Some small carriers and owner-operators may be taking a few vacation days this week. Not coincidentally, Roadcheck, the annual three-day inspection event begins Tuesday, June 2. While the 10,000 inspectors pull trucks over at 1,500 roadside locations across the U.S., truckers often prefer to take a few extra days at home. Will these mini-vacations have an effect on rates?
According to Overdrive, last year’s Roadcheck yielded “more than 70,000 inspections…resulting in a 22% out-of-service rate for equipment and a 4% out-of-service rate for drivers.” That’s 14 trucks or buses inspected per minute. Granted, it’s a big country, but a long-haul trucker is pretty likely to pass one of the 1,500 inspection stations during the three-day event. If the vehicle fails inspection of its brakes, tires, wheels, lights or emissions, among other systems, or the driver shows improper or incomplete logs or other paperwork, one or the other could be pulled out of service. This year’s focus will be on cargo securement, giving flatbed truckers an extra incentive to stay home.
Roadcheck is a joint program of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s agency, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) along with the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), a non-profit group.
Roadcheck Guidelines
If you have trucks on the road this week, look up CVSA’s Roadcheck Checklist and additional guidance on cargo securement, which is especially important for flatbeds.
