Commercial truck drivers and motor carriers are facing heightened brake inspections this week as the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s annual Brake Safety Week gets underway across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The seven-day enforcement initiative began Sunday, August 23, and runs through Saturday, August 29. Certified commercial-vehicle inspectors are conducting routine roadside inspections with increased attention on braking systems and components.
Commercial vehicles found with brake-related out-of-service violations or other critical out-of-service defects can be removed from service until those violations are corrected.
This year’s special inspection emphasis is on brake drums and rotors.
CVSA says damaged drums and rotors can reduce braking performance, while broken components may separate from a moving truck and create hazards for surrounding motorists. Inspectors will collect information on drum and rotor conditions in addition to standard brake-system violations.
Brake Safety Week is conducted through CVSA’s Operation Airbrake program in partnership with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
The enforcement campaign is significant because brake defects consistently account for a substantial share of commercial vehicles placed out of service during roadside inspections. CVSA says brake-related violations represent the largest percentage of vehicle out-of-service violations identified during inspections.
Earlier this year, an unannounced one-day CVSA brake enforcement operation illustrated the scale of the problem.
Inspectors conducted 4,021 commercial-vehicle inspections across the United States, Canada and Mexico and placed 574 vehicles out of service for brake-related violations a combined brake out-of-service rate of 14.3%. In the United States alone, inspectors conducted 3,301 inspections and identified 460 vehicles with brake out-of-service violations, a 13.9% rate.
Ten U.S. jurisdictions also used performance-based brake testers during that operation. Of 349 vehicles tested, 26 failed to achieve the minimum 43.5% braking-efficiency standard and were placed out of service.
For this week’s enforcement campaign, inspectors are expected to examine brake adjustment, air leaks, brake hoses and tubing, linings and pads, drums and rotors, low-air warning devices and other components evaluated during North American Standard inspections.
CVSA is also urging drivers and carriers to perform thorough pre-trip and post-trip inspections and address brake defects before trucks are placed into service.
For drivers, Brake Safety Week does not create a new federal brake regulation. Instead, it concentrates existing commercial-vehicle inspection and enforcement activity on brake compliance for seven days.
The initiative continues through August 29, after which participating jurisdictions will submit inspection and violation data to CVSA. The organization says it will analyze and publicly release the nationwide results later this year..
