---
title: Run an Inspection and Handle Follow-ups
description: "Run an inspection visit: start each vehicle, work the form, note defects, request repairs, then schedule follow-up work from the Follow-ups tab."
---

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# Run an Inspection and Handle Follow-ups

## Run an inspection visit from booking to completed form, then turn the defects and repair requests into scheduled work.

**For:** Dispatchers and technicians · **Permission:** Manage appointments (to book and to schedule follow-ups) · **Time:** depends on the form

### Quick summary

1. Book an **Inspection** visit and pick the inspection form for each vehicle.
2. Click **Begin Service**, then start each vehicle with its odometer reading.
3. Work the form: **Pass**, **Defect** or **N/A** on each item, with a note on every defect.
4. Record anything else that needs fixing with **Request a repair**, then click **Complete inspection**.
5. On the visit's **Follow-ups** tab, decide what each vehicle needs and book it: **Schedule →** for PM or inspection work, or a new repair appointment.

### Before you start

- **You'll need:** a customer with at least one vehicle, and at least one inspection form set up under **Settings › PM & Inspections**.
- **Who does what:** technicians run the inspection and record what they find. Dispatchers decide what happens next. Scheduling follow-up work needs the **Manage appointments** permission.
- **Technician steps** are shown in the technician app on a phone. The dispatcher steps are on the web app.

### Book the inspection visit

Go to **Service › Appointment Requests** and click **+ Create Appointment**. Under **What's included in this visit?**, select **Inspection**. Select **PM Service** as well if the visit also includes a PM.

Add the customer, the on-site contact and the vehicles. Then, under **Inspection forms**, switch on the form each vehicle needs. Set the location, technician, date and time, and click **Book Appointment**. For every field on this page, see [Book a PM, Inspection or Repair Appointment](https://support.metafleet.ai/scheduling-a-pm-appointment?hsLang=en).

![Booking page with vehicle HE-204 added and the Annual Vehicle Inspection Report form switched on under Inspection forms](https://support.metafleet.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/knowledge-base/oct-2026/run-an-inspection-and-follow-ups-01-book-inspection-form.png?width=444&height=586&name=run-an-inspection-and-follow-ups-01-book-inspection-form.png)

### Begin service

When the technician arrives or the vehicle drops off, open the visit and click **Begin Service** at the top right. This creates the Inspection Service Order and unlocks the **Inspection**, **Follow-ups**, **Invoice** and other tabs.

**Begin Service** doesn't ask for mileage and doesn't start any vehicle. Each vehicle is started on its own, in the next step. See [Record Arrival & Start Service](https://support.metafleet.ai/record-arrival-start-service?hsLang=en).

![Inspection visit INSP-261008-BWK, Pending Arrival, with locked tabs and the Begin Service button at the top right](https://support.metafleet.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/knowledge-base/oct-2026/run-an-inspection-and-follow-ups-02-begin-service.png?width=943&height=204&name=run-an-inspection-and-follow-ups-02-begin-service.png)

### Start each vehicle (technician)

1. **Open the job:** in the technician app, tap the inspection under **My Jobs**, then tap the vehicle.
2. **Start it:** tap **Start service**, enter the **Odometer reading** on the keypad and tap **Save & begin**.
3. **Vehicle not there?** Tap **Vehicle not available** instead, so the rest of the visit can still finish.

![Technician app odometer keypad for unit HE-204 showing 12,450 mi and the Save and begin button](https://support.metafleet.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/knowledge-base/oct-2026/run-an-inspection-and-follow-ups-03-odometer-start.png?width=390&height=572&name=run-an-inspection-and-follow-ups-03-odometer-start.png)

> **The form opens only after the vehicle is started.** Until then the Inspection tab says "This service hasn't started yet." This way the form carries the reading taken at the vehicle. A dispatcher can also start a vehicle from the visit's **Inspection** tab with **Start service** or **Not available**.

### Open the inspection form

The vehicle screen lists each inspection form on its own row, with a count such as **41 of 46 answered** and a progress bar. A vehicle with two forms has two rows. Tap a row to open that form. Below the forms is **Request a repair**.

