Did you get brake checked? When you get ‘brake checked’ you’re caught off-guard…kind of like during the surprise brake inspection program held by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) a few months ago! The CVSA has just released the results from this unannounced brake check program. A total of 6,128 inspections were conducted during this blitz – were you one of them?
Unannounced Brake Check Program
Most people like a good surprise – but maybe not this one! On May 4, 2016, 31 CVSA-certified inspectors from across the United States (31 states) and Canada ran an unannounced brake check blitz as part of the Operation Airbrake program.
Operation Airbrake is an international truck and bus brake safety campaign designed to educate drivers and technicians on brake safety, encourage brake safety compliance, and enforce the regulations designed to ensure safe operation.
Stopping Braking Issues
Brake related violations aren’t stopping (pun intended) but they are starting to show signs of slowing down. Despite all of the efforts by regulatory groups to educate on brake safety, brake related violations are still at the top of the list! During the 2015 Brake Safety Week, 18,817 vehicles were inspected and 2,321 (12.3%) were placed out of service for brake issues.
Blitz Violation Results
The good news is – the number of vehicles being placed out of service for brake related violations decreased this year. The bad news is – vehicles are still being placed out of service for brake related violations.
12.4% of all vehicles inspected were placed out of service for brake related violations. 13.9% were placed out of service for other (non-brake related) violations. Inspectors were also looking at anti-lock braking systems (ABS) and found the following:
- 9.6% of trucks with air brakes that required ABS (based on age of truck) had ABS related violations
- 9.8% of trucks with hydraulic brakes had ABS related violations
- 19.8% of trailers that require ABS had ABS violations
- 6.1% of inspected trailers were not air brake equipped – they were not subject to ABS requirements
- 55 buses and motorcoaches were inspected – all but 3 had ABS, none had ABS related violations
Hit the Brakes and Prepare
This unannounced annual blitz is always a wake up call for brake maintenance and safety. It’s also a preview for what you can expect for the CVSA’s next major campaign: Brake Safety Week. Brake Safety Week is taking place from September 11-17, 2016.
How BigRoad Can Help
BigRoad makes keeping up-to-date on maintenance easy. Streamlined DVIR reporting allows drivers to easily inspect and report on the condition of their vehicles before they hit the road to help prevent future violations. Get started today with a free 30-day trial and see how easy compliance can be!
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