camera alone |
| Wipers and demister | Clear the screen effectively | Wipers smear or fail | B, A in rain or heavy dust |
| Air conditioning and cabin seals | Working, cabin holds out dust | Not working in heat or dust | B |
| Proximity or collision avoidance equipment | Self-test passes, no fault shown | Fault shown or self-test fails | Per site rule, often A |
5. Moving test (low speed, clear area)
| Check | What good looks like | Escalate if | Suggested grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service brakes | Firm pedal, vehicle stops straight | Soft or sinking pedal, pulls to one side, noise | A |
| Park brake | Holds the vehicle on a slope | Vehicle creeps with park brake on | A |
| Steering | No excessive free play, no pull, no noise | Heavy, loose or pulling steering | A |
| Four-wheel drive engagement | Engages and disengages as expected | Will not engage where site conditions need it | B, A if required for the area |
| Unusual noise or vibration | None | Knocking, grinding or vibration under load | B, A if from brakes or steering |
6. Sign-off
| Check | What good looks like | Escalate if | Suggested grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Previous pre-start faults | Earlier B faults closed or still within their due time | A B fault past its due time | Treat as A |
| Odometer or hours | Recorded | Service overdue | Per site rule |
| Driver declaration | Driver signs that the checks were done and the vehicle is fit to use, or tagged out | Any A fault not tagged out | Stop, tell supervisor |
Where LV pre-starts go wrong
Almost none of the failure modes are about the checklist content.
- The tick-and-flick. Forty lines ticked in one stroke in the car park. The form was completed; the vehicle was not.
- Faults that go nowhere. “Radio intermittent” goes in the comments box, the page stays in the glovebox, and the next driver writes it again.
- Grading left to the driver. Without a printed rule, whether a missing flag stops the vehicle depends on who is driving and how late they are.
- No handover between drivers. In Queensland coal mines the section 73 check applies whenever an operator takes control. When a vehicle changes hands mid-shift, the second driver often assumes the first one checked it.
- Records nobody can find. After an incident, a book that has gone to the workshop cannot show what condition the vehicle was in.
The same pattern appears on heavy equipment. The haul truck pre-start checklist covers the larger version of the problem.
Turning the pre-start into a record, not a ritual
The hard part of a light vehicle pre-start is not the list. It is getting a fault found at 5.30 am in a car park with no reception to the supervisor and the workshop before the vehicle enters the pit, and keeping it visible to the next driver.
In HazView, the site’s own LV pre-start is built as a checklist that works fully offline and syncs when the device is back in reception. Conditional logic means a non-conforming answer on a Category A item opens an escalation section on the spot, with a photo and a comment, rather than a line in a comments box. The completed checklist can generate a PDF record on submit and email it to nominated recipients such as the supervisor and the workshop, and a countersignature can be required from a nominated role. Because a pre-start is about a vehicle rather than a place, the template can be set to need no map at all.
Sites usually convert their existing pre-start book like for like first, then tighten the grading once they can see which faults recur. See how that works for drivers on the HazView page for every worker on site, or book a demo to walk through a pre-start built to your own form.
Related guides
- Mine Site Inspections in Australia: What the Law Requires, What to Check and What a Defensible Record Looks Like
- Haul Road Inspection Checklist for Mines and Quarries
- Isolation Verification Checklist for Mines and Quarries
- Quarry Inspection App: What a Quarry Actually Needs
- All Inspections & Checklists guides
Frequently asked questions
Is a Category A fault a legal term?
No. Category A, B and C grading is a widely used site convention, not a scheme defined in Queensland or New South Wales legislation. The law requires the checks and the management of mobile plant risk; the site decides how faults are graded and what each grade triggers.
How often does an LV pre-start need to be done?
In Queensland coal mines, section 73 ties the check to the operator taking control of the plant, so in practice each time a new driver takes the vehicle, not just once a day. Your site procedure sets the exact trigger.
Do seat belts have to be worn in a mine light vehicle?
In Queensland coal mines, if a seat belt is installed in mobile plant, the person in that seat must wear it while the plant is moving, under section 75 of the regulation. Many sites apply the same rule to every seat in every vehicle regardless.
Who should an LV pre-start fault be reported to?
To the supervisor for any fault that stops the vehicle, and to whoever maintains the fleet for every fault. The NSW regulator’s guidance calls for a method of notifying and managing equipment failures; the test is whether the fault reaches someone who can fix it before the next driver needs the vehicle.
Can a light vehicle be used with a missing flag if it stays off haul roads?
That is a site rule, not something the checklist can decide. Many sites treat a missing flag, beacon or radio as a do-not-operate fault anywhere in the operational area, because the vehicle’s route can change during the shift. Check your traffic management plan.