Commercial motor vehicle inspectors throughout North America conducted a massive number of driver and vehicle safety inspections on large trucks and buses during the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) 29th annual International Roadcheck June 7-9, 2016. The special focus this year was on tires and wheels.
International Roadcheck is a three-day event when CVSA-certified inspectors conduct compliance, enforcement, and educational initiatives targeted at various elements of motor carrier, vehicle and driver safety. International Roadcheck is the largest targeted enforcement program on commercial motor vehicles in the world, with around 15 trucks or buses inspected, on average, every minute across North America during a 72-hour period.
A total of 62,796 inspections were conducted during this year’s International Roadcheck enforcement campaign, of which 42,236 were Level I inspections, the most comprehensive vehicle inspection level. Of Level I inspections, 21.5% of vehicles and 3.4% of drivers were placed out of service due to critical item violations. Of vehicles placed out of service, brake adjustment and brake system violations combined to represent 45.7% of out-of-service vehicle violations. The top driver out-of-service violations were for hours of service and false logs, representing 46.8% and 16.4%, respectively, of all out-of-service driver violations found.
Each year, International Roadcheck places special emphasis on a category of violations. The focus for 2016 International Roadcheck was tire safety. This year, tire/wheel violations accounted for 18.5% of the total percentage of out-of-service violations. In the United States, tire violations represented 13.7% of out-of-service vehicle violations.
Checking a vehicle’s tires is always part of roadside inspections. As part of the inspection process, inspectors measured tire tread depth, checked the tire pressure, checked to ensure no solid objects were lodged between dual tires, and examined the overall condition of the tire to make sure no deep cuts or bulges were found on tire sidewalls.
“CVSA’s annual 72-hour International Roadcheck initiative highlights the commitment of our inspectors who work hard every day to ensure unsafe vehicles and drivers are removed from our roadways,” said CVSA Executive Director Collin Mooney. “It’s also an opportunity for our inspectors to inspect, acknowledge and document the safe, fit and compliant commercial motor vehicles traveling our roadways by placing a CVSA decal on the vehicle; indicating that a particular vehicle has passed CVSA’s rigorous inspection standards.”
Most inspections conducted during International Roadcheck are Level I inspections. A Level I inspection is a 37-step procedure that involves an examination of both the driver’s record of duty status and the safety of the vehicle. Drivers are required to provide items such as their license, endorsements, medical card and hours-of-service documentation, and are checked for seat belt usage and the possible use of alcohol and/or drugs. The vehicle inspection includes checking items such as the brake systems, cargo securement, coupling devices, exhaust systems, frames, fuel systems, lighting devices, steering mechanisms, suspensions, tires, van and open-top trailer bodies, wheel assemblies, windshield wipers, and emergency exits, electrical cables and systems in engine and battery compartments, and loose or temporary seating on buses. Other inspections conducted included Level II walk-around, Level III driver-only, and Level V vehicle-only inspections.
Since its inception in 1988, International Roadcheck inspections have numbered more than 1.5 million. International Roadcheck is sponsored by CVSA, North America’s leading commercial motor vehicle safety enforcement organization, with participation by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators, and the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation in Mexico.