This year’s International Roadcheck commercial motor vehicle inspection blitz, which will run May 4-6, will focus on the top vehicle maintenance and driver violations from fiscal-year 2020: vehicle lighting and hours-of-service compliance.

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance will deploy inspectors across North America to conduct inspections on commercial motor vehicles and drivers to ensure they are meeting vehicle maintenance and driver readiness standards as part of the annual inspection program.  

This year, Roadcheck will focus on checking hours-of-service documentation and paying close attention to vehicle lighting during inspections. Each year, CVSA chooses a focus in order to capture and report data on a specific category of violations. Last year, that was driver violations.

In fiscal year 2020, inoperable lamps was the No. 1 vehicle violation, accounting for about 12% of all vehicle violations discovered that year, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

During last year’s Roadcheck, the top driver out-of-service violation category was hours of service, accounting for nearly 35% of all driver out-of-service conditions, CVSA officials said in press release.

Inspectors also will be looking for critical vehicle inspection item violations outlined in the North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria. If such violations are found, the vehicle will be placed out of service, which means that vehicle cannot be operated until the identified out-of-service conditions have been corrected.

As part of the program, inspectors will  ensure the vehicle’s brake systems, cargo securement, coupling devices, driveline/driveshaft components, driver’s seat, exhaust systems, frames, fuel systems, lighting devices, steering mechanisms, suspensions, tires, van and open-top trailer bodies, wheels, rims, hubs and windshield wipers are compliant with regulations.

Vehicles that successfully pass a Level I or Level V Inspection during the blitz will receive a CVSA decal. In general, vehicles with a CVSA decal are not re-inspected during the three-month period during which the decal is valid.

Also during an inspection, inspectors will check the driver’s operating credentials, hours-of-service documentation, seat belt usage, and for alcohol and/or drug impairment. A driver will be placed out of service if an inspector discovers driver-related out-of-service conditions.

In consideration of COVID-19, every effort will be made to get vaccine shipments to their destination, quickly and safely, CVSA officials said. COVID-19 vaccine shipments will not be held up for inspection, unless there is an obvious serious violation that is an imminent hazard.

International Roadcheck is a CVSA program with participation by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators, Transport Canada, and Mexico’s Ministry of Communications and Transportation and its National Guard.