More than 50,000 North American Standard Level I, II, III and V Inspections were conducted throughout Canada, Mexico and the U.S. during the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) three-day International Roadcheck commercial motor vehicle and driver inspection and enforcement initiative. The overall vehicle out-of-service rate in North America, for Level I, II and V Inspections combined, was 20.9%.
This year’s International Roadcheck took place Sept. 9-11, 2020. It was originally scheduled for May 5-7, 2020, but was postponed to September due to the coronavirus pandemic. Law enforcement personnel conducted inspections following their departments’ health and safety protocols in order to protect inspectors and the drivers with whom they came into contact.
International Roadcheck is an annual 72-hour inspection and enforcement event that identifies and removes unsafe commercial motor vehicles and drivers from roadways. It highlights the daily work of the more than 13,000 commercial motor vehicle inspectors throughout North America and acknowledges the safety compliance of motor carriers and professional drivers through the issuance of the CVSA decal on eligible vehicles.
During 2020 International Roadcheck, CVSA-certified inspectors primarily conducted the 37-step North American Standard Level I Inspection; however, the Level II Walk-Around Driver/Vehicle Inspection, Level III Driver/Credential/Administrative Inspection and Level V Vehicle-Only Inspection were also acceptable.
This year, 26,451 Level I Inspections, 11,224 Level II Inspections, 11,364 Level III Inspections and 1,112 Level V Inspections were conducted. In total, 50,151 inspections were conducted throughout Canada, Mexico and the U.S.
Vehicles without critical vehicle inspection item violations, after a Level I or Level V Inspection was completed, were eligible for a CVSA decal. Decals were applied to 9,303 power units, 3,662 trailers and 123 passenger carrier vehicles. That’s a total of 13,088 decals issued throughout North America. The CVSA decal is a visual marker that signifies a vehicle has been inspected by a CVSA-certified inspector and no critical vehicle inspection item violations were detected. Generally, vehicles with recently issued decals, which are valid for up to three months, are not re-inspected. Inspection programs typically focus efforts on vehicles that have not yet been inspected and issued a decal.
If an inspector identifies critical vehicle inspection item out-of-service violations, using the North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria which outlines such conditions, he or she will render the vehicle out of service, which means the identified out-of-service violations must be corrected before the vehicle will be permitted to proceed.
Vehicles inspected during 2020 International Roadcheck included large trucks/combinations, cargo tanks/combinations transporting hazardous materials (hazmat), non-hazmat cargo tanks/combinations and passenger carrier vehicles.
Top Five Vehicle Out-of-Service (OOS) Violations – North America
| Violation Category | # of OOS Violations | % of OOS Vehicle Violations | |
| 1 | Brake System | 3,163 | 25.8% |
| 2 | Tires | 2,326 | 19.0% |
| 3 | Lights | 1,650 | 13.5% |
| 4 | Cargo Securement | 1,586 | 12.9% |
| 5 | Brake Adjustment | 1,567 | 12.8% |
The total number of out-of-service vehicle violations from Canada, Mexico and the U.S. combined was 12,254.
Each year, International Roadcheck places special emphasis on a category of violations. The 2020 focus was on the driver requirements category of a roadside inspection. A driver may be placed out of service for violations related to the driver’s age; commercial driver’s license or operator’s/chauffeur’s license or permit; medical/physical requirements; record of duty status; sickness or fatigue; or intoxicating beverages, drugs and other substances.
Overall, the top driver out-of-service violation category during 2020 International Roadcheck was for hours of service, accounting for 34.7% of all driver out-of-service violations. The total number of driver out-of-service violations was 3,247.
Top Five Driver OOS Violations – North America
| Violation Category | # of OOS Violations | % of OOS Driver Violations | |
| 1 | Hours of Service | 1,128 | 34.7% |
| 2 | Other (moving violations, cell phone use, etc.) | 709 | 21.8% |
| 3 | Wrong Class License | 687 | 21.2% |
| 4 | False Logs | 455 | 14.0% |
| 5 | Suspended License | 141 | 4.3% |
Inspectors also checked safety belt usage during International Roadcheck. A total of 768 seatbelt violations were issued. Seven were issued in Canada, eight in Mexico and 753 in the U.S.
U.S.
During this year’s International Roadcheck, 45,046 Level I, II and III Inspections were conducted in the U.S. In total, 7,256 vehicles and 2,365 drivers were removed from roadways due to the discovery of critical vehicle inspection item out-of-service violations or unsafe out-of-service driver conditions during the three days of International Roadcheck.
Top Five Vehicle OOS Violations – U.S.
| Violation Category | # of OOS Violations | % of OOS Vehicle Violations | |
| 1 | Brake System | 2,716 | 25.4% |
| 2 | Tires | 2,102 | 19.7% |
| 3 | Lights | 1,476 | 13.8% |
| 4 | Brake Adjustment | 1,393 | 13.0% |
| 5 | Cargo Securement | 1,343 | 12.6% |
The total U.S. number of out-of-service vehicle violations identified by inspectors was 10,676.
Top Five Driver OOS Violations – U.S.
| Violation Category | # of OOS Violations | % of OOS Driver Violations | |
| 1 | Hours of Service | 999 | 32.5% |
| 2 | Other (moving violations, cell phone use, etc.) | 694 | 22.6% |
| 3 | Wrong Class License | 683 | 22.2% |
| 4 | False Logs | 447 | 14.6% |
| 5 | Suspended License | 140 | 4.6% |
The total U.S. number of out-of-service driver violations discovered was 3,072.
