National Brake Inspection Enforcement Sweep Results

The results of a recent nationwide roadside inspection blitz focusing on commercial motor vehicle brake safety have been released. The one-day event was organized by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), a consortium of state and federal motor carrier enforcement officials from across the United States. The goal of Brake Safety Day is to reduce the number of crashes caused by poorly maintained braking systems on commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) by conducting roadside mechanical fitness inspections, and identifying and removing vehicles with critical brake violations from service. Inspectors conducted 6,361 roadside inspections during the enforcement sweep held on September 7, 2017. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), brake-related violations are the largest percentage of all out-of-service violations cited during roadside inspections. The annual brake inspection blitz is important to petroleum marketers because it demonstrates what inspectors are looking for in brake performance during roadside inspections. CVSA reports that 14% of the vehicles inspected were placed out of service specifically for brake-related violations. The goal of Brake Safety Day is to conduct roadside inspections, and identify and remove vehicles with critical brake violations from our roadways in an effort to reduce the number of crashes caused by or made more severe by brake system deficiencies on commercial motor vehicles.

CVSA reported that of the 6,361 inspections conducted; 14% (1,064) resulted in a vehicle being placed out of service for brake-related violations; 22% (1,680) of vehicles inspected were placed out of service for vehicle related violations of any kind; and 78% of the vehicles inspected did not have any out-of-service conditions.

Brake Safety Day also captures data on how well antilock braking systems (ABS) are maintained in accordance with federal regulations. ABS help the driver to stop in the shortest possible distance under many conditions and to maintain steering control in situations when tires start to slip. Many participating jurisdictions surveyed ABS compliance. ABS violations were counted when the malfunction lamp did not work or the malfunction lamp stayed on, indicating a fault of some kind. The findings are as follows:

• 5,456 air-braked power units required ABS; 11% (610) had ABS violations.
• 3,749 trailers required ABS; 14% (540) had ABS violations.
• 821 hydraulic-braked trucks required ABS; 5% (45) had ABS violations.

According to CVSA, properly functioning brake systems are important to safe commercial motor vehicle operation. Improperly installed or poorly maintained brake systems can reduce braking efficiency and increase the stopping distance of large trucks and buses, posing serious risks to driver and public safety. ABS, combined with the brake system, provide a platform for stability control and for other safety-enhancing systems to function.

Brake Safety Day is part of CVSA’s Operation Airbrake Program in partnership with the U.S. DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). More than 3.4 million brakes have been inspected since the program’s inception in 1998