Brake Safety Week Set for Sept. 16-22

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance has announced that this year’s Brake Safety Week inspection event is set for Sept. 16-22.

During Brake Safety Week, CVSA-certified enforcement personnel will conduct roadside inspections of commercial vehicles, identifying and removing vehicles with critical brake violations from roadways and calling attention to the dangers of faulty brake systems. Brake Safety Week aims to reduce the number of accidents caused by poorly maintained braking systems by conducting roadside mechanical fitness inspections and removing dangerous vehicles from our roadways.

The event will also include outreach efforts by law enforcement agencies to educate drivers and fleet personnel on the importance of proper brake maintenance, operation, and performance. According to a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration study, as much as 32.7% of large trucks with pre-cash violations had brake problems.

Last year, the CVSA went away from the week-long event, hosting a Brake Safety Day. On Brake Safety Day inspectors placed 1,064 vehicles out of service for brake-related violations, making up 14% of the 7,698 vehicles inspected during the event.

During Brake Safety Week, inspectors will primarily conduct the North American Standard Level 1 inspection. The inspection is a 37-step procedure that examines driver operating requirements as well as a vehicle’s mechanical fitness. In the jurisdictions that use performance-based brake testing equipment, safety personnel will also test for braking efficiency.

PBBTs measure the cumulative brake force for the entire vehicle and divide it by the total vehicle weight to determine overall vehicle braking efficiency. The minimum braking efficiency for trucks is 43.5 percent, required by 393.52 of the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations and the CVSA North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria.

Related: Get Your Brakes Ready for Roadcheck