CVSA Brake Safety Week will take place on September 15–21, 2019. In an effort to emphasize the seriousness of faulty brake systems, CVSA-certified enforcement personnel wi ll conduct roadside inspections to identify – and place Out-of-Service – commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) with critical brake violations.
Vehicles with critical brake violations, or other critical vehicle inspection item violations, will be restricted from traveling until those violations are corrected. These types of violations accounted for 45% of all Out-Of-Service violations issued during last year’s International Roadcheck event.
Additionally, brake related violations consistently rank in the most cited vehicle violations found during roadside inspections across the US.
According to the CVSA “The goal of Brake Safety Week is to reduce the number of crashes caused or made more severe by faulty brake systems on commercial motor vehicles by conducting roadside inspections and identifying and removing unsafe commercial motor vehicles from our roadways.
In addition to inspections and enforcement, outreach and awareness efforts by law enforcement agencies to educate drivers, motor carriers, mechanics, owner-operators and others on the importance of proper brake maintenance, operation and performance are integral to the success of this safety initiative”.
During Brake Safety Week, these inspectors will primarily conduct the North American Standard Level I Inspection.
The Level 1 inspection includes a check of:
- Driver’s license;
- Medical Examiner’s Certificate
- Alcohol and drugs
- Driver’s record of duty status
- Hours of service
- Seat belt use
- Vehicle inspection report(s) (if applicable)
- Brake systems
- Cargo securement
- Coupling devices
- Driveline/driveshaft
- Exhaust systems
- Frames
- Fuel systems
- Lighting devices (headlamps, tail lamps, stop lamps, turn signals and lamps/flags on projecting loads)
- Steering mechanisms
- Suspensions
- Tires
- Van and open-top trailer bodies
- Wheels, rims and hubs
- Windshield wipers
CVSA Brake Safety Week Focus
With a focus on brake safety this week, inspectors will be paying special attention to brake system function, and especially hoses and tubes.
Inspectors will be focusing on:
- Proper hose and tube attachment
- Identifying worn or damaged hose or tubing
- Ensuring that hoses and tubes are appropriately flexible
Inspectors will also measure vehicle braking efficiency in the 14 jurisdictions that currently use performance-based brake testing (PBBT) equipment. PBBTs measure a vehicle’s cumulative brake force and divide it by the total vehicle weight to determine overall vehicle braking efficiency.
The minimum braking efficiency for trucks is 43.5 percent, required by 393.52 of the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations and the CVSA North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria.
In order to avoid brake related violations, we always suggest that you:
- Regularly have your brake systems inspected by drivers and qualified maintenance personnel.
- Ensure that all Automatic Slack Adjusters are well lubricated during each preventative maintenance visit.
- Have every driver check all visible brake hoses and tubes for signs of wear during each pre or post trip inspection.
- During a pre-trip inspection, have every driver conduct (1) hard, full-pressure brake application. This will help ensure that all automatic slack adjusters are functioning properly.
- Instruct drivers to NEVER manually adjust an automatic slack adjuster.
To help you and your drivers prepare for this year’s Brake Safety Week, here is a list of resources for mechanics and drivers the CVSA has created. We also encourage you to learn more about this event through the CVSA website.
