Inspectors will be out in full force starting Sunday, August 23, as part of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) annual Brake Safety Week.
Throughout that week, officials will conduct roadside inspections on commercial motor vehicles throughout North America. This year, CVSA inspectors will focus on brake hoses and tubing. Commercial vehicles found to have critical brake violations will be placed out-of-service (OSS) until repairs are made.
Brake Safety Week seeks to reduce brake-related crashes by conducting roadside inspections and identifying and removing unsafe commercial motor vehicles from roadways, according to CVSA.
“Safety is always our top priority and it’s our mission to ensure the vehicles on our roadways have met all safety standards and regulations,” said CVSA President John Samis, a sergeant with the Delaware State Police, in a statement. “This is especially important as we rally behind truck drivers as they transport essential goods during this public health crisis. We need to do everything we can to ensure that the vehicles truck drivers are driving are as safe as possible.”
Inspection stats
Last year, inspectors placed out of service 13.5% (4,626) of the 34,320 trucks it inspected during its annual Brake Safety Week. This was slightly lower compared with an out-of-service rate of roughly 14.2% during Brake Safety Week in 2018 and a rate of 16.1% during its unannounced brake safety roadway inspection check CVSA conducted in May 2019.
Preparing for Brake Safety Week is critically important for drivers, fleets, and owner-operators, according to Fred Andersky, director of demos, sales and service training for Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems.
“These preparations certainly help drivers and fleets avoid non-compliance penalties and out-of-service time,” Andersky said. “But even more important is that they also help ensure dependable brake system performance every moment that commercial vehicles are on the road.”
Approximately 4 million commercial motor vehicle inspections are conducted every year throughout North America, according to CVSA.
During last year’s International Roadcheck inspection and enforcement initiative, brake system and brake adjustment violations accounted for 45.1% of all out-of-service conditions, more than in any other vehicle violation category. This year’s Roadcheck is scheduled for Sept. 9-11.
“Brakes are one of the most important systems in a vehicle,” Samis said. “Failure of any component of a brake system could be catastrophic. Routine brake system inspections and component replacement are vital to the safety of commercial motor vehicles.”
Brake Safety Week is part of CVSA’s Operation Airbrake program, in partnership with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators.
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