FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 20, 2002

CONTACT: Steve Keppler
(301) 564-1623

Roadcheck 2002 Shows Safety and Productivity Improvements

The 14th annual 72-hour Roadcheck—held June 4-6—resulted in 49,032 North American Standard inspections performed by 8,190 personnel at 919 locations throughout Canada, Mexico and the United States. The inspectors found 25,204 vehicles free of critical safety defects, up 6.3 percent from last year (23,716) and placed a CVSA Decal, which is good for up to 90 days, on each of those vehicles.
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With 91 percent of the jurisdictions reporting, the number of inspections increased by 8.8 percent over 2001 when 45,077 inspections were completed during 72 hours. Roadcheck 2002 broke last year’s record for the number of Level I inspections performed, up from 37,431 to 39,185 (a 4.7 percent increase). This year’s inspections were completed with more than 2,500 fewer personnel at 100 fewer locations than in Roadcheck 2001.

For all inspections, 77.9 percent of the vehicles met the safety standards for mechanical fitness, with 22.1 percent placed out of service because of various defects and violations. This is an 8.3 percent improvement over 24.1 percent in 2001. Since 2000, the vehicle out of service rate has dropped from 26.2 to 22.1 percent – a 15.6 percent decrease. Brake problems were the most frequent vehicle North American Standard Out-of-Service violation, comprising 53.3 percent of the total vehicle North American Standard Out-of-Service
violations, followed by lights (12.8 percent), tires and wheels (8.1 percent), load securement (6.8 percent) and suspension (5.0 percent).

For all inspections, 94.3 percent of the drivers met the safety fitness standards, with 5.7 percent placed out of service (equal to 2000 and 2001). A total of 58.1 percent of the drivers were placed out of service for hours-of-service violations, with an added 8.4 percent being for falsifying their records of duty status. A total of 394 drivers were found to have problems with their licensing privilege and were placed out of service, comprising 11.5 percent of the total drivers placed out of
service. Of these 394, 118 had suspended licenses, 75 were under disqualification and 33 were in a withdrawal status. Thirty-four drivers (1.0 percent of the total driver out of service violations) were placed out of service due to drug/alcohol violations.

As in 2001, the Level III Inspections (driver only) resulted in a higher North American Standard Out-of-Service rate, coming in at 10.6 percent. However, this figure is down from 2001, when 11.9 percent of drivers were placed out of service during Level III inspections.

Inspectors checked 334 motor coaches, 83.3 percent were found mechanically fit, while 39 vehicles (11.7 percent) and 29 drivers (8.7 percent) were placed out of service. Both of these figures show increases over 2001 results.

Of the 6,091 inspections of hazardous materials vehicles, 5,047 (82.9 percent) were found mechanically fit, while 1,044 vehicles (17.1 percent) and 158 drivers (2.6 percent) were placed out of service. The 2002 number of hazardous materials inspections represents a 57.8 percent increase over what was done in 2001 (3,861). In 2001, 17.2 percent of vehicles and 2.3 percent of drivers were placed out of service.

From 1992 to 2002, the vehicle North American Standard Out-of-Service rate for Level I inspections conducted during Roadcheck has gone from 34.1 to 24.9 percent – a decrease of 27 percent. During the same period, the driver North American Standard Out-of-Service rate for Level I inspections dropped from 5.6 to 5.1 percent.
There was an increased emphasis placed on hazardous materials loads and drivers, due in large part to security concerns in the truck and bus industry. To help the industry in its fight against terrorism, CVSA inspectors distributed approximately 200,000 pieces of security and hazardous materials educational information and guidance to drivers during Roadcheck. As reflected in the 2002 results, most measurements show improvement in these areas over last year’s numbers.

Stephen Campbell, CVSA Executive Director, says “The primary objective of the annual Roadcheck is to remove unsafe commercial vehicles and drivers from the road. It also serves as a barometer that helps us determine the effectiveness of what the inspectors are doing and how well the industry is doing in improving safety. We are pleased that the results indicate a trend in the positive direction.”

International Roadchecks are sponsored by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance with participation by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators, Transport Canada, Secretariat of Communications and Transportation (Mexico), and for 2002, the Research and Special Programs Administration. CVSA is the leading commercial vehicle safety enforcement organization in North America. Its members include enforcement agencies and industry representatives in Canada, the U.S., and Mexico.

ROADCHECK 2002

The 72-hour commercial vehicle safety and security inspection got under way early Tuesday, June 4 at inspection sites throughout Canada, Mexico and the United States.

The Carson, Virginia Weigh/Inspection Station on Interstate 95 was the scene of a special kickoff event sponsored by CVSA headquarters, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the Virginia State Police and the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.

The speakers included Joseph Clapp, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator; Stephen Campbell, CVSA Executive Director; Ab Quillian, Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner; Colonel William Massengill, Virginia State Police Superintendent; and David Richard, North Carolina’s Director of CVISN.

An attentive audience of TV and newspaper reporters and other spectators viewed the inspection and weighing process that included demonstrations of a bumper-to-bumper vehicle inspection, the infrared Inspection system (IRIS), the Mobile Weight Enforcement Unit (NOMAD) with Automatic Vehicle Identification (AVI ) electronics, variable message signs, portable axle load scales.

The demonstrations also included the traffic control warning system for vehicle congestion on static scales, an audio/video system for credential and permit validation

from remote locations, electronic over-height detection system, electronic weighing devices for weight vehicles for bi-directional traffic, and a live demonstration of vehicle pre-clearance.

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Roadcheck 2002, an international transportation safety and security activity that will take place June 4-6 throughout Canada, Mexico and the United States. State, Provincial and Federal truck and bus safety inspectors will be on the job night and day during the 72-hour period checking commercial vehicles and their drivers at inspection sites along major highways. In addition, roving patrols will inspect commercial vehicles traveling other highways.

Annual international Roadchecks (which began in 1988) are sponsored by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, the leading commercial vehicle safety enforcement organization in North America. These U.S. federal agencies typically assist in the annual events: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration; National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; Research and Special Programs Administration. The Canadian (Transport Canada) and the Mexican (Secretariat of Communications and Transportation) governments also participate, as do industry representatives in all three countries.

The aftermath of September 11 has required all law enforcement agencies and organizations to alter their focus. They are diligent in helping protect against additional threats posed by those who wish to harm the United States and our allies.

Roadcheck places a special focus on the year-round commercial vehicle and driver safety inspections and other safety programs aimed at saving lives on North American highways. More than 2.5 million roadside safety inspections are conducted throughout the year by specially trained inspectors. The number of inspections is growing each year as the volume of commercial traffic increases. Roadcheck 2001 resulted in over 45,000 driver and vehicle inspections at more than 1,000 locations all across North America.

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