More than 1,000 unsafe CMVs pulled from service during ‘Operation Airbrake’

Greenbelt, MD – Brake violations prompted the removal of 1,146 commercial motor vehicles from service as part of a recent unannounced, single-day inspection blitz across the United States and Canada.

On May 3, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance-certified inspectors checked 9,524 large trucks and buses as part of the Operation Airbrake Program’s Brake Safety Day. According to CVSA, 12 percent of CMVs inspected were taken out of service for brake violations, and 21 percent were removed for other violations.

Inspectors identified 8,637 CMVs that required anti-lock braking systems. Of those, 10.7 percent – or 925 – had ABS-related violations, including 15 percent of trailers requiring ABS.

Larger vehicles need more distance to make a complete stop. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, a loaded tractor-trailer traveling 55 mph in ideal conditions requires 196 feet to come to a complete stop, compared with 133 feet for a passenger vehicle.

The Operation Airbrake Program, conducted in partnership with FMCSA and the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators, is slated to host the next Brake Safety Day enforcement campaign Sept. 7 in the United States, Canada and Mexico.