Your vans earn the money. Keep them legal.
Fleet compliance software built for plumbers, electricians, builders, roofers, and construction companies. MOT tracking, daily walkaround checks, defect management, and DVLA integration — without the enterprise price tag or the six-month implementation.
Compliance is an afterthought until it costs you a contract
In trades and construction, vans are revenue generators. They carry your stock, your tools, and your team to the job. But when the focus is on finishing the job, getting to the next site, and chasing invoices, fleet compliance falls to the bottom of the list. Nobody wakes up thinking about MOT dates — until DVSA pulls your van over at a roadside check and issues a prohibition notice that takes it off the road for the day.
The consequences are disproportionate for trade businesses. A single van off the road means a team that cannot work, a customer left waiting, and revenue lost. A van driven with an expired MOT voids its insurance — meaning any accident becomes an uninsured claim against the business. For sole traders, that can be existential. For growing trade firms with five to twenty vans spread across job sites, the risk multiplies with every vehicle that slips through the cracks of a spreadsheet or calendar reminder system.
Construction sites add another layer. Principal contractors on large builds increasingly require FORS accreditation or equivalent compliance evidence from every subcontractor bringing vehicles on site. If you cannot produce documented walkaround check records, defect management logs, and proof that your drivers have valid licences, you may not get past the gate. The compliance gap is not just a legal risk — it is a commercial barrier that can cost you contracts worth tens of thousands of pounds.
Many trade businesses also rely on a mix of company vans and personal vehicles used for work. This grey fleet creates additional compliance obligations around insurance, MOT verification, and business use declarations that are easy to overlook but carry the same legal consequences as company vehicle failures.
How Kedra keeps trade fleets compliant
Set it up in thirty minutes. Add vans by registration number. Let Kedra watch the deadlines, track the checks, and manage the defects while your team focuses on the work.
Automatic MOT, Tax & Insurance Alerts
Kedra connects to DVLA and monitors every van in your fleet. You get alerts at 30, 14, and 7 days before anything expires — MOT, road tax, or insurance. No more logging into the GOV.UK website one van at a time. If a van is approaching its third birthday and will need its first MOT, Kedra flags that too. The system also tracks MOT advisories from previous tests, so you can address worn brake pads or corroded subframes before they become failures.
QR Code Walkaround Checks That Actually Get Done
Print a weatherproof sticker for each van. Drivers scan it with their phone and complete a DVSA-aligned 31-item check covering lights, tyres, mirrors, fluid levels, bodywork damage, and load security. No app to install, no login to remember, no training session to organise. A subcontractor on their first day can complete a check in under five minutes. Failed items automatically create tracked defects so nothing slips through.
FORS-Ready Evidence for Construction Sites
Many principal contractors require FORS Bronze accreditation or equivalent documentation. Kedra provides the digital evidence trail that auditors expect: dated walkaround check records, driver licence verification logs, defect management history with status tracking, and compliance reports. Generate a PDF that proves your fleet met every requirement for the duration of a project — useful for tender submissions and site access negotiations.
Running Costs and Replacement Planning
Track fuel, servicing, tyre replacements, and repair costs per van. Kedra calculates total cost of ownership and cost per mile, so you can see which vans are becoming more expensive to keep on the road than they are worth. For trade businesses running Transit Customs or Sprinters at 30,000+ miles a year, knowing when to swap a van out can save thousands in avoided breakdowns and unplanned downtime.
Built for how trade businesses actually work
No enterprise features you will never use. Just the compliance and fleet admin tools that keep your vans legal, your drivers checked, and your construction site access secure.
Keep your vans legal without the paperwork
Kedra is free for up to 3 vehicles. No credit card. No contracts. No IT department needed. Set up your fleet in 30 minutes and never miss a compliance deadline again.
Frequently asked questions
Is Kedra suitable for a small trade business with just a few vans?
Yes. Kedra is free for up to 3 vehicles with full access to MOT tracking, DVLA integration, walkaround checks, and cost management. Most trade businesses are fully set up within 30 minutes. There is no minimum fleet size and no features locked behind higher tiers.
How do walkaround checks work for vans parked at different job sites?
Each van gets a weatherproof QR code sticker fixed to the dashboard or B-pillar. Before starting the day, the driver scans the code with their phone camera and completes a DVSA-aligned 31-item checklist covering lights, tyres, fluid levels, bodywork, and load security. The results appear on your dashboard instantly. No app download or login is required, so it works even for subcontractors or agency staff who are only with you for a day.
Can I track vans that my subcontractors drive as grey fleet?
Yes. Kedra supports grey fleet management for vehicles you do not own but which are used for business purposes. You can record ownership type, verify that personal insurance covers business use, check MOT status via DVLA, and require an annual declaration from the driver. This is increasingly important on construction sites where principal contractors ask for evidence of grey fleet compliance.
What FORS requirements apply to trade fleets on construction sites?
FORS Bronze accreditation requires documented daily walkaround checks, driver licence verification, a system for recording and managing vehicle defects, and evidence of compliance monitoring. Many principal contractors on large construction sites in London and other cities now require FORS accreditation from all subcontractors bringing vehicles on site. Kedra provides the digital evidence trail that FORS auditors expect to see.
Does Kedra track van running costs so I know when to replace a vehicle?
Yes. Kedra tracks fuel, servicing, tyres, and repair costs per vehicle and calculates total cost of ownership and cost per mile. For trade vans doing high mileage, this data helps you identify the point where ongoing repairs cost more than replacing the vehicle. You can also see MOT advisory trends — recurring advisories on the same components often signal that a van is reaching the end of its economic life.
What happens if a van fails its daily check?
When a driver reports a defect during a daily check, Kedra automatically creates a defect record with the appropriate severity level. Critical defects on brakes or steering trigger an immediate alert to the fleet manager. The defect enters a tracked workflow — open, assigned, parts ordered, in progress, repaired, verified, closed — so nothing gets forgotten. For trade businesses, this means a tyre with low tread flagged at 7am can have a replacement booked before the van leaves for its first job.