Today the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) released the results from an unannounced brake safety inspection spree that happened earlier this year.
The unannounced brake safety inspection initiative took place on May 15, 2019, in the U.S. and Canada.
During the single day initiative, 10,358 inspections were conducted, with inspectors paying particular attention to brake hoses and tubing. Of those inspected vehicles, 1,667 — 16.1% — were placed out of service for brake-related critical violations.
The CVSA says that according to the FMCSA’s Analysis and Information Online 2019 calendar year data snapshot as of June 28, 2019, out of 1.8 million inspections, the top five brake-related violations were:
- Clamp or roto type brake out of adjustment (86,296)
- CMV manufactured after Oct. 19, 1994, has an automatic brake adjustment system that fails to compensate for wear (45,594)
- Brake hose or tubing chafing and/or kinking (37,737)
- No or defective ABS malfunction indicator lamp for trailer manufactured after March 1, 1998 (37,343)
- Inoperative/defective brakes (32,125)
The results of the unannounced brake check come a little more than a month before the CVSA’s Brake Safety Week inspection campaign, which will take place from September 15 — 21 throughout North America.
During Brake Safety Week 2018, 35,080 commercial motor vehicle inspections were conducted. While conducting these inspections, the CVSA says that critical vehicle inspection items were discovered in the brake systems of 4,955 (14.1%) of inspected vehicles. These vehicles were all placed out of service.