August 4, 2023
CVSA Brake Safety Week
By Ben Mueller, PACCAR Leasing Company (PacLease)
This year’s Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, (CVSA), Brake Safety Week has been announced for August 20th-26th, with a focus on brake lining/pad violations. “The focus of this year’s Brake Safety Week is on the condition of the brake lining and pad,” said CVSA President Maj. Chris Nordloh with the Texas Department of Public Safety. “Brake lining pad issues may result in vehicle violations and could affect a motor carrier’s safety rating.” During Brake Safety Week, CVSA-certified inspectors throughout North America will conduct their usual inspections, in addition to reporting brake-related inspection and violation data to the CVSA.
Inspectors conducting the brake portion of a Level I or Level V inspection will:
- Check for missing, non-functioning, loose or cracked parts.
- Check for contaminated, worn, cracked and missing linings or pads.
- Check for S-cam flip over.
- Listen for audible air leaks around brake components and lines.
- Check that slack adjusters are the same length (from center of S-cam to center of clevis pin) and the air chambers on each axle are the same size.
- Ensure the brake system maintains air pressure between 90-100 psi (620-690 kPa) and measure pushrod travel.
- Inspect for non-manufactured holes (e.g., rust holes, holes created by rubbing or friction, etc.) and broken springs in the spring brake housing section of the parking brake.
- Inspect required brake system warning devices, such as anti-lock braking system (ABS) malfunction lamp(s) and low air-pressure warning devices.
- Inspect the tractor protection system, including the bleed back system on the trailer.
- Ensure the breakaway system is operable on the trailer.
By outlining these inspection procedures in advance, CVSA aims to be proactive and transparent, so that drivers and motor carriers know exactly what inspectors will be looking for during roadside inspections. This transparency also aims to remind drivers and motor carriers to be proactive in ensuring that their commercial motor vehicles are safe and compliant with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations.
During last year’s Brake Safety Week, a total of 38,117 inspections were conducted throughout North America, with 5,059 vehicles being placed out of service due to brake violations. Vehicles that did not have any violations during the Level I or Level V inspections may have received a three-month, temporary CVSA decal, which serves as a visual indicator to inspectors that the vehicles have recently been inspected and had no critical vehicle inspection item violations.
For more information on the CVSA Brake Safety Week:
https://www.cvsa.org/news/2023-bsw/
https://www.cvsa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023-BSW-Flyer.pdf
2022 CVSA Brake Safety Week Results:
https://www.cvsa.org/news/2022-bsw-results/
Do you find DOT Regulations confusing? Need help with vehicle spec optimization by a qualified professional? Let PacLease be your transport solutions partner for your business. Contact an Expert today to let us help you optimize your fleet.
Keep your drivers current, with up to date and relevant trainings by PacTrainer. A safety Training Program that helps fleets prepare drivers for the road.