Today is the start of International Roadcheck, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) annual 72-hour, high-visibility inspection and enforcement initiative. During International Roadcheck, Sept. 9-11, inspectors in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. will conduct commercial motor vehicle and driver inspections to verify compliance with driver operating requirements and vehicle mechanical fitness.
Other than the increase in the number of inspections, the vehicle and driver inspections conducted during International Roadcheck are the same inspections conducted any other day of the year. The International Roadcheck inspection and enforcement initiative achieves several important goals:
- Reminds the motor carrier industry of the importance of proactive vehicle maintenance
- Recognizes the hard work of the inspectors who conduct commercial motor vehicle inspections and enforce regulatory compliance
- Provides an opportunity to compile, analyze and share the gathered data
- Heightens awareness of the vital rules and regulations in place to keep our roadways safe
- Acknowledges the efforts by drivers and motor carriers to ensure their vehicles are safe and in proper working order
- Provides an opportunity to educate the industry and the public about the importance of safe commercial motor vehicle operations and the roadside inspection program
Each year, International Roadcheck places special emphasis on a category of violations. This year’s focus is on driver requirements. For the driver portion of an inspection, the inspector will collect and verify the driver’s documents, identify the motor carrier, examine the driver’s license, check record of duty status and review periodic inspection report(s). If applicable, the inspector will check the Medical Examiner’s Certificate, Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse status, Skill Performance Evaluation Certificate and the driver’s daily vehicle inspection report. Inspectors will also check drivers for seat belt usage, illness, fatigue, and apparent alcohol or drug possession or impairment.
Drivers found to be operating without the proper driver credentials; in possession of or under the influence of drugs or alcohol; prohibited from performing safety-sensitive functions; operating while ill, fatigued or showing other signs of impairment; or in violation of hours-of-service rules may be placed out of service.
During International Roadcheck, CVSA-certified inspectors primarily conduct the 37-step North American Standard Level I Inspection; however, inspectors may opt to conduct the Level II Walk-Around Driver/Vehicle Inspection, Level III Driver/Credential/Administrative Inspection or Level V Vehicle-Only Inspection.
Commercial motor vehicles that pass eligible inspections (Level I or Level V Inspections) will receive a CVSA decal, a visual marker denoting that the vehicle has been inspected and no critical vehicle inspection violations were detected. CVSA decals are valid for three months and, generally, vehicles with current decals will not be subject to re-inspection during that time. Inspectors will instead focus time and efforts on vehicles that have not yet been inspected.
This year’s International Roadcheck was originally scheduled for May, but was postponed due to the coronavirus, and then rescheduled for Sept. 9-11. During International Roadcheck, in consideration of the pandemic, roadside inspectors will conduct vehicle and driver inspections following their department’s health and safety protocols and procedures to safeguard the safety and well-being of inspectors and the drivers with whom they come into contact.
International Roadcheck is a CVSA program with participation by law enforcement jurisdictions, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators, Transport Canada and Mexico’s Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes (Ministry of Communications and Transportation) and the Grupo de Atención Especializado al Transporte de la Guardia Nacional (the National Guard’s motor transport group, GAET).