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Jun 6, 2011 10:19 AM, By Charles E Wilson

If it’s June, it must be time for the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s annual International Roadcheck safety blitz. This year’s 72-hour event takes place June 7-9, and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's new CSA program will play a big role.

The campaign means truck drivers will face far more than the usual number of roadside safety inspections over the next three days. CVSA officials say commercial vehicle inspectors across North America will be focusing on hours of service compliance and distracted driving, but they also will be on the watch for hazardous materials violations.

"Roadcheck is a good exercise for industry and law enforcement," says John Conley, president of National Tank Truck Carriers. "Hazardous materials carriers always score well, but improvement is the goal. For a new wrinkle this year, I suggest that enforcement personnel focus on inspecting carriers with whom they are totally unfamiliar. Pull over a carrier you have never heard of and make a new friend. CSA requires quality inspections that will help get subpar carriers off the roads."

During Roadcheck 2010, 97.5% of hazmat drivers pased inspection, with 2.5% placed out of service. Across the entire trucking industry spectrum, 95.6% of drivers passed the inspections, with 4.4% placed out of service.

Almost 84% of hazmat vehicles passed the Roadcheck inspections, with 16.3% placed out of service. Eighty percent of all commercial vehicles passed the inspections, with 20% placed out of service.

A majority of truck drivers stopped during Roadcheck 2011 reportedly will undergo a North American Standard Level I Inspection. The 37-step Level I inspection should take about an hour to complete and focuses on a variety of factors, including alcohol and drug use, driver logs, vehicle brakes, lights, and cargo securement factors.