Truck and bus safety enforcement agencies in the United States and Canada will conduct 12 hours of brake safety roadside inspections
on Thursday, Sept. 5, as part of Operation Air Brake.
This safety campaign is sponsored by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance and the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators.
These special safety inspections, which began in 1998, are conducted several days each year to reduce the number of brake-related violations. While brake-related defects continue to be the most frequent commercial vehicle equipment violation, the results show improvements in safety compliance. For example, 10,344 vehicles were inspected in the May 2000 Operation Air Brake, with 18.5 percent placed out of service for brake violations. In May 2001, 12,938 vehicles were inspected, with 16 percent placed out of service for brake violations.
In addition to enforcing all highway traffic regulations to reduce brake-related crashes, Operation Air Brake works to increase drivers' and carriers' knowledge of brake compliance and vehicle brake performance.