Annual ‘Roadcheck’ sees small rise in out-of-service vehicle, driver violations

Greenbelt, MD – From June 6 to 8, inspectors across North America checked braking systems, lights, tires and other equipment on commercial motor vehicles as part of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s 30th International Roadcheck, an annual 72-hour enforcement and safety outreach event.

A total of 62,013 inspections took place. As a result, 19.4 percent of inspected CMVs and 4.7 percent of drivers were placed out of service. Among the citations issued:

• 710 safety belt violations
• 3,282 load securement violations – most of which were for lack of or improper load securement
• 7,743 brake adjustments and brake systems violations

In addition, of the 40,944 North American Standard Level I inspections conducted, 23 percent of CMVs and 4.2 percent of drivers had out-of-service violations. In 2016, those rates stood at 21.5 percent and 3.4 percent, respectively.

More than 13,000 inspectors participated in this year’s event. According to a press release, CVSA has conducted more than 1.5 million inspections since the International Roadcheck program began in 1988. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration participate in the event, along with the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators, Transport Canada and the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation in Mexico.

“We, at the alliance, are extremely proud of the hard work of all of the inspectors who made those numbers possible,” CVSA President Julius Debuschewitz said in the press release. “For 30 years, inspectors have been removing unsafe drivers, vehicles and motor carriers from our roadways and acknowledging safe vehicles with the application of a CVSA decal to vehicles that pass a roadside safety inspection.”