Roadcheck sidelined 6700 vehicles

Roadcheck Sidelined 6700 Vehicles – …inspectors removed more than 6700 vehicles and 2000 drivers from service during the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) 2021 International Roadcheck

Commercial motor vehicle inspectors removed more than 6,700 vehicles and 2,000 drivers from service during the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) 2021 International Roadcheck. Overall, some 40,000 commercial vehicles were inspected during the three-day blitz, held May 4-6.

Commercial motor vehicle inspectors removed more than 6,700 vehicles and 2,000 drivers from service during the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) 2021 International Roadcheck. Overall, some 40,000 commercial vehicles were inspected during the three-day blitz

Each year, CVSA highlights a category of violations during International Roadcheck to bring awareness to certain aspects of a routine roadside inspection. This year, inspectors captured data on two categories: hours of service (HOS) and lighting.

Out-of-service lighting violations

Roadcheck Sidelined 6700 Vehicles – …1367 out-of-service lighting violations accounted for 14.1% of all vehicle out-of-service violations

According to the results, 1,367 out-of-service lighting violations accounted for 14.1 percent of all vehicle out-of-service violations. It was the third most-cited violation, after brake systems and tires. Out-of-service lighting device violations include headlamps, tail lamps, stop lamps, turn signals, and lamps on projecting loads.

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Fred Fakkema, vice president of safety and compliance at Zonar Systems, and a former state patrol officer for over 25 years as well as a graduate of the FBI National Academy, said: “With any luck, drivers will see the CVSA report and note that the top vehicle violations during the road check were brake systems, tires and lighting. These types of violations are usually due to the driver failing to do a proper pre-trip and post-trip inspection. Tires and lighting are easy violations to correct with that inspection.

“Brakes, in particular, take a bit more time and include checking the brake lines, chamber, clamps, push-rod, slack adjuster, shoes and drums,” Fakkema added. “Without going through a proper list that guides drivers through these steps, it is easy to overlook some or all of them. Or, unfortunately, tempting to skip the step altogether so that you can get on the road.”

CVSA held an unannounced Brake Safety Day on May 26 where commercial motor vehicle inspectors in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. conducted 10,091 inspections. CVSA revealed that 1,273 vehicles were placed out of service for brake-related critical vehicle inspection items. The Alliance held its annual Brake Safety Week in late August.

Of the 9,691 out-of-service vehicle violations issued, the top five violations were for brake systems, tires, lights, brake adjustment, and cargo securement.

HOS Violations

Roadcheck Sidelined 6700 Vehicles – …HOS was the most cited driver violation, accounting for 41.5 percent of all driver out-of-service violations

The second focus area, HOS, was the most cited driver violation, accounting for 41.5 percent of all driver out-of-service violations. That’s 1,203 violations.

“HOS was the focus of the road check, and I believe that law enforcement has gotten comfortable with the ELD mandate,” Fakkema explained. “There was an initial learning curve, but law enforcement has had time to learn what to look for, including getting used to eRODS.”

In addition to law enforcement better understanding the mandate, Fakkema suggests the industry may be seeing the repercussions of too many ELDs on the market that were only required to be self-certified.

“The lack of a third-party certification of these devices often means that they don’t end up meeting the ELD mandate requirements, putting drivers and fleets in a pinch,” Fakkema said. “Fleet managers should insist that their ELDs providers have received third-party validation.”

Of the 2,898 out-of-service driver violations issued, the top five violations were for HOS, wrong class license, other, false logs, and suspended license.

According to CVSA, examples of “other” driver violations include operating without the required operating authority, expired or no medical certificate, operating a commercial motor vehicle while ill or fatigued, driving while prohibited in the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, etc.