CVSA Brake Safety Week 09/09/12

[TeamCaffee]

Are you and the truck compliant?

truckinginfo.com

CVSA Brake Safety Week Kicks Off Sunday

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance Brake Safety Week is set to take place Sept. 9-15. Aimed at reducing the number of highway crashes caused by improperly maintained or faulty braking systems, the Brake Safety Week campaign - also known as Operation Air Brake - uses teams of CVSA-certified inspectors to conduct roadside checks of commercial vehicles and their drivers.

The program targets commercial vehicles in the United States and Canada, and is conducted in partnership with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

During Operation Air Brake, CVSA-certified inspectors are encouraged to meet with drivers at truckstops and other locations where drivers and mechanics congregate. Inspectors conduct inspections of commercial vehicles in an effort to instruct and educate drivers on the inspection procedure and the operation of the braking systems. CVSA emphasizes that this is supposed to be an educational, not an enforcement event.

Poorly adjusted or defective air brakes reduce the braking capacity for large vehicles and further inhibit their stopping distance. Under ideal conditions, the braking capacity of commercial vehicles is twice as far as that for cars and other smaller vehicles. This increases the risk to other users of the road and the driver (or his/her passengers) of the vehicle itself.

In a matter of a few minutes a driver can easily adjust air brakes equipped with manual slack adjusters and check for other brake-related defects. Professionals in the enforcement, regulatory and training business believe the main causes for drivers not adjusting brakes is a lack of education and not having the proper commitment to safety. A good number of drivers are trained to adjust brakes but simply choose not to adjust them, or are not certified to do so.

According to CVSA, more than 30,800 vehicles were inspected during Operation Air Brake in 2011, more than any other year since the program's inception in 1998.

 

[BobWolf]

Yet another cash grab.
The only benifit I see when they do this is the rolling garbage is off the road. But as soon as its over the junk is back.

 

[BobWolf]

Thanks for the heads up.

 

[EasyDoesIt]

I had the mechanic adjust my brakes every time I had the oil changed just in case I was ever involved in litigation from an accident.

 

[pearlpro]

It never hurts to check them, its simple to do, requires a Ratchet and 9/16 Socket and can be done in truly minutes...the Oil change check should be done by any competent mechanic doing a A/B/C PM...is it me or they doubling up on this now with the Checks and as far as Enforcement or Educational I guess if they find your brakes out of adjustment and your allowed to fix that and do you DONT recieve a ticket...

 

[zorry]

If your brakes are out of adjustment you are very likely up for TWO tickets. One for the brake being out of adjustment.
Second one for a faulty slack adjuster. IF you have self adjusting slack adjusters, and your brake is out of adjustment,it's obvious that the slack adjuster is defective.

 

[BobWolf]

I try to get under the truck every couple thousand miles to check and lube. Usualy I have good luck with staying in specs. Even if you have auto slacks you can still fall out of adjustment if you do allot of city work or give your brakes a good workout.

Remember if you run a two axle truck and one wheel is out of spec that is an OOS violation.

Bob Wolf

 

[OntarioVanMan]

In most Canadian provinces except British Columbia and maybe Alberta..it is against law for drivers to adjust their own slack adjusters...I know for a fact if you are caught at an Ontario scale you have to call road repair service....

 

[BobWolf]

Im sure in that situation you have to call the aproved service provider in the good old boys club just like when you need a service truck or wrecker on the N.Y.S. Thruway.
Like I said CVSA is good for nothing more than a cash grab.

What I would like to see is how many R.V.s would pass a level 1.
But first, beter expand the parking lot and have the OOS stockers ordered by the truck load.

Bob Wolf

 

[OntarioVanMan]

Im sure you have to call the aproved provider in the good old boys club just like when you need a service truck or wrecker on the N.Y.S. Thruway.

Like I said CVSA is good for nothing more than a cash grab.
What I would like to see is how many R.V.s would pass a level 1.

Bob Wolf

In Ontario...they can not call a repair outfit....actually by law they can not even recommend one....some officers were grabbed a few years ago in a scam taking kickbacks from tow truck companies...
Don't ever tell the coop officer you just adjusted them as part of your walk around....they'll put you OOS right there and then.....if you are not certified to do so...

 

[BobWolf]

I find try to wrap my brain arround the fact that the government shakes down CMVs, and carriers and subjects us to CSA 2010 for safety of course..... However, comrad obomas wife openly admits that she was able to see the road because the fuhers car was so badly rusted. Several states that have safety inspections will fail your car if you have a rust spot bigger than a quarter.

 

[BobWolf]

Thanks for the heads up I dont run Canada yet but may add it soon.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

I find try to wrap my brain arround the fact that the government shakes down CMVs, and carriers and subjects us to CSA 2010 for safety of course..... However, comrad obomas wife openly admits that she was able to see the road because the fuhers car was so badly rusted. Several states that have safety inspections will fail your car if you have a rust spot bigger than a quarter.

Ontario is very tight on supposed safety....a rust hole in the main frame of the body will get your plate pulled....you will receive a summons and have time to get it repaired...excessive exhaust will get you a summons as well....and if extremely smoking they'll pull your plate on the spot..

 

[OntarioVanMan]

Thanks for the heads up I dont run Canada yet but may add it soon.

and don't forget your speed limiter for Ont and Que.

Just for the record....in another life I drove tractor for about 2 yrs and a straight for about 15 up there...I wasn't always a vanner.

 

[BobWolf]

I heard about the speed limiter dose it aply to a S/T under 26,000 lbs?

 

[OntarioVanMan]

I heard about the speed limiter dose it aply to a S/T under 26,000 lbs?

I can't remember.....some other member could chime in here tho....

I found it....

13. (1) A commercial motor vehicle is exempt from subsections 68.1 (1), (2), (3) and (6) of the Act if it is,
(a) a bus;
(b) a mobile crane;
(c) a motor home;
(d) a vehicle manufactured before 1995;
(e) a vehicle with a manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight rating under 11,794 kilograms; or

11,794 x 2.2= 25,946.8 lbs

 

[BobWolf]

Thank you,
The trucks GVW is 25,500 lbs so Im under and the governer kicks out at 75MPH but I probly get 5 M.P.G. at that speed as the engine is at 2500 RPM I usualy run at 63 MPH 2,000 rpm and avg 9 and some change for M.P.G. Havent found a load that will justify the tickets, fines and insurance.

 

[roadeyes]

11,794 x 2.2= 25,946.8 lbs

Not trying to sound anal here, but it is actually 26000lbs.

By adding a few decimal places on the conversion factor for increased accuracy, we get:

11794 x 2.2045 = 25999.873 or 26000lbs

It actually does make a significant difference as there are many straight trucks out there that are rated at 25990 or exactly 26000 GVWR, which would put them over if you only use a factor of 2.2 to convert.

 

[BobWolf]

close enough in my book.

 

[BobWolf]

Was at the gas station yesterday a driver driving what appered to be a total P.O.S. pulled in and the noise coming from the steer axle was deafening. So, I told him that brake safety week was happening he looked at me like the lights wernt on, or I was making it up, shrugged his shoulders, and hopped into his truck.
Im almost thinking abbout becoming a full time Vanner for that reason.

Bob Wolf.