Mastering Zonar
★ Zonar Features · Verified Inspections
EVIR proves a driver actually walked the vehicle before the trip. Here is how it works, what happens when a defect turns up, and which fleets use it.
EVIR stands for Electronic Verified Inspection Reporting. It is Zonar's system for pre-trip and post-trip inspections that proves the driver actually walked the vehicle. Inspection points on the vehicle carry tags, the driver checks each zone in order, and every step is timestamped, so a manager can see when the inspection started, when it ended and how long was spent at each zone. Zonar's own wording is that it prevents pencil-whipping, the habit of ticking every box on a paper form without looking.
EVIR started on Zonar's handheld reader and tablets and is now also available as EVIR Mobile, an app for Android and iOS phones. Zonar says the mobile version uses the same inspection setups and procedures as the tablet version, and that it is compliant with DOT, OSHA, MSHA and PTASP inspection rules.
Zonar states that EVIR inspections take about half the time of paper-based inspections. Because results upload as soon as the inspection ends, nobody has to chase paper forms, and daily inspection records, which must be kept for 90 days, are stored automatically.
The fleet's maintenance team is notified right away instead of waiting for a paper form to reach the shop. Critical defects can be dealt with before the vehicle leaves, and minor ones can be scheduled ahead of time so the shop is not surprised. Zonar notes that once a repair is finished, the driver is told on the Zonar tablet so the vehicle can get back on the road. Alerts can also be set for inspections that were never done, and on law enforcement setups, for vehicles driven a set number of miles without an inspection.
Yes. A back-end tool called Inspection Builder lets the fleet change tag placements and zone numbers, rename, move or remove zones and components, and add inspection types beyond the standard pre-trip and post-trip. A tagless option in EVIR Mobile covers rented, leased or borrowed equipment that will not carry tags but still needs a documented inspection. A single fault can be reported on its own without running a full inspection.
| Fleet type | How Zonar describes the use |
|---|---|
| School buses and trucking | Verified pre-trip and post-trip inspections for DOT compliance |
| Fire departments | Engine and special-purpose vehicle checks, plus fixed locations such as EMS supplies, LIFEPAKs and BLS aid kits, with no extra hardware |
| Law enforcement | Patrol car checks before each shift, post-transport sweeps for contraband or biohazards, and checks of holding cells, armories and supply rooms |
| Ports | Equipment inspections in busy yards, with instant alerts on critical defects and records kept online |
| Heavy equipment | Inspection boards for machines such as excavators and backhoes |
EVIR on Zonar's tablets or the 2010 reader depends on the hardware in the vehicle: the reader cradle cable and, on the main platform, the V4 that the tablet docks to. Tags have to be mounted at each inspection point in the right order for the zone map to make sense. EVIR Mobile needs no installed hardware for the inspection itself, which is why Zonar pitches it to fire departments and for temporary assets. When we install a Zonar system, we mount the reader cradle and run the cradle cable along with the rest of the install, so inspections work on day one.
EVIR suits fleets that are audited on inspections, or that have had a breakdown traced back to a skipped pre-trip: school districts, municipal fleets, first responders, ports and trucking companies. A small fleet that only needs location tracking may not need it, so it is worth asking Zonar how EVIR is priced for the number of vehicles involved.
Sources: Zonar EVIR Mobile cutsheet, Zonar EVIR Mobile fire departments brochure, Zonar EVIR Mobile law enforcement brochure, Zonar EVIR for ports cutsheet, Zonar glossary. ZONAR is a trademark of Zonar Systems, Inc. Other product names belong to their owners. API Signal is an independent installer and is not Zonar.
Electronic Verified Inspection Reporting. It is Zonar's system for proving that a driver inspected each zone of a vehicle.
The tablet and reader versions use hardware in the vehicle. EVIR Mobile runs on Android and iOS phones, and a tagless option covers equipment that cannot carry tags.
Daily vehicle inspection records must be held for 90 days, and EVIR stores them automatically online.
Tell us how many vehicles and what they are. We'll quote the hardware and the install together.