It’s Brake Safety Week!

There’s no question that, when it comes to roadway safety, properly functioning brakes are key. That’s why CVSA aims to remind drivers to keep up with their truck maintenance with Brake Safety Week.

This year’s Brake Safety Week is August 22-28. During this week, commercial vehicle inspectors will spread safety and education across the roadways. Inspectors will be conducting the North American Standard inspection, focusing heavily on vehicle brake systems and components. Any vehicle found with brake-related out-of-service violations will be removed from the roadways.

Kerri Wirachowsky, Director of CVSA’s Roadside Inspection Program, returned to the Successful Driver Podcast to tell us a little bit more about the event. “They may do Level 1 inspections, or they may only do inspections on the brake systems, so they’ll do a Level 4 inspection. They won’t really increase it unless they find something with the brakes.”

Data collected during these inspections will be used to determine any trends found with failing parts. Brake air hoses are one part that inspectors will be looking at closely, comparing the overall efficacy of rubber hoses versus thermal plastic hoses. They want to know what type of violations these air hoses are found with and how prevalent they are. The data won’t change your inspection, but it will be used to compile better information on the hoses themselves for future use.

It’s important to be proactive with servicing your vehicle, whether it’s commercial or passenger. CVSA announces the dates of its safety weeks in advance to encourage drivers to make the repairs before a surprise inspection occurs. The goal is to educate and promote safety, not to catch drivers unprepared. As Kerri said in her interview, “if you only maintain your truck right before Roadcheck, that’s better than never maintaining it at all.”

The entirety of August is Brake Safety Awareness Month. Law Enforcement will be working to promote brake safety with commercial drivers, mechanics, owner-operators, motor carriers, and others.

If you’ve been putting off getting your vehicle serviced, this is your sign to make that visit ASAP.