The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance announced that the 2013 North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria Handbook and Pictorial, which goes into effect on April 1 is now available.

The OOSC, the only official reference book of its kind for law enforcement and the motor carrier industry, is a tool designed to improve commercial motor vehicle safety by promoting uniformity in compliance and enforcement throughout North America.

CVSA has maintained, updated and published the North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria annually for more than twenty years. It is heavily relied upon by state, provincial, territorial and federal law enforcement personnel in identifying Critical Vehicle Inspection Item violations during a roadside inspection.

These violations can prohibit a motor carrier or operator from driving or operating a commercial motor vehicle for a specified period of time or until the defective condition is corrected.

The 2013 North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria Handbook and Pictorial includes:

  • Part I—Detail violations which place a driver out-of-service.
  • Part II—Outline the Critical Vehicle Inspection Items and provides direction to each commercial vehicle inspector in North America identifying at what point a commercial motor vehicle can no longer be safety operated for fear of causing an accident or breakdown, due to its mechanical condition.
  • Part III—Provide guidance for unsafe hazardous materials transportation, including both conditions which fail to communicate a hazard and those which are themselves hazards.
  • Part IV—Establish criteria for placing a motor carrier out-of-service.