GREENBELT, Md. — Commercial motor vehicle inspectors in North America placed more than 12,000 trucks and buses and nearly 3,000 drivers out of service during a three-day enforcement blitz.
Enforcement officers conducted 62,013 driver and vehicle safety inspections on large trucks and buses during the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s 30th annual International Roadcheck, held June 6 to 8.
As a result of those inspections, 19.4 percent (12,030) of the vehicles and 4.7 percent (2,915) of the drivers were placed out of service.
Of those vehicle and driver totals, 40 were motorcoaches (out of 398 receiving Level I Inspections) and 23 were motorcoach drivers (out of the 598 motorcoaches that received Level I, II or III Inspections).
The number of motocoaches placed out of service was down from 45 during last year’s Roadcheck, but the percentage increased from 6.1 percent in 2016 to 10.1 percent this year because fewer buses faced Level 1 inspections this year – 398 compared with 734.
However, the number of motorcoach drivers placed out of service increased from 21 (2.9 percent) last year to 23 (3.8 percent) this year.
The top three out-of-service vehicle violations in this year’s inspection blitz were for brake systems (26.9 percent of vehicle out-of-service violations), cargo securement (15.7 percent) and tires/wheels (15.1 percent).
The top three driver-related violations were for hours of service (32.3 percent of driver out-of-service violations), wrong class license (14.9 percent) and false logbook (11.3 percent).
During International Roadcheck, CVSA-certified inspectors conducted high-volume, large-scale, high-visibility roadside inspections of large trucks and buses.
Commercial motor vehicles and their drivers were checked at inspection sites, weigh stations and roving patrol locations along roadways in North America.
Inspectors primarily conducted the NAS Level I Inspection, which is a 37-step procedure that includes examinations of both the driver and vehicle.
The vehicle inspection includes checking braking systems, cargo securement, coupling devices, driveline/driveshaft components, exhaust systems, frames, fuel systems, lighting devices, steering mechanisms, suspensions, tires, van and open-top trailer bodies, wheels, rims and hubs, and windshield wipers.
Additional items for buses include emergency exits, electrical cables and systems in the engine and battery compartments, and seating. Drivers are asked to provide their operating credentials and hours-of-service documentation, and are checked for seat belt usage.
Inspectors also look for apparent alcohol and/or drug impairment.
International Roadcheck is the largest targeted enforcement program on commercial motor vehicles in the world, with more than 13 trucks or buses inspected, on average, every minute throughout North America during the 72-hour period.
It is sponsored by CVSA with participation by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators and the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation in Mexico.
“This year, we’re celebrating 30 years of the International Roadcheck Program,” said CVSA President Julius Debuschewitz of Yukon Highways and Public Works. “When this program started in 1988, the goal of International Roadcheck was to conduct inspections to identify and remove unsafe commercial motor vehicles and/or drivers from our roadways,” Debuschewitz said.
“Thirty years and 1.5 million inspections later, the International Roadcheck enforcement initiative is still going strong, thanks to the more than 13,000 inspectors who work hard every day to reduce the number of crashes, injuries and fatalities on our roadways.”
