Vehicle Lifting & Jack-Stand Support (Deferral SOP): the full procedure
Establish the workflow around lifting a vehicle while deferring all lifting-point and support decisions to OEM and ASE-certified judgment.
- Applies to: ASE-certified technician
- Frequency: Any job requiring the vehicle to be raised
- Scope: This is a DEFERRAL SOP. Lifting points, jack-stand rating/placement, and load support DEFER entirely to OEM service information, ASE-certified judgment, the business safety plan, and OSHA. The SOP only governs the surrounding sequence and verification.
What you need
- Rated floor jack
- Rated jack stands (matched to vehicle weight)
- Wheel chocks
- OEM lifting-point reference
- Firm/level surface
- Safety plan checklist
The procedure, step by step
- Confirm the surface — Verify firm, level ground capable of bearing the load; if in doubt, do not lift — relocate per the safety plan.
- Secure the vehicle first — Park/gear engaged, parking brake set, and wheels chocked before the jack touches the vehicle.
- Identify OEM lifting points — Look up the OEM-specified jack and stand points for this vehicle; never improvise contact points.
- Match the equipment rating — Confirm the jack and jack stands are rated above the vehicle’s weight per the equipment maker and ASE-certified judgment.
- Lift and transfer to stands — Raise the vehicle and transfer the load to rated jack stands at OEM points; the jack is never the sole support.
- Verify stability before going under — Shake-test the vehicle on the stands; confirm zero movement before any body part goes underneath.
- Keep the safety plan in force — Follow the business safety plan and OSHA general-duty obligations the entire time the vehicle is raised.
- Lower in reverse order — Lift to remove stands, then lower fully and confirm the vehicle is stable before removing chocks.
Quality check before you finish
- Surface confirmed firm and level, or the job was relocated.
- Parking brake set and wheels chocked before lifting.
- OEM lifting/support points used — never improvised.
- Jack and stands rated above the vehicle’s weight.
- Load fully transferred to jack stands — never on the jack alone.
- Stability shake-test passed before anyone goes under.
- Safety plan / OSHA obligations followed throughout.
This is a free, source-anchored standard operating procedure (SOP) you can print and hand to staff. It documents the work sequence for a Mobile Mechanic business — not safety or regulatory rulings, which defer to the cited authorities, the applicable code, and your own health-and-safety plan. Open the tool above to print it, toggle ink-saver, or (with a free ToolFluency Business account) edit it to match your own workflow.
Sources
- OEM service information (alldata.com)
- OSHA (osha.gov)
- ASE (ase.com)
About Free Vehicle Lifting & Jack-Stand SOP
Free printable SOP for safe vehicle lifting workflow: chock, lift, transfer to rated jack stands at OEM points — support decisions defer to OEM and ASE.
How to use
- Read the full procedure top to bottom before the work — the SOP runs in order and each step builds on the last.
- Toggle Ink-saver (black & white) for a cheaper mono print for the binder; leave it off for the full-color version.
- Click Print SOP to print or save as PDF. Print one per crew, laminate it for the binder, or attach it to the job in your scheduling system.
- Train new hires on it and have staff sign off. Found something out of date? Use the feedback link — flagged SOPs are re-researched against the source list.
Frequently asked questions
Where exactly do the jack and stands go?
That defers entirely to the OEM service information for the specific vehicle and the ASE-certified technician’s judgment under your safety plan. This SOP documents the sequence — chock, lift, transfer to rated stands, shake-test — not the contact points, which are vehicle-specific.
Can the tech ever work under a vehicle on the jack alone?
Never. The load must be fully transferred to jack stands rated above the vehicle’s weight and shake-tested for stability before any body part goes underneath, per OSHA and the business safety plan.
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