![Vehicle screen with separate rows for two inspection forms, one showing 1 defect flagged, and the Request a repair row](https://support.metafleet.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/knowledge-base/oct-2026/run-an-inspection-and-follow-ups-04-vehicle-workspace.png?width=390&height=320&name=run-an-inspection-and-follow-ups-04-vehicle-workspace.png)

If the form has vehicle header fields, they're filled in for you in a **Vehicle & visit** card marked **From the vehicle record**, such as unit number, VIN, year, make, model, plate, date and customer. Only the arrival reading can be changed there. A value the vehicle record doesn't have shows as **Not on file**.

### Work through the checklist and flag defects

Answer each item: **Pass**, **Defect** or **N/A**, or fill in the reading or text the item asks for. Answers save as you go.

When you mark an item **Defect**, a box opens under it:

- **Note (required):** describe what you found. A defect can't be completed without one.
- **Flag urgent:** marks the defect as urgent on the record.
- **+**: add a photo or video of the defect.

![Brake Hose item marked Defect with a note describing a chafed hose, the Flag urgent switch and the add photo tile](https://support.metafleet.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/knowledge-base/oct-2026/run-an-inspection-and-follow-ups-05-defect-with-note.png?width=540&height=571&name=run-an-inspection-and-follow-ups-05-defect-with-note.png)

If the form needs signatures, add them in the **Signatures** section at the bottom: enter the signer's name and role, sign, and tap **Save signature**.

### Request a repair (technician)

Found something that isn't on the form? On the vehicle screen, tap **Request a repair**. Describe it under **What needs fixing?** and tap **Send request**.

The request goes to the visit's **Follow-ups** tab. It doesn't book anything. Your dispatcher decides whether it gets booked.

![Request a repair sheet with a description of a seeping boom cylinder seal and the Send request button](https://support.metafleet.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/knowledge-base/oct-2026/run-an-inspection-and-follow-ups-07-request-repair.png?width=390&height=369&name=run-an-inspection-and-follow-ups-07-request-repair.png)

### Complete the inspection

Tap **Complete inspection**. If something is missing, the line above the button says what, and **Jump to the first →** scrolls to the first item to fix:

- **Required items** are marked with **\***. Any left unanswered turn red with "Required — answer this item to complete the inspection." The highlight clears as you answer.
- **Defects without a note** are counted, for example "1 flagged defect still needs a note describing what you found."

![Complete inspection button with the warning 1 flagged defect still needs a note, and the Jump to the first link](https://support.metafleet.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/knowledge-base/oct-2026/run-an-inspection-and-follow-ups-06-defect-note-gate.png?width=390&height=170&name=run-an-inspection-and-follow-ups-06-defect-note-gate.png)

When everything is answered, confirm with **Complete Inspection**. The completed form is generated, the invoice is drafted and the inspection becomes read-only. This can't be undone. On an inspection-only visit, the vehicle then shows **Vehicle complete**. If this finishes the visit, your job clock on the order stops too.

![Complete inspection confirmation explaining the form is generated, the invoice drafted and the record made read-only](https://support.metafleet.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/knowledge-base/oct-2026/run-an-inspection-and-follow-ups-08-complete-confirm.png?width=562&height=381&name=run-an-inspection-and-follow-ups-08-complete-confirm.png)

### Review findings on the Follow-ups tab (dispatcher)

Open the visit and click the **Follow-ups** tab. The tab shows a count while vehicles still need a decision, for example **Follow-ups (1)**.

Each vehicle has its own card. Click **Show findings** to see them, grouped as **From the inspection** (defects, with the technician's note and any photos) and **Raised by the technician** (repair requests, with who sent them and when).

- **Discard:** a finding that needs no work. **Discard all** does this for the whole vehicle.
- **Several vehicles?** The **Send all** row at the top gives every vehicle the same choice at once. **Clear all** undoes it.

![Follow-ups tab for HE-204 with a Brake Hose defect and a repair request, plus Repair, PM and Inspection and Discard all](https://support.metafleet.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/knowledge-base/oct-2026/run-an-inspection-and-follow-ups-10-follow-ups-tab.png?width=951&height=647&name=run-an-inspection-and-follow-ups-10-follow-ups-tab.png)

### Schedule the follow-up work

**PM or inspection follow-ups** are booked straight from the card:

1. **Choose the work:** on the vehicle card, click **PM & Inspection** and pick the service program.
2. **Click Schedule →.** A **New Appointment** draft opens with a **Created as a follow-up** note naming the visit and unit. The customer, vehicle, service location and payment are already filled in.
3. **Finish the booking:** add the on-site contact, the date and time, and a technician. The date and the PO number aren't copied from the original visit, because the new job needs its own. Click **Book Appointment**.

