Nearly a quarter of the trucks and buses inspected during International Roadcheck 2001 were put out of service, but that's an improvement from last year's numbers.

The Roadcheck, an intensive 72-hour inspection "blitz" held June 5-7 by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, inspected nearly 42,800 trucks in the United States, Canada and Mexico at nearly 1,000 inspection locations, according to preliminary numbers. That's slightly more than last year's 42,700 vehicles inspected, mainly due to an increase in the number of inspections in Canada.
Most (35,486) of the 2001 roadside checks were CVSA North American Standard "Level 1" Inspections, a 37-step procedure that is the most thorough examination of the vehicle's mechanical condition, as well as a determination of the driver's fitness for duty.
For all inspections, 24 percent of vehicles were placed out of service because of various defects and violations. That's down from 26.2 percent in 2000, an 8.4-percent improvement). Brake problems continued to be the most frequent vehicle out-of-service violation (49%), followed by lights, tires and wheels, load securement and suspension.
For all inspections, 5.6 percent of the drivers were put out of service, down from 5.7 percent in 2000. More than 62 percent of the drivers placed out of service violated the hours of service rules, 11.5 percent involved the commercial driver's license, and 3.7 percent were driving while disqualified.
Of the 3,677 inspections of hazardous materials vehicles, only 17 percent of the vehicles and 2.1 percent of the drivers were placed out of service, dramatic reductions over last year.
Just over half of the vehicles inspected earned CVSA safety decals for having no critical safety defects.
Whenever looking at inspection numbers, it's important to note that they don't necessarily represent the overall truck population. CVSA's Steve Keppler explains: "Most inspectors select the next available vehicle when they are completed with the previous inspection. Some will select vehicles [randomly], every 12th or some other number. However, there is some targeting that goes on -- based on obvious defects, known carriers, and other reasons."
During Roadcheck 2001, CVSA did do a statistical sampling pilot test with a few jurisdictions, using a strictly objective algorithm to select vehicles for inspection. The planning committee will review the results and determine how to proceed.
"The primary objective of the annual Roadchecks is to remove unsafe commercial vehicles and drivers from the road," says Stephen Campbell, CVSA executive director.
International Roadcheck 2001 included participation from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Research and Special Programs Administration, and the Tire Retread Information Bureau.
CVSA is the leading commercial vehicle safety enforcement organization in North America. Its members include enforcement agencies and industry representatives in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.