Sunday September 7, 2014 started the annual Brake Safety Week inspection blitz which runs until September 13, 2014. Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) Brake Safety Week is part of the week long Operation Airbrake program, which is sponsored by CVSA and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
According to the CVSA website: “Properly functioning brake systems are crucial to safe commercial motor vehicle (CMV) operation. CMV brakes are designed to hold up under tough conditions, but they must be inspected and maintained carefully and consistently so they operate and perform properly throughout the vehicle’s life. Brake Safety Week is an annual outreach and enforcement campaign designed to improve commercial vehicle brake safety throughout North America.”
The CVSA expects to do more than 30,000 brake inspections during the week, which would be a 50 percent increase from the over 20,000 inspections performed last year. Inspectors will conduct brake system inspections on trucks and buses throughout North America, looking for either out-of-adjustment brakes or brake-system violations. The CVSA website says that inspectors will look for “brake-system components to identify loose or missing parts, air or hydraulic fluid leaks, worn linings, pads, drums or rotors and other faulty brake-system components.” Antilock brake system components will also be checked.
Of the 20,067 commercial vehicles inspected in September 2013 CVSA Brake Safety Week, 2,714 were placed out of service to produce a 13.5 percent out-of-service rate, tying May 2013 and September 2010 for the lowest out-of-service rates for CVSA inspection blitzes since they began in 1998.
CVSA is an international not-for-profit organization based in Greenbelt, MD. It is comprised of local, state, provincial, territorial and federal motor carrier safety officials and industry representatives from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Our mission is to promote commercial motor vehicle safety and security by providing leadership to enforcement, industry and policy makers.