How can you ensure your drivers are ready for inspections, and how can you prepare your vehicles? We spoke to our Fleet Science experts to learn more about the initiative and what you need to know.
What is Brake Safety Week?
Brake Safety Week is a six-day enforcement campaign of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA)’s Operation Airbrake, a comprehensive program designed to reduce highway crashes caused by faulty brakes through inspections and educational initiatives. It is one of two annual brake safety campaigns held by the CVSA; the other is an unannounced one-day enforcement program that can be held at any time throughout the year.
Brake Safety Week occurs due to the prominence of brake issues in commercial vehicles. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration reports that brake-related issues rank among the most common violations.
During the 2024 Brake Safety Week, CVSA inspected 16,725 commercial vehicles and found that about 87% percent had no brake violations, while the remaining roughly 13% did and were taken off the road.
How do CVSA inspections work?
During the week of August 24-30, CVSA-certified personnel in the United States, Canada, and Mexico will conduct brake inspections on commercial motor vehicles with a focus on drums and rotors since they can affect a vehicle’s brake efficiency. Plus, as the CVSA reports, “broken pieces of drums and rotors may become dislodged from the vehicle enroute and damage other vehicles or result in injuries or fatalities to the motoring public.” Additionally, some locations use performance-based brake testers (PBBT) to assess braking performance and efficiency.
If a vehicle is found to have an out-of-service (OOS) brake violation, it will be pulled off the road and restricted from driving until the necessary repairs are made. OOS violations could affect a motor carrier’s safety rating.
How can I prepare for Brake Safety Week?
CVSA provides numerous ways to prepare your drivers and vehicles for inspections, including a brake inspection checklist. Fleet managers should distribute copies to drivers and maintenance personnel to ensure everyone is appropriately updated. If drivers are traveling through jurisdictions that utilize PBBTs, they should also receive a copy of this brochure to understand the procedures around it. In addition, this postcard provides tips on how to ensure your self-adjusting brakes are being diagnosed correctly.
Preventive maintenance is always welcomed, so drivers should perform a brake inspection independently or with a maintenance team. Both maintenance and drivers should look at all parts of the braking system, especially the drums and rotors—the focus of this year’s inspection. In addition, check the air pressure to ensure it’s between 90-100 psi, and measure the pushrod stroke. Alert the maintenance team and escalate repairs if anything is missing, leaking, cracked, loose, rusted, or exposed.
Every inspection can be nerve-wracking, even for experienced drivers and fleet managers, especially when surprises arise. But if your fleet is keeping up to date on preventive maintenance and driver education, surprises shouldn’t happen. You should pass Brake Safety Week with flying colors.
Need help preparing for Brake Safety Week or any type of CVSA inspection? Our Mike Albert Fleet Solutions team can help. Reach out to us to learn more about what we can do for your fleet.
