CVSA Releases 2021 International Roadcheck Results

More than 40,000 commercial motor vehicle inspections were conducted May 4-6 for International Roadcheck, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) annual high-volume, high-visibility inspection and enforcement initiative. Approximately 83.5% of the commercial motor vehicles examined had no out-of-service (OOS) violations. However, inspectors had to remove 6,710 commercial motor vehicles and 2,080 drivers from roadways – a 16.5% vehicle and 5.3% driver out-of-service rate – over that three-day period after the discovery of out-of-service violations during inspections.

CVSA-certified inspectors at weigh stations, inspection stations, roadside and designated inspection sites in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. inspected commercial trucks and combinations, cargo tank hazardous materials/dangerous goods (HM/DG) trucks and combinations, non-cargo tank HM/DG trucks and combinations, and motorcoaches/buses during International Roadcheck.

Inspectors primarily conducted the North American Standard Level I Inspection, a 37-step inspection process that involves thorough inspection of the vehicle (including underneath the vehicle) and the driver. Inspectors performed 23,135 Level I Inspections and removed 5,048 vehicles (21.8%) and 1,200 (5.2%) drivers from roadways due to the discovery of critical vehicle or driver inspection item violations as identified in the CVSA North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria.

Table 1: Level I Inspections

In addition to Level I Inspections, inspectors also conducted Level II Walk-Around Driver/Vehicle Inspections, Level III Driver/Credential/Administrative Inspections and Level V Vehicle-Only Inspections.

In Canada and the U.S., inspectors conducted 9,410 Level II Inspections and placed 1,593 (16.9%) vehicles and 549 drivers (5.8%) out of service. They also conducted 6,836 Level III Inspections and placed 331 drivers out of service. That is a 4.8% driver out-of-service rate.

In Mexico, inspectors with the Ministry of Communications and Transportation and the National Guard conducted 1,288 Level V Inspections. Note: Since Level V Inspections are vehicle-only inspections, there is no driver out-of-service rate to report.

Table 2: Level V Inspections

Vehicles that pass a Level I or V inspection with no critical vehicle inspection item violations are eligible to receive a CVSA decal. Generally, vehicles displaying a valid CVSA decal, valid for up to three months, are not subjected to inspection. Instead, jurisdictions typically focus their efforts on vehicles that do not display a valid decal.

• CVSA decals were placed on 9,951 power units, 3,795 trailers and 190 motorcoaches/buses for a total of 13,936 decals.
• Of the 24,423 Level I and V Inspections conducted throughout North America, 5,084 vehicles and 1,200 drivers were placed out of service, which is a 20.8% vehicle out-of-service rate and a 4.9% driver out-of-service rate.

Each year, CVSA highlights a category of violations during International Roadcheck to bring awareness to certain aspects of a routine roadside inspection. This year, inspectors captured data on two categories – hours of service and lighting.

There were 1,367 out-of-service lighting violations, accounting for 14.1% of all vehicle out-of-service violations. It was the third most-cited violation, after brake systems and tires. Out-of-service lighting device violations include headlamps, tail lamps, stop lamps, turn signals and lamps on projecting loads.

Of the 9,691 out-of-service vehicle violations issued, the top five violations were for:

Table 3: Top Five OOS Vehicle Violations

The second focus area, hours of service, was the most cited driver out-of-service violation, accounting for 41.5% of all driver out-of-service violations. That’s 1,203 violations. Hours-of-service rules limit the number of hours that drivers of commercial property- and passenger-carrying vehicles are permitted to spend driving and working and regulate the minimum amount of time drivers must rest between driving shifts. Canada, Mexico and the U.S. all have strict hours-of-service regulations in place to help reduce the occurrence of driver fatigue.

Of the 2,898 out-of-service driver violations issued, the top five violations were for: 

Table 4: Top Five OOS Driver Violations

*Examples of “Other” driver violations include operating without the required operating authority, expired or no medical certificate, operating a commercial motor vehicle while ill or fatigued, driving while prohibited in the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, etc.

During a Level I Inspection, inspectors will also check for hazardous materials/dangerous goods (HM/DG). They’ll check shipping papers, markings, labels and placards, and will look for any leaking material or unsecured cargo.

Of the 195 HM/DG out-of-service violations, the top five violations were for: 

Table 5: Top Five OOS HM/DG Violations

Last year, in the U.S. alone, there were more than 32,000 “failure to use a seatbelt while operating a commercial motor vehicle” violations, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Motor Carrier Management Information System. It was the fourth most-cited driver violation in 2020. During this year’s International Roadcheck, inspectors checked safety belt usage during inspections and issued 773 seatbelt violations. Four were issued in Mexico, 305 in Canada and 464 in the U.S.

According to the National Safety Council, roadway fatalities increased 24% in 2020 compared to the previous 12-month period, even though miles driven decreased 13% due to the pandemic. International Roadcheck is the commercial motor vehicle law enforcement community’s effort to reduce commercial motor vehicle-involved crashes by inspecting, identifying and removing unsafe commercial motor vehicles and drivers from roadways.

Here are the International Roadcheck results, broken out by country:

U.S.

Table 6: U.S. – Top Five Vehicle OOS Violations (out of 8,293 vehicle OOS violations)

Table 7: U.S. – Top Five Driver OOS Violations (out of 2,477 driver OOS violations)

Table 8: U.S. – Top Five HM/DG OOS Violations (out of 149 HM/DG OOS violations)

Table 9: U.S. – Decals Issued

Canada

Table 10: Canada – Top Five Vehicle OOS Violations (out of 8,293 vehicle OOS violations)

Table 11: Canada – Top Five Driver OOS Violations (out of 139 driver OOS violations)

Table 12: Canada – Top Five HM/DG OOS Violations (out of 31 HM/DG OOS violations)

Table 13: Canada – Decals Issued

Mexico

Table 14: Mexico – Top Five Vehicle OOS Violations (out of 72 vehicle OOS violations)

Since its inception in 1988, more than 1.7 million roadside inspections have been conducted during International Roadcheck campaigns. International Roadcheck is a CVSA program with participation by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators, Transport Canada, and Mexico’s Ministry of Communications and Transportation and the National Guard.

View last year’s International Roadcheck results.