Brake Safety Week Out-of-Service Violations Drop to 12.3% in 2015

The out-of-service rate for the annual Brake Safety Week event in September was 12.3%, down from 16.2% last year, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance reported.

CVSA announced the 2015 inspection results Oct. 29, noting that 18,817 commercial vehicles were inspected from Sept. 6 to Sept. 12 with 2,321 vehicles placed out-of-service for brake violations.

The OOS rate for brake adjustment also was lower this year at 7.7%, compared with 10.4% in 2014. The OOS rate for brake components was 6.9%, down from 9.3% in 2014.

Overall out-of-service rates for brake violations in Canadian jurisdictions, historically lower than those in U.S. jurisdictions, were 9% in Canada, versus 12.7% in the United States.

CVSA releases 2015 Brake Safety Week inspection results. https://t.co/YdbXJqcu2m

— CVSA (@CVSA) October 29, 2015

Brake component violations, 6.9% in the United States., were 6.2% in Canada. Brake adjustment violation rates were 8.2% in the United States but only 3.7% in Canada.

During the annual weeklong brake safety campaign, local, state, provincial, territorial and federal motor carrier safety officials throughout the United States and Canada conducted roadside inspections. The purpose was to identify brake-system components with loose or missing parts, air or hydraulic fluid leaks, cracked, damaged or worn linings, pads, drums or rotors and other faulty brake-system components.

Inspectors also checked anti-lock braking system malfunction indicator lamps, brake components and measured pushrod stroke, where applicable, according to CVSA.

Brake Safety Week is part of the Operation Airbrake Program sponsored by CVSA in partnership with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in the United States and the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators.

More than 3.8 million brakes have been inspected since the program’s inception in 1998.

“Brake-related violations comprise the largest percentage of all out-of-service violations cited during roadside inspections,” said Maj. Jay Thompson of the Arkansas Highway Police, who also is CVSA president. “Improperly installed or poorly maintained brake systems can reduce braking capacity and increase stopping distance of large trucks and buses, which poses serious risks to driver and public safety.”

“For everyone’s safety, it’s vital that every vehicle operating on our highways and roads is mechanically sound and properly maintained,” Scott Darling, FMCSA's acting administrator, said in a statement.