Transport and logistics inspection: definition, process and digital audit app

June 21 , 2024

Transport and logistics are complex flows in which products or goods move from the point of manufacturing facility to the end user and in between those.

Inspections are crucial at every stage of the transport and logistics process, from the manufacturing facility to the warehouses to the end user. This way, organizations can ensure the smooth flow of goods and prevent potential issues.

However, nowadays, inspecting and auditing have become tedious and costly due to the number of workers needed.

Therefore, companies want a practical solution to reduce the workload of in-depth and severe inspections.

For this, an innovation came to life called the digital audit app “UrAudits.” These software are powerful enough to reduce the tedious task of managing every audit and inspection by DIY but allow you to manage the inspection digitally with pre-made templates, customized checklists, and much more.

This blog will discuss transport and logistics inspection, its definition, process, and the value of digital audit apps in this field.

What is transport and logistics inspection?

These two are broad terms, and each has a different explanation.

Transport inspection is part of logistics inspection and involves driver safety, secured item packaging, the best delivery route and mode of transport, organizing the delivery vehicle, and managing infrastructure such as ports, roads, canal pipeline networks, and rail, among others, while ensuring efficiency, safety, and compliance throughout the transportation process.

On the other hand, logistic inspections, aside from transportation inspections, are procedures in the supply chain that aim to deliver the goods or products to the end user safely and securely. They involve material sourcing, inventory management, product storage, packaging, and shipping, fulfilling orders, and ensuring proper distribution. Overall, logistics inspection is about an in-depth evaluation of all these processes.

What needs to be inspected in transport and logistics?

Here are the following things that need to be inspected during transport and logistics:

• Vehicle information, its types, model, license plate number, current mileage
• The presence of vehicles and the insurance status
• The presence of staff and the insurance status
• Each vehicle’s condition status includes the exhaust system, suspension, steering system, lightning devices, tires, windshield, and wipers.
• Proper packaging, securing, and handling of cargo.
• Verifying the accuracy of documentation and compliance with environmental and customs regulations of all the cargo, staff, and products.
• Infrastructure like warehouses, loading docks, and transportation hubs cleanliness
• The process to follow for good transportation

What is the process of inspecting transport and logistics?

Define the scope

First, understand the scope of your transport and logistics inspection. For instance, proper packaging, securing, and handling of cargo are within the scope. Then, you need to ensure your objective is to check every product’s packaging and handling, which must be safe and secure and in accordance with regulatory compliance.

Build checklist

After getting the scope, build a checklist based on it. Establish procedures on that checklist, such as assignee, at what time, how many times the inspection needs to be performed, and what things need inspection.

Train the members

Now that everything has been assigned to specific members, checklists have been made. Now, it is time to train them to perform the inspection. Outline the steps for the team members to follow, such as how to do the assigned inspection, how to use reporting and documentation, and how to manage time, and guide them to focus on regulatory compliance.

Digital audits, such as the UrAudits digital audit application, give pre-made checklist templates that can be customized to your needs. It will also allow to do employees’ training and their status regarding their training.

Perform Physical Inspection

Now, allow your team members to do the physical inspection. Perform all the inspections as we discussed above.

Collect Data

Now, it is time to collect data on all the inspections performed by the team members. Whether an issue occurs or not, the data must be collected as per the date, time, and assignee from various sources such as documents, observations, and interviews.

Analyze the data

It’s now time to analyze the data. Based on the findings, it’s time to make strategies, discuss them with the relevant stakeholders, and implement corrective measures for better productivity.

Digital audit checklist needed in transport and logistics inspection

Vehicle Inspection Digital audit checklist

Use this checklist to inspect the vehicle for any defect or mechanical issue. You can audit the coupling devices, exhaust system, brake system, engine operations, and other essential vehicle components. You can use the checklist to give ratings per the vehicle’s condition, like poor, average, good, fine, and best”. With the UrAudits digital audit app, you can do that easily with just a few fingers.

Vehicle Accident Report Digital audit checklist

Use this checklist to detect any issues regarding vehicle accidents. The assignee can take the image of the injured vehicle and mention the time and date the assignee investigated the accident vehicle along with the car name and model, geotagging the accident place.

The assignee can enter the name of the driver present at the time of the accident, the names of those who suffered due to the accident, and any products or goods available in the vehicle that were affected by the incident.

