Inspection blitz looms; HOS to be scrutinized. Are you ready?

Updated May 30, 2018

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance‘s annual International Roadcheck, a three-day enforcement blitz of trucks and buses across North America, is June 5-7, and this year’s focus will be on hours-of-service compliance.

Be prepared to have your ELD or AORBD checked.Be prepared to have your ELD or AORBD checked.

“The top reason drivers were placed out of service during 2017 International Roadcheck was for hours-of-service violations,” said CVSA President Capt. Christopher Turner of the Kansas Highway Patrol. “Although the electronic logging device rule that went into effect on Dec. 18 does not change any of the underlying hours-of-service rules or exceptions, the ELD mandate placed a spotlight on hours-of-service compliance.”

However, inspectors will perform full Level I inspections on most rigs checked during the inspection blitz. Level I inspections are the most thorough, including examination of both driver compliance and vehicle-related violations.

In last year’s Roadcheck, 15,000 out-of-service orders were issued. Of those, 12,000 were for vehicle-related violations and 3,000 were for driver-related violations.

Pilot Flying J Offers Mid-Trip Inspections

Pilot Flying J offers free mid-trip visual inspections, a value of $50, through its Pilot Flying J Truck Care program through June 7 to help drivers prepare for the Roadcheck.

Mid-trip inspections focus on checking the tires and brakes of trucks, and also include the inspection of windshields, exhaust, lights and more. The three most common failed items are tires, brakes and lights. Performing proper inspections on each of these will help reduce the chances of receiving a violation.

PFJ offers the following tips for drivers to prepare for the 72-hour inspection blitz:

  • Buckle up.
  • Make sure your documents are in order. Drivers are required to have a CDL, any endorsements if applicable, medical card, and ELD and more.
  • Make sure tires, wheels, rims and hubs are checked for defects, including cuts, cracks and leaks.
  • Check your brakes to make sure there are no missing, non-functioning, loose, contaminated or cracked parts on the brake system, and make sure all brake systems are functioning properly.
  • Inspect all lights for proper color, operation, mounting and visibility.

Drivers are also urged to be prepared to have their AORBD or ELD inspected, and to have the driver, inspector and troubleshooting guides at hand. Drivers also ought to have at least eight days of blank paper logs available too.

Roadcheck inspectors this year will be focusing on hours-related violations.