Don’t forget — nationwide brake inspection blitz starts this weekend
There are only a few days left to prepare for the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) Brake Safety Week annual inspection effort.
This year, Brake Safety Week is taking place August 20 — 26 in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Officers will perform regular CMV inspections and will remove vehicles found to have brake-related out-of-service violations from roadways until those violations are corrected.
During Brake Safety Week 2023, inspectors will be paying special attention to brake lining/pad violations.
“The focus of this year’s Brake Safety Week is on the condition of the brake lining and pad,” said CVSA President Maj. Chris Nordloh with the Texas Department of Public Safety. “Brake lining and pad issues may result in vehicle violations and could affect a motor carrier’s safety rating.”
Here’s what CVSA inspectors will be checking during Level I or Level V inspections:
- Check for missing, non-functioning, loose or cracked parts.
- Check for contaminated, worn, cracked and missing linings or pads.
- Check for S-cam flipover.
- Listen for audible air leaks around brake components and lines.
- Check that slack adjusters are the same length (from center of S-cam to center of clevis pin) and the air chambers on each axle are the same size.
- Ensure the brake system maintains air pressure between 90-100 psi (620-690 kPa) and measure pushrod travel.
- Inspect for non-manufactured holes (e.g., rust holes, holes created by rubbing or friction, etc.) and broken springs in the spring brake housing section of the parking brake.
- Inspect required brake system warning devices, such as anti-lock braking system (ABS) malfunction lamp(s) and low air-pressure warning devices.
- Inspect the tractor protection system, including the bleedback system on the trailer.
- Ensure the breakaway system is operable on the trailer.
During Brake Safety Week 2022, 38,117 CMV inspections were conducted throughout North America. Of those inspected vehicles, 13.3% were placed out of service for brake-related critical vehicle inspection item violations.