The Level I Inspection is the most thorough inspection level, consisting of an in-depth inspection of both the vehicle and the driver. Of the 22,629 Level I Inspections conducted in the U.S. for International Roadcheck, the vehicle out-of-service rate was 22.2% and the driver out-of-service rate was 5.3%. That’s 5,023 vehicles and 1,203 drivers removed from roadways due to out-of-service violations.
In addition to the Level I Inspections performed, 11,085 Level II Walk-Around Driver/Vehicle Inspections and 11,332 Level III Driver/Credential/Administrative Inspections were also conducted in the U.S.
During 2020 International Roadcheck, CVSA decals were applied to 7,515 power units, 2,745 trailers and 118 passenger carrier vehicles in the U.S. That’s a total of 10,378 decals.
U.S. – Hazmat
In addition to the driver and vehicle categories of a Level I or Level II Inspection, a third category, hazardous materials/dangerous goods, may also be part of a Level I or Level II Inspection. If hazardous materials are detected, inspectors may check shipping papers, markings, labels and placards, and check for any leaking material or unsecured cargo.
Of the 33,714 Level I and Level II Inspections conducted in the U.S., 2,288 were conducted on hazmat vehicles. The hazmat vehicle out-of-service rate was 12.0% and the driver out-of-service rate was 1.4%.
Top Five HM OOS Violations – U.S.
| Violation Category | # of OOS Violations | % of OOS HM Violations | |
| 1 | Loading | 89 | 51.4% |
| 2 | Shipping Papers | 38 | 22.0% |
| 3 | Placards | 34 | 19.7% |
| 4 | Markings | 7 | 4.0% |
| 5 | Other HM | 3 | 1.7% |
The total number of hazmat out-of-service violations in the U.S. was 173.
Canada
For this year’s International Roadcheck, 3,993 Level I, II and III Inspections were conducted in Canada. In total, 817 vehicles and 135 drivers were removed from roadways after the discovery of out-of-service violations by inspectors.
Top Five Vehicle OOS Violations – Canada
| Violation Category | # of OOS Violations | % of OOS Vehicle Violations | |
| 1 | Brake System | 390 | 32.1% |
| 2 | Cargo Securement | 236 | 19.4% |
| 3 | Tires | 157 | 12.9% |
| 4 | Brake Adjustment | 126 | 10.4% |
| 5 | Lights | 91 | 7.5% |
The total number of out-of-service vehicle violations in Canada identified by inspectors was 1,214.
Top Five Driver OOS Violations – Canada
| Violation Category | # of OOS Violations | % of OOS Driver Violations | |
| 1 | Hours of Service | 129 | 73.7% |
| 2 | Other (moving violations, cell phone use, etc.) | 15 | 8.6% |
| 3 | Expired License | 12 | 6.9% |
| 4 | False Logs | 8 | 4.6% |
| 5 | Wrong Class License | 4 | 2.3% |
| 5 | Violating License Restriction | 4 | 2.3% |
The total number of out-of-service driver violations in Canada was 175.
Of the 3,822 Level I Inspections conducted in Canada during this year’s International Roadcheck, the vehicle out-of-service rate was 20.4% and the driver out-of-service rate was 3.2%. That’s 780 vehicles and 121 drivers removed from roadways due to out-of-service violations.
In addition to the Level I Inspections performed, 139 Level II Walk-Around Driver/Vehicle Inspections and 32 Level III Driver/Credential/Administrative Inspections were also conducted in Canada.
During 2020 International Roadcheck, CVSA decals were applied to 1,788 power units, 917 trailers and five passenger carrier vehicles in Canada, for a total of 2,710.
Canada – Dangerous Goods
Of the 3,961 Level I and Level II Inspections conducted in Canada, 194 inspections were conducted on dangerous goods vehicles. The dangerous goods vehicle out-of-service rate was 19.6% and the driver out-of-service rate was 4.1%.
Top Five DG OOS Violations – Canada
| Violation Category | # of OOS Violations | % of OOS DG Violations | |
| 1 | Shipping Papers | 7 | 24.1% |
| 2 | Training Certificate | 6 | 20.7% |
| 3 | Placards | 5 | 17.2% |
| 4 | Loading | 4 | 13.8% |
| 5 | Large Means of Containment | 3 | 10.3% |
The total number of dangerous goods out-of-service violations in Canada was 29.
Mexico
Mexico’s Ministry of Communications and Transportation (Secretariat of Communications and Transportation) and the National Guard (Guardia Nacional) participated in this year’s International Roadcheck. The officers of both agencies conducted 1,112 Level V Inspections in 37 weight and dimension verification centers. Level V Inspections are vehicle-only inspections which include each of the vehicle inspection items specified under the North American Standard Inspection Procedure.
The vehicle out-of-service rate was 10.8%. That’s 120 vehicles that were placed out of service.
Top Five Vehicle OOS Violations – Mexico
| Violation Category | # of OOS Violations | % of OOS Vehicle Violations | |
| 1 | Lights | 83 | 22.8% |
| 2 | Tires | 67 | 18.4% |
| 3 | Brake System | 57 | 15.7% |
| 4 | Brake Adjustment | 48 | 13.2% |
| 5 | Wheels | 28 | 7.7% |
The total number of vehicle out-of-service violations in Mexico was 364.
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 its National Guard.
The next International Roadcheck is scheduled for May 4-6, 2021.