30,000 Truck & Bus Brake Systems Will be Inspected This week
Sunday September 7, 2014 started the annual Brake Safety Week inspection blitz which runs until September 13, 2014. Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance's (CVSA) Brake Safety Week is part of the week long Operation Airbrake program, which is sponsored by CVSA and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
According to the CVSA website: "Properly functioning brake systems are crucial to safe commercial motor vehicle (CMV) operation. CMV brakes are designed to hold up under tough conditions, but they must be inspected and maintained carefully and consistently so they operate and perform properly throughout the vehicle's life. Brake Safety Week is an annual outreach and enforcement campaign designed to improve commercial vehicle brake safety throughout North America."
The CVSA expects to do more than 30,000 brake inspections during the week, which would be a 50 percent increase from the over 20,000 inspections performed last year. Inspectors will conduct brake system inspections on trucks and buses throughout North America, looking for either out-of-adjustment brakes or brake-system violations. The CVSA website says that inspectors will look for "brake-system components to identify loose or missing parts, air or hydraulic fluid leaks, worn linings, pads, drums or rotors and other faulty brake-system components." Antilock brake system components will also be checked.
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Operation Airbrake Inspection Procedure.
Operation Airbrake Inspection Procedure
Inspection Items
- Driver License
- Registration
- Low Air Warning Device
- Pushrod Travel (Adjustment)
- Brake Linings/Drums
- Air Loss Rate (If leak detected)
- Tractor Protection System
Operation Air Brake Inspection Procedure
STEP 1:Choose the Inspection Site
STEP 2:Safety Considerations
STEP 3:Check Air Brake Mechanical Components
STEP 4:Check Steering Axle Air Brake Mechanical Components
STEP 5:Check Brake Adjustment
STEP 6:Build the Air Pressure to 90 - 100 PSI
STEP 7: Check the Air Brake ABS System (If Applicable)
STEP 8:Test Air Loss Rate
STEP 9:Test Low Air Pressure Warning Device
STEP 10: Check the Tractor Protection System
STEP 11:Finalize paperwork, and provide the results to the driver (i.e. out-of-service, etc.)
NOTE: All inspections are to be identified as a Level IV inspection.
NOTE: The statistics will require a count of automatic slack adjuster vs. manual slack adjuster brakes and their respective adjustment (or out of adjustment). Jurisdictions will need to capture this information on their CVSA inspection sheets or on some other form in order to compile the statistics. If the jurisdiction doesn't normally capture this information on their inspection sheet, officers will need to know ahead of time that they are required to record this somewhere on the sheet.
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Of the 20,067 commercial vehicles inspected in September 2013 CVSA Brake Safety Week, 2,714 were placed out of service to produce a 13.5 percent out-of-service rate, tying May 2013 and September 2010 for the lowest out-of-service rates for CVSA inspection blitzes since they began in 1998.
CVSA is an international not-for-profit organization based in Greenbelt, MD. It is comprised of local, state, provincial, territorial and federal motor carrier safety officials and industry representatives from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Our mission is to promote commercial motor vehicle safety and security by providing leadership to enforcement, industry and policy makers.