Driver Assessment Digital audit checklist

Use this checklist to evaluate the driver’s performance. You can identify the driver’s behavior while driving. You can enter driver information regarding how they drive, what technique they use while driving, and their professional level while driving. You can also watch to see if they check their car before they start driving. Give a rating to the driver.

Driver Log Sheet Template

This checklist is for truck drivers who drive heavy vehicles. The fleet manager needs accurate information about the drivers’ work so that the manager can properly record their actions.

In this checklist, the driver can insert primary data of their activities, such as carrier name, home terminal address, main office address, his/her name, and number. After that, in his/her log sheet template, the driver can mention activities he/she performs at work, rest in the sleeper berth, at work but not driving, End and start time of each activity, and total hours on those activities. At last, send the checklist with this info along with truck license plate photos, how far he/she has driven, receipts or tickets, and signature.

Drug/Alcohol Assessment Agreement Form Checklist

You can use this checklist to examine the driver for drug or alcohol use. You can obtain the driver’s consent and record the results using e-signature. Driver can select which drug or alcohol needs he/she might use and mention in the checklist.

Warehouse Safety Digital audit checklist

This checklist detects potential hazards when warehouse operations are active. Access the warehouse location, sanitation, equipment, and interior/exterior dock areas. Using this checklist, you can also conduct training programs and execute the safety and emergency protocol. Warehouse inspectors can give suggestions and take actions to lower risk.

Logistics Digital Audit Checklist

This checklist is to examine control points such as inventory management, warehouse organization, safety protocols, and compliance with regulations by observing them. You can use this checklist to determine whether staff is working according to logistic best practices.

Air ground handling Digital audit checklist

Use this checklist to evaluate the control system and operations for handling aircraft on the ground, such as ramp services, fueling package handling, and aircraft maintenance.

Flight Paperwork checklist

Documents and paperwork must be done or verified before, during, or after the flight. The checklists include flight plans, weather reports, maintenance records, passenger manifests, and other relevant paperwork for a safe and legal operation that complies with regulations and safety standards specific to flights.

Fleet Vehicle Condition Digital audit checklist

Use this audit checklist to inspect the condition of the fleet vehicle. You can insert the driver and vehicle details, observe the exterior and interior areas and engine compartment, and record the conditions. You can also take images and build reports.

Incident, Accident, Injury Report Checklist

You can use this checklist to record any accident, incident, or injury related to the event in a warehouse, terminal, or port. You can add your analyses and mention the possible reasons for this incident or accident. You can take images of the incident and monitor trends using analytics reports to reduce the chances of an accident occurring again.

Transportation digital audit checklist

You can use this checklist to access the vehicle parts and their status, such as steering, tires, lights, and vehicle fluids like coolant, oil, and antifreeze. You can also assess the status of air filters, batteries, spark plugs, and wipers.

Vehicle Preventative Upkeep Checklist

This checklist can serve injectors, operators, and auditors to do routine maintenance evaluations of a fleet vehicle.

How can digital audits make a huge impact on transport and logistics inspection?

Investigating your transport and logistics is a tedious chore. There are many moving parts, along with receiving, dispatching, order fulfillment, documentation, and more.

To avoid performing these tasks yourself, go for a digital solution called the UrAudits auditing app to simplify your audit and inspection.

UrAudits checklist app is a user-friendly digital tool to ensure safety first in your workflows for inspection.

With the UrAudits auditing app, you can stop property or vehicle damage with a customized checklist.

When you start using our inspection app, you will see a premade template that you can customize according to your requirements.

You can also make your checklist from scratch.

So, don’t worry about storage, as all inspection data will be stored in our cloud.

Using the UrAudits audit app, use a digital checklist to investigate the status of your vehicles, property goods, and workers and their safety.

Perform vehicle maintenance inspection, manage audit reports, warehouse inspection, and pre-trip inspection with UrAudits digital auditing app — all in a single platform.

Get our digital audit app for the Play Store or App Store now.

Conclusion

Digitalize your logistics and transport audit and inspection with UrAudits and enter the world of digitalization. Inspection is now easy on smartphones or tablets. Now, crack issues quicker with a paperless way out. Let’s transport products, services, and experiences fast with a digital trucking logistics inspection checklist.

UrAudits has premade checklist templates: Vehicle inspection checklist, vehicle accident report checklist, driver assessment form, drug and alcohol test checklist, warehouse safety checklist, logistic audit checklist, flight paperwork checklist, aircraft ground handling checklist, fleet vehicle condition checklist, injury, and accident, incident report checklist.

Download our digital audit app for the App Store or Play Store.