Over 1,600 Trucks Placed Out-of-Service During Brake Inspection Blitz

On May 15, 2019, more than 1,600 commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) were placed out-of-service (OOS) for critical brake violations during a surprise brake safety inspection blitz.

Surprise Brake Inspection Blitz

One day only, fifty-five jurisdictions in the United States and Canada participated in a surprise brake inspection blitz and reported the results to the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA).

CVSA hosts several vehicle safety enforcement events, like Brake Safety Day, to identify and remove CMVs with dangerous issues from our roadways and prevent accidents. Participation during these safety events is voluntary.

“Inspecting, identifying and removing commercial motor vehicles with brake violations from our roadways is critical to the safety of the traveling public,” said CVSA President Capt. Christopher Turner with the Kansas Highway Patrol. “Brake systems that are improperly installed, neglected or poorly maintained reduce braking efficiency and increase stopping distances of trucks and buses, posing a serious transportation safety risk.”

Who participated in this unannounced Inspection Blitz?

  • 45 U.S. States and Territories
  • 10 Canadian Provinces and Territories
  • 10,358 vehicle inspections were conducted between the U.S. and Canada.
  • The U.S. conducted 8,738 inspections.
  • Canada conducted 1,620 inspections.

Brake Inspection Results:

Out of the 10,358 inspections conducted, 16% failed to meet the brake safety requirements taking 1,667 vehicles off the road. 84% of the vehicles inspected did not have violations.

On top of checking brake systems and their components, inspectors also paid close attention to violations involving hoses/tubing:

  • 996 chafed rubber hose violations 
  • 185 chafed thermoplastic hose violations
  • 1,125 violations of 49 Code of Federal Regulations § 393.45 and Canadian equivalent with chafed rubber hoses
  • 124 violations of 49 Code of Federal Regulations § 393.45 and Canadian equivalent with kinked thermoplastic hoses

“Brake hoses and tubing must be properly attached, undamaged, without leaks and appropriately flexible,” said CVSA President Chief Jay Thompson with the Arkansas Highway Police. “Because they are such an important part of the braking system, the failure of hoses or tubing can cause problems for the entire braking system.”

Top 5 Brake Related Violations

According to the FMCSA, in 2017 more than half a million violations were related to brakes. Out of 1.8 million inspections conducted in 2019, the top five brake-related violations were:

  1. Clamp or root type brake out of adjustment (86,296)
  2. CMV manufactured after 10/19/1994, has an automatic brake adjustment system that fails to compensate for wear (45,594)
  3. Brake hose or tubing chafing and/or kinking (37,737)
  4. No or defective ABS malfunction indicator lamp for trailer manufactured after 3/1/1998 (37,343)
  5. Inoperative/defective brakes (32,125)

Brake Safety Week 2019

CVSA has announced that this year’s Brake Safety Week is scheduled for September 15-21, 2019.

Although inspections happen all year long, there are several inspection blitzes a year focusing on different aspects of CMVs. While checking brake systems is always part of the North American Standard Inspection Program, brake hoses and tubing are being highlighted to remind of the importance to a vehicle’s health and safety.

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