Brake Safety Week 2019: CVSA places 13.5% of commercial vehicles out-of-service

The numbers for Brake Safety Week 2019 are in, and they show a majority of commercial motor vehicles passed inspection with flying colors.

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance conducted its annual enforcement campaign from Sept. 15-21. During the safety blitz, inspectors conducted 34,320 commercial motor vehicle inspections. They placed 4,626 vehicles out of service after critical brake-related conditions were identified during roadside inspections, for 13.5% out-of-service rate. The majority of commercial motor vehicles inspected did not have any critical brake-related inspection item violations, the Alliance said in a news release issued Tuesday.

During a roadside inspection, if an inspector identifies critical vehicle inspection item violations, he or she will render the vehicle out of service, which means those violations must be corrected before the vehicle may proceed.

CVSA says 60 jurisdictions in the U.S. and Canada participated in this year’s Brake Safety Week. In the U.S., 49 jurisdictions conducted 31,864 roadside inspections and placed 4,344 (13.6%) commercial motor vehicles out of service due to brake-related violations. In Canada, 11 jurisdictions conducted 2,456 roadside inspections and 282 (11.5%) commercial motor vehicles were placed out of service for brake-related violations.

As part of this year’s Brake Safety Week, inspectors also collected and reported data on brake hoses/tubing.
2,567 units had chafed rubber hose violations.
1,347 units had chafed thermoplastic hose violations.
2,704 violations of § 393.45 of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations and Canadian equivalent violations included chafed rubber hoses.
There were 1,683 violations of § 393.45 of the FMCSRs and Canadian equivalent violations that included kinked thermoplastic hoses.

“This inspection and enforcement event reminds drivers and motor carriers of the importance of properly functioning brakes and spotlights the work done by inspectors, motor carriers and drivers every day to keep our roadways safe by ensuring vehicles are in appropriate working condition,” CVSA president Sgt. John Samis with the Delaware State Police said in the release.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, highway crash fatality data for 2018, there was a 2.4% decline in overall fatalities, the second consecutive year of reduced crash fatalities. However, conversely, for 2018, large-truck related fatalities increased by 0.9%.

Brake Safety Week is an inspection, enforcement, education and awareness initiative that is part of the Operation Airbrake Program sponsored by CVSA in partnership with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators.