CVSA-certified commercial motor vehicle safety inspectors conducted 18,817 brake-system inspections on large trucks and buses throughout North America during the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) annual Brake Safety Week, Sept. 6-12, 2015.
During the week-long brake safety campaign, local, state, provincial, territorial and federal motor carrier safety officials throughout the United States and Canada conducted roadside inspections to identify out-of-adjustment brakes and brake-system violations.
“Brake-related violations comprise the largest percentage of all out-of-service violations cited during roadside inspections,” said CVSA President Maj. Jay Thompson with the Arkansas Highway Police. “Improperly installed or poorly maintained brake systems can reduce braking capacity and increase stopping distance of large trucks and buses, which poses serious risks to driver and public safety.”
“For everyone’s safety, it’s vital that every vehicle operating on our highways and roads is mechanically sound and properly maintained,” said Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Acting Administrator Scott Darling. “We thank the CVSA members across North America for their longstanding strong partnership, for their professionalism and their dedication toward protecting the motoring public each and every day.”
Roadside inspections conducted during Brake Safety Week included inspection of brake-system components to identify loose or missing parts; air or hydraulic fluid leaks; cracked, damaged or worn linings, pads, drums or rotors; and other faulty brake-system components. Inspectors also checked anti-lock braking system (ABS) malfunction indicator lamps, inspected brake components and measured pushrod stroke, where applicable.
This year, inspectors from participating agencies inspected 18,817 vehicles throughout Brake Safety Week and placed 2,321 commercial vehicles out of service (OOS) for brake violations. Of the vehicles inspected, the OOS rate for all brake-related violations conducted in North America was 12.3 percent, compared to 16.2 percent from last year's Brake Safety Week. The OOS rate for brake adjustment was lower at 7.7 percent, compared to 10.4 percent in 2014. The OOS rate for brake components was 6.9 percent, down from 9.3 percent in 2014.
Out-of-service rates for Canadian jurisdictions are historically lower than those in U.S. jurisdictions. This can be seen again this year with the OOS rates for:
- Brake adjustment violations – 8.2 percent in the U.S. versus 3.7 percent in Canada
- Brake component violations – 6.9 percent in the U.S. versus 6.2 percent in Canada
- Total brake violations – 12.7 percent in the U.S. versus 9.0 percent in Canada
2015 Brake Safety Week results for the U.S. and Canada combined:
- 18,817 vehicles were inspected (13,305 inspected in 2014)
- 1,457 or 7.7 percent of vehicles were placed OOS for brake adjustment (10.4 percent in 2014)
- 1,292 or 6.9 percent of vehicles were placed OOS for brake components (9.3 percent in 2014)
- 2,321 or 12.3 percent of vehicles were placed OOS for brakes overall (16.2 percent in 2014)
Brake Safety Week is part of the Operation Airbrake Program sponsored by CVSA in partnership with FMCSA and the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA). The Operation Airbrake Program is an international enforcement activity dedicated to preventing large truck and bus crashes, and saving lives throughout North America. The campaign seeks to highlight the importance of proper brake inspection and maintenance in an effort to reduce the number of brake-related violations discovered during a roadside inspection. The program was first developed in 1998 in Canada and has grown to include two annual enforcement events, as well as educational outreach activities throughout the year all across North America. More than 3.8 million brakes have been inspected since the program’s inception.
Learn more about CVSA's Operation Airbrake Program and Brake Safety Week.
