CVSA Brake Safety Week to Roll Out Enhanced Inspections Starting August 24
Commercial truck inspectors will be focused on brake systems next week as the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) launches its annual Brake Safety Week across North America. From August 24-30, inspection teams will conduct thorough examinations of commercial vehicles with special emphasis on brake drums and rotors.
“Broken pieces of drums and rotors may become dislodged from the vehicle enroute and damage other vehicles or result in injuries or fatalities to the motoring public,” the CVSA warned in their announcement.
This year’s initiative follows an unannounced one-day brake inspection in April that revealed 8% of inspected trucks had drum or rotor defects severe enough to be placed out of service. That’s actually lower than the typical 12-14% out-of-service rate for brake violations.
Inspectors will be conducting Level 1 inspections, looking beyond just drums and rotors. They’ll check for air leaks, broken springs, improper pushrod travel, and numerous other potential brake system failures.
“What goes on in the wheel-ends and braking system directly impacts multiple aspects of safe vehicle operation,” said Brian Screeton, manager of technical training and service at Bendix.
Screeton recommends daily inspections for damaged components and weekly in-depth checks including brake applications with the engine off to listen for air leaks.
Out-of-service violations include external cracks in drums, rotors with cracks spanning more than 75% of the friction surface, and evidence of metal-to-metal contact. Any of these issues will immediately sideline a vehicle.
The redundancy built into modern air brake systems can sometimes mask performance issues during normal driving. Problems often only become apparent during hard braking scenarios – precisely when fully functional brakes are most crucial.
“Any indication of something out of compliance can be a sign of potentially wider maintenance issues,” Screeton cautioned.
CVSA offers a free brake inspection checklist for drivers to help prepare for the enforcement campaign.