What shape are your truck’s brakes in?
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s annual Brake Safety Week will be Sept. 16-22, the organization announced Monday. And, this year’s massive brake inspection event will again be a full seven days, after CVSA pared the blitz down to a single day last year.
CVSA says most of the inspections performed during the weeklong blitz will be full Level I inspections, the most comprehensive inspection. However, inspectors will focus on brake components, including:
- loose or missing parts
- air or hydraulic fluid leaks
- defective rotor conditions
- measurement of pushrod travel
- mismatched air chamber sizes across axles
- air reservoir integrity and mounting
- worn linings, pads, drums or rotors
- required brake-system warning devices
Vehicles with defective or out-of-adjustment brakes will be placed out of service, says CVSA.
“Properly functioning brake systems are crucial to safe CMV operation. Brakes must be routinely inspected and carefully and consistently maintained so they operate and perform to the manufacturer’s specifications throughout the life of the vehicle. Improperly installed or poorly maintained brake systems can reduce braking efficiency, posing serious risk to public safety on our roadways,” CVSA said in a press release.
Last year, 14 percent of trucks inspected during the one-day brake blitz were placed out of service for brake-related violations.
Also upcoming is Operation Safe Driver week July 15-21. The weeklong blitz will focus on driver-specific violations such as speeding, use of a seat belt, following too closely and the like.
