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1 in 5 vehicles inspected during Roadcheck 2013 placed OOS; cargo violations down

One in five vehicles inspected during the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance's Roadcheck 2013 June 4-6 were placed out-of-service, CVSA reported yesterday.

Commercial vehicle inspectors across North America completed 73,023 truck and bus inspections during the 72-hour safety event.

The annual enforcement and safety outreach campaign was carried out by members of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA). Of their inspections, a total of 47,771 were North American Standard Level I inspections — the most comprehensive roadside inspection — in which vehicles and drivers are assessed for violations of federal, state or Canadian provincial safety regulations.

Other inspections conducted were vehicle-only or driver-only inspections. Of Level I inspections conducted in Canada and the U.S., 24.1 percent had OOS violations.

There were a total of 71,630 driver inspections, including those conducted during Level I inspections, from which 4.3 percent were found with OOS violations.

That's up from 22.4 percent of vehicles and 3.9 percent of drivers placed OOS in 2012.

There were 899 seatbelt violations issued.

Cargo securement-related violations represented 11.7 percent of all OOS violations issued during the event, down slightly from 12.3 percent in 2012.

This equates to only one out of every 50 vehicles inspected, but CVSA noted that loss of a load is always a severe risk to safety. Inspectors looked for signs of improperly secured loads such as inadequate number of tie downs, damaged webbing or chain, and other load securement violations.

Brakes routinely stand out in the mix of OOS violations issued during Roadcheck. This year, 49.6 percent of vehicle OOS violations were related to brake adjustment and other brake system violations.

Additionally, performance based brake testers or PBBTs were used during Roadcheck 2013. Nine U.S. states and one Canadian province are equipped with PBBT systems for enforcement use. Of the 287 enforcement inspections conducted with a PBBT, 36 vehicles or 12.5 percent were found with overall braking efficiency below the minimum required by U.S. regulation and the North American Standard OOS Criteria.

This year’s Roadcheck also included special emphasis on motorcoach safety, including traffic enforcement, as well as securement of cargo.

Motorcoaches account for a fraction of the commercial vehicles on the road, but the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has recently deployed a specially trained “strike force” of investigators to give buses closer scrutiny.  The strike force is a complement to a broader, ongoing safety effort launched in April 2013.

CVSA jurisdictions reported a total of 1,471 motorcoaches were inspected during Roadcheck this year. CVSA also collaborated with the International Association of Chiefs of Police to request their support in conducting enforcement of traffic safety laws on bus and motorcoach drivers.

CVSA estimates that over 10,000 CVSA and FMCSA inspectors participated at approximately 2,500 locations across North America during this year’s Roadcheck. On an annual basis, nearly 4 million inspections are conducted across the continent.

CVSA President Mark Savage, a major with the Colorado State Patrol, noted that "the strong enforcement presence involved in Roadcheck and throughout the year is a critical component in our safety efforts across North America. Inspectors are making a huge impact and they are to be commended for their efforts."

During this year’s Roadcheck, approximately 1,000 commercial vehicles were inspected every hour during the 72-hour event.

The United States, Canada and Mexico participated with inspections occurring either at fixed or temporary inspection locations. Also, the law enforcement community was watching for traffic law violations. Inspections included an examination of driver’s licenses and credentials, proper and complete records-of-duty status, safety belt use, driving behaviors and other driver safety conditions.

CVSA sponsors Roadcheck each year with the support of FMCSA, the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA), Transport Canada and the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation (Mexico).

The Trucker staff can be reached to comment on this article at [email protected].

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