CVSA releases results of unscheduled truck driver enforcement

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) released the results of a one-day brake test that took place in North America a month ago.

In just one day on April 19, 6,829 commercial vehicles were inspected.

During the inspection, officers found violations related to the brakes, resulting in 773 vehicles being taken out of service. The three main brake-related violations that resulted in vehicles being taken out of service were as follows:

Defects in 20% of brakes – 479.

• The vehicle or combination is taken out of service if 20% or more of the service brakes are defective, such as audible air leakage in the chamber, defective pads/pads, no brake where brakes are required, etc.

Other violations related to the braking system – 368.

• Examples of other brake-related problems are worn brake lines, broken brake drums, inoperative track protection system, inoperative low air pressure warning device, air leaks, hydraulic fluid leaks, etc.

Violations associated with the final drive brake of the turning mechanism – 81.

• Examples of steered axle brake failures are broken brakes, brake chamber mismatch, backlash adjuster length mismatch, lining defects, etc.

CVSA runs two brake safety campaigns each year: Brake Safety Day, which is an unannounced one-day brake safety inspection and enforcement action, and Brake Safety Week, that takes place August 20-26, 2023.