Ensure Fleet Safety During Brake Safety Week
Ensure Fleet Safety During Brake Safety Week
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) annual brake safety campaign, Brake Safety Week, will take place August 25-31, 2024. How can you ensure your drivers are ready for inspections, and how can you prepare your vehicles? We spoke to our fleet experts to learn more about the initiative and what you need to know.
What is Brake Safety Week?
Brake Safety Week is a six-day enforcement campaign of the CVSA’s Operation Airbrake, a comprehensive program designed to reduce highway crashes caused by faulty brakes through inspections and educational initiatives. It is one of two annual brake safety campaigns held by the CVSA; the other is an unannounced one-day enforcement program that can be held at any time throughout the year.
Brake Safety Week occurs due to the prominence of brake issues in commercial vehicles. Brake-related violations are the most common issue found during roadside inspections. A study by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in 2023 found that six of the top 20 vehicle violations were brake-related.
During the last Brake Safety Week, CVSA inspected 18,875 commercial vehicles and found that 87.4 percent had no brake violations, while 12.6 percent were pulled off the road. This year’s unannounced brake safety enforcement event reflected similar results—of the 4,898 vehicles inspected, 88.4 percent had no problems, while 11.6 percent were restricted due to brake violations.
How do CVSA inspections work?
During the week of August 25-31, CVSA-certified personnel in the United States, Canada, and Mexico will conduct brake inspections on commercial motor vehicles. Inspectors follow a specific checklist and procedure, focusing on warning devices, the pushrod, brake linings and drums, the tractor protection system, and any air loss. Additionally, some locations use performance-based brake testers (PBBT) to assess braking performance and efficiency.
Brake Safety Week selects a specific violation to focus on each year. This year’s focus will be the same as last year’s: the condition of brake linings and pads. Inspectors will check for contamination, cracks, and holes and if linings/pads are loose, worn, or missing.
If a vehicle is found to have an out-of-service (OOS) brake violation, the vehicle will be pulled off the road and restricted from driving until repairs are made. This could affect a motor carrier’s safety rating.
How can I prepare for Brake Safety Week?
CVSA provides plenty of ways to get your drivers and vehicles up to speed before inspections begin, including a brake inspection checklist and cheat sheet. Fleet managers should distribute copies to drivers and maintenance personnel to ensure everyone is appropriately updated. If drivers are headed through jurisdictions that utilize PBBTs, they should also receive a copy of this brochure to understand the procedures around it.
Preventative maintenance is always welcomed, so drivers should perform a brake inspection independently or with a maintenance team. Both maintenance and drivers should look at all parts of the braking system, check the air pressure to ensure it’s between 90-100 psi, and measure the pushrod stroke. Alert the maintenance team and escalate repairs if anything is missing, leaking, cracked, loose, rusted, or exposed. Additionally, with the added focus on brake linings and pads, CVSA has created a flyer listing ten inspection tips for these parts specifically and example photos to show what you should keep an eye out for.
Every inspection can be nerve-wracking even for experienced drivers and fleet managers, especially if surprises pop up—but if your fleet is keeping up to date on preventative maintenance and driver education, surprises shouldn’t happen. Stay on top of preventative maintenance, and make sure drivers and maintenance teams know what to look for so your fleet will pass Brake Safety Week with flying colors.
Need help preparing for Brake Safety Week or any type of CVSA inspection? Our Mike Albert Fleet Solutions team can help. Reach out to us to learn more about what we can do for your fleet.
