More than 40,000 commercial motor vehicle (CMV) inspections were conducted in May for International Roadcheck, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) annual high-volume, high-visibility inspection and enforcement initiative.
Approximately 83.5% of the CMVs examined during the Roadcheck had no out-of-service (OOS) violations. However, inspectors had to remove 6,710 commercial motor vehicles and 2,080 drivers from roadways — a 16.5% vehicle and 5.3% driver OOS rate — over that three-day period after the discovery of OOS violations during inspections.
CVSA-certified inspectors at weigh stations, inspection stations, roadside and designated inspection sites in Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. inspected commercial trucks and combinations, cargo tank hazardous materials/dangerous goods (HM/DG) trucks and combinations, non-cargo tank HM/DG trucks and combinations, and motorcoaches/buses during the initiative.
Inspectors primarily conducted the North American Standard Level I inspection, a 37-step inspection process that involves thorough inspection of the vehicle (including underneath the vehicle) and the driver. Inspectors performed 23,135 Level I inspections and removed 5,048 vehicles (21.8%) and 1,200 (5.2%) drivers from roadways due to the discovery of critical vehicle or driver inspection item violations as identified in the CVSA North American Standard OOS Criteria.
In Canada and the U.S., inspectors conducted 9,410 Level II inspections and placed 1,593 (16.9%) vehicles and 549 drivers (5.8%) OOS. They also conducted 6,836 Level III inspections and placed 331 drivers OOS. That is a 4.8% driver OOS rate. In Mexico, inspectors with the Ministry of Communications and Transportation and the National Guard conducted 1,288 Level V inspections.
Vehicles that pass a Level I or V inspection with no critical vehicle inspection item violations are eligible to receive a CVSA decal. Generally, vehicles displaying a CVSA decal, valid for up to three months, are not subjected to inspection. Instead, jurisdictions typically focus their efforts on vehicles that do not display a valid decal.
CVSA decals were placed on 9,951 power units, 3,795 trailers, and 190 motorcoaches/buses for a total of 13,936 decals.
Of the 24,423 Level I and V inspections conducted throughout North America, 5,084 vehicles and 1,200 drivers were placed OOS — a 20.8% vehicle OOS rate and a 4.9% driver OOS rate.
Each year, CVSA highlights a category of violations during International Roadcheck to bring awareness to certain aspects of a routine roadside inspection. This year, inspectors captured data on two categories — hours of service and lighting.
There were 1,367 OOS lighting violations, accounting for 14.1% of all vehicle OOS violations, making it the third most-cited violation, after brake systems and tires. OOS lighting device violations include headlamps, tail lamps, stop lamps, turn signals, and lamps on projecting loads.
Of the 9,691 OOS vehicle violations issued, the Top 5 violations were for brake systems, tires, lights, brake adjustment, and cargo adjustment as follows:
- Brake systems: 2,564 vehicles (26.5%);
- Tires: 1,804 vehicles (18.6%);
- Lights: 1,367 vehicles (14.1%);
- Brake adjustment: 1,203 vehicles (12.4%); and
- Cargo securement: 1,192 vehicles (12.3%).
CVSA’s second focus area, driver hours of service, was the most cited driver OOS violation, accounting for 41.5% of the 2,809 drivers placed OOS in the U.S. and Canada. In Mexico, inspectors conducted vehicle-only inspections, so there is no driver OOS rate to report. The Top 5 driver OOS violations were:
- Hours of service: 1,203 drivers (41.5%);
- Wrong class license: 565 drivers (19.5%);
- Other (could include operating without required operating authority, expired or no medical certificate, driving while ill or fatigued, or driving while prohibited by the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse): 482 drivers (16.6%);
- False logs: 427 (14.7%); and
- Suspended license: 132 (4.6%).
The Truckload Authority News Staff, comprised of award winning journalists and graphic artists, produces content for Truckload Authority, working in cooperation with the Truckload Carriers Association staff. Truckload Authority aims to keep TCA members abreast on the latest trends in the trucking industry as well as articles that feature TCA member executives and drivers. The Truckload Authority staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
