The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) annual Brake Safety Week is scheduled for Sunday, August 20th through Saturday, August 26th, 2023. Throughout that week, officials across North America will conduct their standard North American Standard Level I and V Inspections with a focus on brake lining/pad violations. Any vehicles inspected with a brake-related violation will be placed out-of-service until its noted violation(s) are resolved, potentially causing delivery delays.
Each year, CVSA releases its brake safety week dates in advance to remind motor carriers to proactively check and service their vehicles to ensure safe roadways. Research has shown that announcing these dates ahead of time has improved overall compliance, and prepares drivers for inspection, but there are still many brake violations that occur. Last year, CVSA reported 38,117 inspections during Brake Safety Week, with a total of 13.3% motor vehicles placed out of service for brake-related violations.
During the brake inspection, CVSA reports inspectors will be looking for “missing, non-functioning, loose, or cracked parts, contaminated, worn, cracked and missing linings, they will listen for audible air leaks around brake components and lines, and ensure the air system maintains air pressure between 90-100 psi (620-690 kPa) and measure pushrod travel. Inspectors will also check for S-cam flip-over and ensure the slack adjusters are the same length (from center of S-cam to center of clevis pin) and the air chambers on each axle are the same size. They will also inspect for non-manufactured holes and broken springs in the spring brake housing section of the parking brake and review required brake-system warning devices, such as ABS malfunction lamp(s) and low air-pressure warning devices. In addition, inspectors will ensure the breakaway system is operable on the trailer, and inspect the tractor protection system, including the bleed-back system on the trailer.” Download CVSA’s vehicle inspection checklist for details on the brake portion of a Level 1 and Level V inspection.
CVSA’s annual brake inspection goal is to emphasize the importance of brake systems and the critical safety reasons for routine inspections.
Odyssey Logistics is committed to developing a safe work environment and logistics network for its employees and customers and will continue to bring you the latest updates and results of these safety checks.
For more information regarding this roadcheck, visit: CVSA.
