To celebrate Brake Safety Day on April 14, inspectors conducted more than 4,000 inspections recently.
The initiative was not previously announced to the public.
According to a release issued by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), certified commercial motor vehicle inspectors throughout North America conducted 4,021 inspections of commercial motor vehicles in one day. More than 14 percent of those vehicles were restricted.
The total number reported was 574 that were reported to have out-of-service violations.
“A commercial motor vehicle is placed out of service when an inspector determines the vehicle has safety violations serious enough to make continued operation hazardous,” CVSA’s release stated. “Out-of-service orders are designed to prevent crashes from happening.”
Of the 4,021 total inspections conducted, 3,447 commercial motor vehicles did not have any brake-related out-of-service violations – 85.7% of the total number of vehicles inspected.
Brake Safety Day is the CVSA annual brake safety inspection, regulatory compliance and data collection initiative.
CVSA added that 47 jurisdictions throughout Canada, Mexico and the U.S. participated in this year’s Brake Safety Day.
CVSA says this year’s emphasis was placed on drums and rotors. Inspectors identified 43 drum and rotor violations, of which 21 were out-of-service violations.
In addition, inspectors identified 121 out-of-service violations related to brake hoses and/or tubing, 47 vehicles had steering axle out-of-service violations, 40 vehicles failed an air loss rate test, and there were 193 other out-of-service brake violations, such as inoperative tractor protection system, hydraulic or electric brake violations, inoperative parking/emergency brake, inoperative low-air warning device, etc.
CVSA said 10 U.S. jurisdictions conducted 349 inspections utilizing a performance-based brake tester (PBBT), which is a machine that assesses the braking performance of a vehicle. U.S.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations and CVSA’s North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria require a minimum braking efficiency of 43.5%. CVSA stated that 26 (7.45%) vehicles failed to meet the required 43.5% minimum braking efficiency rate and were placed out of service.
Most of the inspections completed (3,643 or 90.6%) on Brake Safety Day were North American Standard Level I Inspections which is a thorough 37-step procedure that examines the driver’s operating requirements and assesses the vehicle’s mechanical fitness. The Level I Inspection is the most commonly conducted inspection type overall.
Bruce Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has lived in three states including Arkansas, Missouri and Georgia. During his nearly 20-year career, Bruce has served as managing editor and sports editor for numerous publications. He and his wife, Dana, who is also a journalist, are based in Carrollton, Georgia.
