Nearly 5,000 commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) with critical brake violations were removed from the road during Brake Safety Week, September 16-22, throughout the United States and Canada. Law enforcement personnel conducted 35,080 inspections on CMVs throughout the week, capturing data on brake violations. Most vehicles did not have any brake-related out-of-service conditions, but inspectors found critical inspection items in the brake systems of 4,955 vehicles – 14.1 percent of the CMVs inspected. CMVs found in violation were placed out of service until the conditions could be corrected.
Brake Safety Week, sponsored by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), also captured antilock braking system (ABS) violations, indicating how well ABS are maintained in accordance with federal regulations. Many participating jurisdictions surveyed ABS compliance, and violations were counted when the malfunction lamp did not illuminate or stayed on, indicating issues.
The findings are as follows:
- 26,143 air-braked power units required ABS; 8.3 percent (2,176) had ABS violations;
- 17,857 trailers required ABS; 12.5 percent (2,224) had ABS violations;
- 5,354 hydraulic-braked trucks required ABS; 4.4 percent (234) had ABS violations; and 651 motor coaches
- and buses required ABS; 2 percent (13) had ABS violations.
Originally Posted on the Idealease Safety Bulletin