![New Appointment draft with the banner Created as a follow-up, from visit INSP-261008-BWK, unit HE-204](https://support.metafleet.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/knowledge-base/oct-2026/run-an-inspection-and-follow-ups-12-follow-up-draft.png?width=916&height=185&name=run-an-inspection-and-follow-ups-12-follow-up-draft.png)

**Repair follow-ups** are booked as a repair. **Schedule →** opens the PM and inspection booking page, so book the repair from **Service › Appointment Requests** instead: click the arrow next to **+ Create Appointment** and choose **Repair**, or click an empty slot on the calendar. Copy the defect notes into the repair's description so the technician knows what to fix.

> **One booking per vehicle.** **Schedule →** covers all of a vehicle's findings, so five defects on one truck become one appointment. Nothing is booked until you click **Book Appointment** on the draft.

### Send the inspection forms with the invoice

On the visit's **Invoice** tab, switch on **Email the completed inspection forms** before you click **Send Invoice**. The line under it says how many forms will go with the invoice email. With the switch off, the customer gets the invoice only. You choose this each time you send. It isn't saved for the customer.

![Invoice Details header with Email the completed inspection forms switched on: 1 form will be attached to the invoice email](https://support.metafleet.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/knowledge-base/oct-2026/run-an-inspection-and-follow-ups-13-invoice-forms-switch.png?width=943&height=138&name=run-an-inspection-and-follow-ups-13-invoice-forms-switch.png)

The completed forms are also kept on the visit's **Files** tab under **Completed inspection forms**. Click **Download completed form** to get the PDF.

### Troubleshooting

| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
| --- | --- | --- |
| The form says "This service hasn't started yet." | The vehicle hasn't been started | Tap **Start service** and enter the odometer reading, or mark it **Not available**. |
| **Complete inspection** says a required item still needs an answer | An item marked \* is unanswered | Tap **Jump to the first →** and answer each red item. |
| **Complete inspection** says a flagged defect still needs a note | An item is marked **Defect** with no note | Tap **Jump to the first →** and describe the defect. |
| "No inspection form is assigned to this vehicle on this visit." | No form was chosen for the vehicle | On the visit's **Details** tab, click **Edit** on **Service work**, add the form and click **Save**. |
| "You do not have permission to schedule follow-up work." | Your role doesn't have **Manage appointments** | Ask a dispatcher or an admin to schedule it. |
| A banner says "You're working on a different job." | The technician's clock is still running on another job | Tap **Go to that job** to finish it, or **Clock out of that job**. |
| Findings are still listed after you book the follow-up | The new booking isn't linked back to the findings | The booked appointment is your record of the work. Leave the findings, or click **Discard** on them once the follow-up is booked. |
| The Follow-ups tab says "Nothing outstanding on this visit" | No defects were flagged and no repairs were requested | Nothing to do. Anything a technician raises later appears here. |

### FAQs

**Can a technician book the repair from the phone?**  
No. Technicians record defects and repair requests. A dispatcher with **Manage appointments** decides on the **Follow-ups** tab and books the work.

**Does each defect become its own appointment?**  
No. You decide per vehicle. One booking covers every finding on that vehicle.

**What if a defect doesn't need any work?**  
Click **Discard** on that finding, or **Discard all** for the vehicle. Only users with **Manage appointments** can discard findings.

**Can one vehicle have more than one inspection form?**  
Yes. Each form has its own row on the vehicle screen, with its own count of answered items.

**Can a visit include a PM and an inspection?**  
Yes. Select both **PM Service** and **Inspection** when you book. See [Book a PM, Inspection or Repair Appointment](https://support.metafleet.ai/scheduling-a-pm-appointment?hsLang=en).

**Where do I find the completed form later?**  
On the visit's **Files** tab, under **Completed inspection forms**.

### Related articles

- [Book a PM, Inspection or Repair Appointment](https://support.metafleet.ai/scheduling-a-pm-appointment?hsLang=en)
- [Record Arrival & Start Service](https://support.metafleet.ai/record-arrival-start-service?hsLang=en)
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