Commercial vehicle inspectors put 570 commercial motor vehicles out of service for brake-related violations during the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Alliance’s annual unannounced Brake Safety Day on June 10.
This year’s Brake Safety Day data found that of the 4,898 inspections conducted, 4,328 commercial motor vehicles had no brake-related out-of-service violations—88.4% of the total vehicles inspected. However, inspectors identified 570 (11.6%) commercial motor vehicles traveling on roadways with brake-related critical inspection item vehicle violations. Those vehicles were immediately restricted from further travel until the critical violations could be addressed appropriately.
Inspectors identified 330 commercial motor vehicles with 20% brake violations, meaning 20% or more of the vehicle’s (or combination of vehicles) service brakes had an out-of-service condition resulting in a defective brake. That was the top Brake Safety Day violation, accounting for 57.9% of all brake-related out-of-service violations.
Inspectors found other brake violations on 256 (44.9%) of the commercial motor vehicles inspected. These violations included worn brake lines/hoses, broken brake drums, inoperative tractor protection systems, inoperative low-air warning devices, air leaks, and hydraulic fluid leaks.
Brake Safety Week Announced
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) has announced Aug. 25-31 dates for this year’s Brake Safety Week. Brake Safety Week is a commercial motor vehicle and driver inspection, regulatory compliance enforcement initiative, a brake-safety awareness and outreach opportunity, and a brake-related inspection and violation data collection project.
CVSA-certified inspectors will conduct routine commercial motor vehicle inspections throughout the week, focusing on brake systems and components. Commercial motor vehicles found to have brake-related out-of-service violations will be removed from roadways until those violations are corrected.
For this year’s Brake Safety Week, inspectors will focus on the condition of brake linings and pads. Brake lining and pad issues may result in vehicle violations and affect a motor carrier’s safety rating. In addition, some jurisdictions have performance-based brake testers (PBBTs) and will use them during Brake Safety Week. A PBBT is a machine that assesses a vehicle’s braking performance.
More information can be found here.
