Both figures come from DVSA's Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness (updated 28 April 2025). You'll see other periods quoted for nil sheets. These are the ones in the official guide.
Sheets with a defect on: 15 months
The guide says any report listing defects "is part of the vehicle's maintenance record and must be kept for at least 15 months".
That means the whole record, not just the driver's sheet. The guide lists what it should show: the vehicle, the date, the defect, who reported it, who it was reported to, the assessment, the repair work and the date the repair was done. A defect sheet with nothing written against it after the driver hands it in is half a record.
It's the same on a phone or tablet. The guide says electronic records of reported defects "must be available for 15 months, along with any record of repair".
Nil sheets: at least 3 months, recommended
The guide calls a nil report "a positive report that the vehicle is free from defects". It says completing and keeping them is good practice, and recommends keeping them "for at least 3 months". That's a recommendation, not a requirement.
The usual mistake is binning nil sheets once the week's done. Then you can't show a check happened on a day nothing was wrong. GOV.UK's walkaround guidance (updated 21 September 2023) tells drivers to record nil defects when they find none, and says DVSA can ask for a record of the walkaround check at a roadside check.
Some operators keep nil sheets for the full 15 months so every day lines up with the inspection sheets. That's their choice, not the rule.
Paper or digital
Either. The guide says forms can be filled in by hand, then scanned and saved. A digital system has to have a suitable digital signature, secure data input and storage, effective date and time stamping, and confirmation that the vehicle is roadworthy when it sets off.
The rest of the cabinet
| Record | Keep for at least | Where it says so |
|---|---|---|
| Defect reports, with the repair | 15 months | DVSA guide, 28 Apr 2025 |
| Nil defect reports | 3 months (recommended) | DVSA guide, 28 Apr 2025 |
| Safety inspection records | 15 months, every vehicle | DVSA guide, 28 Apr 2025 |
| Drivers' hours records | 12 months | Statutory Document 3, 31 Mar 2025 |
| Working time records | 2 years after the period they cover | Working Time Regulations 2005, reg 11 |
Selling a lorry doesn't end it. The guide says inspection records must be kept for at least 15 months for all vehicles, including ones taken off the licence, sold or otherwise disposed of. When a vehicle changes hands, its records "must still be available to the original operator".
Why anyone checks
The guide says traffic commissioners "rely on this Guide as the starting point". Statutory Document 3 lists, among the transport manager's duties, making sure drivers are "completing and returning their driver defect reporting sheets" and that maintenance records are kept "for a period of no less than 15 months". And GOV.UK's statutory guidance for transport managers (5 November 2021) says that if traffic commissioners ask to see your maintenance records, you must give them a copy.
On Roadworthy every walkaround check is time-stamped, each defect keeps its trail from who reported it to who signed it off, and any period from one month to five years can be built into one indexed PDF.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Check the current DVSA guidance or take professional advice for your own circumstances.