The Compliance Calendar Reset: 3 Critical Inspections to Schedule Now for Success
The calendar has flipped, bringing with it not just the promise of new business opportunities, but also the inevitable pressure of mandatory fleet compliance. For Fleet Managers, the first few weeks of January are the perfect, non-negotiable window to lock in your strategy for the year ahead.
January, 2026
Success in the new year isn’t just about maximizing uptime, it starts with proactively scheduling and tracking inspections to ensure your fleet remains compliant, safe, and on the road.
As a leader in fleet optimization, GoRight has identified three critical types of inspections you must schedule now to avoid costly operational disruptions and potential fines later in the year.
The Annual Certification Inspection (ACI) / Mandatory Safety Check
This is the cornerstone of your annual compliance strategy. Whether your jurisdiction requires a full annual inspection or a rigorous safety certification, locking in these dates early is paramount.
Why Schedule Now?
- Avoid the Q3 Rush: Most fleets try to schedule these in late summer, leading to booked-out service centers and extended delays. Scheduling in Q1 or Q2 ensures you have your pick of time slots.
- Budget Clarity: Get accurate quotes now, which helps finalize your maintenance budget with precision, rather than dealing with unexpected expenses mid-year.
The Preventative Maintenance (PM) Inspection Cycle
While mandatory inspections keep you legal, your scheduled PM inspections keep you operational. A robust PM cycle, driven by real-world data like mileage, hours, and component life, is your best defense against catastrophic failure.
Why Schedule Now?
- Align with Operations: Use your annual operations forecast to align PM schedules with seasonal slow periods or predicted heavy utilization periods.
- Boost Utilization: By meticulously planning PMs across the fleet, you ensure that only a necessary minimum of equipment is out of service at any given time, significantly boosting overall utilization rates.
The Specialized Component Inspection
For fleets running refrigerated units, tankers, or specialized heavy equipment, specific component inspections are just as critical as the vehicle’s overall safety check. This includes things like:
- Reefer unit calibration and performance checks.
- Trailer brake and suspension deep-dives.
- Hydraulic system integrity testing.
Why Schedule Now?
- Protect High-Value Assets: These components are often the most expensive to repair and are key to your service delivery. Proactive checks extend their life and prevent critical failures.
- Vendor Coordination: Specialized inspections often require third-party vendors. Scheduling early ensures that your timelines sync up with their availability.
The GoRight Solution: Visibility is Compliance
The biggest obstacle to proactive scheduling? Visibility. You can’t schedule what you can’t track.
This is where GoRight’s Analytics Dashboards powered by Mirlin become the indispensable tool for the new year. It gives Fleet Managers a centralized, real-time view of inspection compliance and scheduling. By integrating completed inspections and vendor work orders from the Vendor Portal, it delivers fast, at-a-glance updates that eliminate paperwork and guesswork.
Don’t let compliance be a stressful, reactive task this year. Make a New Year’s Resolution to gain full control over your maintenance calendar.
Ready to start the year with zero compliance blind spots?
Check our fleet optimization capabilities with FleetCare Plus.
Watch the video to find out more about GoRight FleetCare Plus™
Let’s build your smarter fleet strategy for 2026.
Contact GoRight for a demo Sales@gorightfleet.com
or learn more about our FleetCare Plus program on our website.