Roadcheck Success

The results from the Roadcheck 2010 safety blitz reinforce the message that trucking takes safety compliance seriously.

According to data supplied by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, only 4.4% of the drivers stopped during the three-day inspection marathon in early June were placed out of service by inspectors because of rules violations. (Click here for p. 5 story in this week's issue.)

That total tied the compliance record set during the 2009 Roadcheck, showing that the compliance improvement last year was a permanent gain, and not a one-year blip.

“This year’s Roadcheck results provide further evidence of the trucking industry’s steadfast commitment to safety,” said Bill Graves, president of American Trucking Associations.

CVSA also reported that 80% of the 65,327 trucks and buses that were inspected at 2,482 different locations throughout North America had no violations of federal rules, about the same as in 2009.

“I think if you look at the numbers, they stayed fairly consistent with last year, and last year, we had record lows for out-of-service rates,” said Stephen Keppler, interim executive director of CVSA.

He said the results show that trucking fleets are “doing their due diligence to ensure that their drivers and vehicles are as safe as they can be.”

The good news on Roadcheck follows the report by the Department of Transportation earlier this year that the rate of truck-involved fatal accidents fell to the lowest level in history during 2008.

The most recent data that DOT has available show that the fatality rate has fallen in four consecutive years and is now the lowest since DOT started collecting the data in 1975.

But, there is still clearly room for more improvement.

Perhaps the most disappointing Roadcheck statistic was that CVSA inspectors found more seat belt violations this year than during 2009.

Despite data that clearly show the value of seat belts in reducing deaths and serious injuries in highway crashes, too many drivers continue to drive unbelted, apparently in the mistaken belief that they will be better able to escape their cabs in a crash if they aren’t buckled in.

We need to do a better job of educating drivers on seat belt use, and we continue to support a rule mandating top truck speeds of 65 mph as another major safety improvement.

We’re making remarkable progress in improving highway safety. We need to acknowledge our successes and keep up the good work.