Out-of-Service Criteria Focus On Critical Safety Items

March 29, 2000 10:22 AM, EST

Ever wonder how the out-of-service criteria used by roadside inspectors were developed? Believe it or not, they came about in an effort to make the lives of both truckers and inspectors easier, according to the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance.

Several western states and Canadian provinces began meeting in 1980 to discuss areas of common concern, one of which was how to stretch limited resources. Inspectors quickly came to the conclusion that a uniform inspection system would address the problem of repeated checks of the same truck as it traveled from one jurisdiction to the next.

The states developed a Critical Truck and Inspection Procedure that focused attention on vehicle equipment and driver requirements most often identified as causing or contributing to accidents. Seven states and one Canadian province signed a memorandum of understanding agreeing they would recognize each other’s work in the inspection of commercial vehicles.

Trucking quickly signed onto the concept as a means of avoiding duplicative and time-consuming multi-state inspections. And it seems to have paid off.

For the full story, see the Mar. 27 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.