Today is the first day of International Roadcheck, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) three-day commercial motor vehicle and driver inspection and compliance enforcement initiative. Certified inspectors in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. will conduct inspections of commercial motor vehicles and drivers over a 72-hour period. Drivers or vehicles with out-of-service violations will be prohibited from continuing their trip until the violations are resolved.
International Roadcheck started in 1988 and is a high-volume, high-visibility commercial motor vehicle inspection and enforcement initiative spotlighting the hard work and commitment to safety of certified inspectors, commercial motor vehicle drivers and motor carriers. Since International Roadcheck’s start, more than 1.8 million commercial motor vehicles have been inspected.
Each year, CVSA highlights a certain aspect of the roadside inspection. This year, the focus will be on wheel ends. Violations involving wheel end components historically account for about one quarter of the vehicle out-of-service violations discovered during International Roadcheck, and past International Roadcheck data routinely found wheel end components in the top 10 of vehicle violations.
“Inspectors throughout North America will be at inspection and weigh stations, at temporary pop-up inspection sites, and patrolling our roadways during the three days of International Roadcheck as well as every other day of the year,” said CVSA President Capt. John Broers with the South Dakota Highway Patrol. “CVSA-certified inspectors will inspect commercial motor vehicles and their drivers to ensure large trucks and motorcoaches and the trained professionals who drive them are operating safely and are in full compliance with federal regulations.”
During International Roadcheck, inspectors will primarily conduct a North American Standard Level I Inspection, which is a thorough 37-step procedure to check the driver’s operating credentials and requirements and the vehicle’s mechanical fitness and regulatory compliance.
For the driver portion of an inspection, inspectors check the driver’s operating credentials, hours-of-service recording device/documentation and seat belt usage. Inspectors will also be on the lookout for alcohol and/or drug impairment. A driver will be placed out of service if an inspector discovers driver-related out-of-service conditions.
For the vehicle portion of a Level I Inspection, inspectors will check the vehicle’s brake systems, cargo securement, coupling devices, driveline/driveshaft components, driver’s seat, exhaust systems, frames, fuel systems, lighting devices, steering mechanisms, suspensions, tires, van and open-top trailer bodies, wheels, rims, hubs and windshield wipers. Inspections of motorcoaches, passenger vans and other passenger-carrying vehicles also include emergency exits, electrical cables and systems in the engine and battery compartments, and seating. Vehicles with violations that meet the out-of-service criteria will be placed out of service until the violations are corrected.
Vehicles that successfully pass a Level I or Level V Inspection without any critical vehicle inspection item violations may receive a CVSA decal. In general, vehicles with a CVSA decal are not re-inspected during the three-month period during which the decal is valid. Instead, inspectors will focus their efforts on vehicles without a valid CVSA decal.
Instead of a Level I Inspection, inspectors may conduct a Level II Walk-Around Driver/Vehicle Inspection, Level III Driver/Credential/Administrative Inspection or Level V Vehicle-Only Inspection. Level I and V Inspections are the only inspections that may result in a CVSA decal.
International Roadcheck is a CVSA program with participation by the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators, Transport Canada, and Mexico’s Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation and the National Guard.