Over the three-day Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) International Roadcheck inspection blitz May 17-19, CVSA-certified inspectors conducted 59,026 inspections and placed 12,456 commercial motor vehicles and 3,714 commercial motor vehicle drivers out of service.
Of the 48,966 Level I and II inspections conducted in Canada and the U.S., 11,181 vehicles were placed out of service, which is a 22.8% vehicle out-of-service rate, and 3,118 drivers were placed out of service, which is a 6.4% driver out-of-service rate.
That also means that 77.2% of the vehicles and 93.6% of the drivers inspected did not have out-of-service violations. Vehicles that did not have any critical vehicle inspection item violations, after a Level I or V inspection, were eligible to receive a CVSA decal, which is valid for up to three consecutive months after inspection and signals to inspectors that the vehicle has “passed inspection.” Inspectors distributed 14,200 CVSA decals, which were placed on 10,135 power units, 3,876 trailers and 189 motorcoaches.
The top five vehicle out-of-service violations during Roadcheck were:
• Brake systems — 4,592 violations (25.2%)
• Tires — 3,374 (18.5%)
• Defective service brakes — 2,309 (12.7%)
• Lights — 2,219 (12.2%)
• Cargo securement — 1,934 (10.6%)
Each year, CVSA highlights a certain aspect of the roadside inspection, which this year was wheel ends. Out of the top 10 vehicle out-of-service violations, tires ranked second and wheels came in seventh. Of the 18,213 total vehicle out-of-service violations, there were 3,374 tire out-of-service violations, accounting for 18.5% of all vehicle out-of-service violations, and there were 784 wheel out-of-service violations, which is 4.3% of all vehicle out-of-service violations. Combined, wheel end (tire and wheel) violations accounted for 22.8% of all out-of-service vehicle violations throughout North America.
The top out-of-service violations for drivers were:
• False log — 1,921 violations (42.6%)
• Wrong class license — 1,066 (23.6%)
• Hours of service — 367 (8.1%)
• Suspended license — 260 (5.8%)
• No medical card — 222 (4.9%)
CVSA also reported that loading violations were the top OOS violation for hazmat/dangerous goods, followed by placards, shipping papers, package integrity and training certification.
During Roadcheck, inspectors in the U.S. and Canada primarily conduct the Level I inspection, which is a comprehensive 37-step inspection process that involves thorough inspection of the vehicle (including underneath the vehicle) and the driver’s operating credentials.
Of the 36,555 Level I inspections conducted in Canada and the U.S., 23.7% of the vehicles inspected (8,672) were placed out of service and 6.1% (2,242) of drivers were placed out of service.
In the U.S., of the 33,196 Level I inspections that were conducted, 7,912 commercial motor vehicles (23.8%) and 2,051 drivers (6.2%) were placed out of service. In Canada, of the 3,359 Level I inspections were conducted, 760 commercial motor vehicles (22.6%) and 191 (5.7%) drivers were placed out of service.