July 9, 2020
Are Your Drivers Prepared for the CVSA Operation Safe Driver Week – July 2020?
The CVSA has confirmed that Operation Safe Driver Week will be held July 12-18th. This year’s point of emphasis is the driver requirements category of a roadside inspection.
Anytime your truck is pulled off the road for inspection violations, those are lost dollars that may have been prevented. We know how important it is to minimize downtime, and that drives us to keep your PacLease trucks in proper condition so that you pass roadside inspections with flying colors.
According to 2019 data obtained by the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), nearly 945,000 driver violations occurred out of 3.36 million inspections.
When commercial vehicles are directed in for inspection, inspectors will interview drivers and collect driver documents (such as commercial driver’s licenses, Medical Examiner’s Certificate, Skill Performance Evaluation Certificate and other paperwork drivers are expected to have on board). Inspectors will also check drivers for illness, impairment (alcohol and/or drug possession), seatbelt usage, etc.
During the CVSA’s Operation Safe Driver Week last July, law enforcement officers took to North American roadways to identify drivers engaging in unsafe driving behavior. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Highway Loss Data Institute, since 2008, speeding has played a role in a quarter of all crash deaths. So, last year’s Operation Safe Driver Week emphasized speeding as its area of focus.
In total, officers issued 46,752 citations and 87,624 warnings to drivers over the course of the week. Speeding was the most cited violation last year with 17,565 total citations. Commercial vehicle drivers (CMVs) received 1,454 of those citations and 2,126 warnings. Passenger vehicle drivers received 16,102 citations for speeding.
Other top CMV driver-behavior citations were:
- Failure to wear a seatbelt – 954
- Failure to obey a traffic control device – 426
- Using a handheld phone/texting – 249
- Improper lane change – 92
Tips to keep in mind when maintaining your fleet:
Browse past Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) program results, and apply that information when determining maintenance practices or driver training decisions, you can improve your chances of keeping your trucks on the road and away from receiving violations.
For more information on the CVSA Operation Safe Driver:
https://www.cvsa.org/program/programs/operation-safe-driver/operation-safe-driver-week/
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