Weeklong brake blitz starts SUNDAY

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) last major truck inspection event of 2021 starts this weekend.

This year’s CVSA Brake Safety Week will take place August 22 — 28. The area of special emphasis for this year’s effort is on hoses and tubing.

During the week-long enforcement effort, commercial vehicle inspectors with law enforcement agencies across the country will team up to inspect trucks with a focus on the vehicle’s brake systems and components. Inspectors will be compiling data on hoses and tubing to submit to the CVSA.

During last year’s Brake Safety Week, 12% of the 43,565 commercial motor vehicles inspected were placed out of service for brake-related violations.

How to Check for Worn or Chaffed Hoses

The CVSA’s Operation Airbrake FAQ section offers the following information on how to identify chaffed or worn hoses:

Air hoses and tubing must not be worn so as to render them likely to fail. Pages 26-27 of the April 1, 2014, CVSA “North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria Handbook and Pictorial” state the following:

Brake Hose/Tubing

Roadside enforcement inspectors look for wear and damage to brake hoses and tubing. The following are descriptions of out-of-service (OOS) conditions, along with the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulation number for reference:

1. Any damage extending through the outer reinforcement ply. (393.45(a))

NOTE: Rubber impregnated fabric cover is not a reinforcement ply.

NOTE: Thermoplastic nylon tube may have braid reinforcement or color difference between cover and inner tube. Exposure of second color is an out-of-service condition.

2. Bulge/swelling when air pressure is applied. (393.45(a))

3. Audible air leak at other than a proper connection. (393.45(a))

4. Improperly joined such as a splice made by sliding the hose ends over a piece of tubing and clamping the hose to the tube. (393.45(a))

Damaged by heat, broken, or crimped in such a manner as to restrict air flow. (393.45(a))

Brake Inspection Checklist

Self-Adjusting Brake Tips Postcard