2022 Brake Safety Week – August 21 to 27
The CVSA announces upcoming week of inspections in advance to increase compliance.
This year, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) Operation Airbrake Program will hold two annual brake safety inspections. The 2022 Brake Safety Week has been announced to take place starting August 21st and ending August 27th and there will be an unannounced one-day brake safety enforcement initiative to be held at any time.
During Brake Safety Week, commercial motor vehicle inspectors will conduct Level IV Special Inspections on large trucks and buses focusing on brake-systems and components in an effort to remove those vehicles found in violation from our nation’s roadways. Inspectors will compile data on brake hose/tubing chafing uncovered during inspections to submit to the CVSA for later reporting. Any vehicles inspected found to have a brake-related violation will be placed out-of-service until its noted violation(s) are resolved, potentially causing delivery delays.
Properly functioning brake systems are essential to safe commercial motor vehicle operation. Though designed to hold up under tough conditions, Commercial motor vehicle brakes must be inspected and maintained diligently and with regularity, to extend their life expectancy and prevent mishaps. