Driver and vehicle out-of-service rates fell to near record lows during the 25th Annual Roadcheck conducted in June. Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) member jurisdictions conducted a record 74,072 truck and bus inspections during the annual commercial vehicle safety enforcement and outreach event.
Of those inspections, 48,815 were North American Standard Level 1 inspections--the most comprehensive roadside inspection, of which 22.4% of vehicles and 3.9% of drivers were placed out of service (OOS). These vehicle and driver OOS rates for Level 1 inspections represent the second lowest achieved in 25 years, continuing its successful historic trend downward. For comparison, in 1991 (the first year comprehensive data were available,) the Level 1 OOS rates were 34.8% for vehicles and 5.6% for drivers.
“This is a clear indication that enforcement and industry’s efforts during Roadcheck are having a positive impact,” says CVSA’s executive director Stephen A Keppler. “This goes to show that even in these difficult budgetary times for states, provinces and local agencies that each and every roadside inspection is important and makes a difference.”
The overall OOS rates for the entire event in 2012 (includes all inspection levels) were 20.9% for vehicles and 4.6% for drivers, both of which were higher than last year’s numbers. Despite the positive trend on the Level 1’s, this highlights that one in five vehicles selected for inspection was found with a violation serious enough to be considered an imminent safety hazard. These mixed results indicate that, while the attention paid by industry to maintenance and regulatory compliance generally is improving, more needs to be done by industry and enforcement alike.
“Roadcheck continues to shine a spotlight on the critical importance of the roadside inspection program across North America and how vital it is to commercial vehicle safety and our march toward zero deaths on our roadways,” says CVSA president David Palmer, an assistant chief with the Texas Department of Public Safety. “I appreciate the continued focus by both enforcement and industry towards ensuring that it remains a top priority.”
Roadcheck 2012 emphasized a back-to-the-basics focus, with special attention paid toward braking systems and hours-of-service, the top ranking violation categories for vehicles and drivers, respectively. Even with these focus areas, the proportions of brake related and hours-of-service related violations relative to all out-of-service violations declined slightly (see fact sheet attached). In addition, seatbelt violations issued totaled 848, the fewest recorded since 2007.
During the event, CVSA estimates that over 9,500 CVSA and FMCSA inspectors participated at approximately 2,500 locations across North America. Also during Roadcheck 2012, 10 US states and two Canadian provinces engaged part of their enforcement activities to focus on vehicles serving oil field and natural gas production sites, where increases in commercial truck traffic have raised significant safety concerns.
Roadcheck 2012 took place June 5 through 7, with an average of more than 1,000 trucks or buses inspected every hour during the 72-hour campaign. The United States, Canada, and Mexico participated with inspections occurring either at fixed or temporary inspection locations. Inspections included an examination of driver license and credentials, proper and complete records of duty status, safety belt use, driving behaviors, and other driver safety conditions. Vehicles were examined for proper brake system maintenance, tire condition, function of lighting systems, properly secured loads, and other vehicle-condition related violations.
The annual three-day Roadcheck event has resulted in the inspection of over 1.2 million vehicles since it began in 1988 and gives enforcement, industry and academia an eye on inspection trends from year to year. Meanwhile, enforcement agencies across North America conduct commercial vehicle inspections every day, with approximately 4 million inspections completed in 2011.
The 74,072 inspections conducted during Roadcheck 2012 included 652 inspections of passenger carrying vehicles and 4,826 inspections of vehicles carrying hazardous materials. Of passenger carrying vehicles inspected, 8.6% of vehicles and 2.5% of drivers were placed out of service. Of vehicles carrying hazardous materials, 15.6% of vehicles and 2.3% of drivers were placed out of service. Approximately 27,000 CVSA Decals were issued during Roadcheck 2012 to vehicles that were found to be without violations in the critical inspection items.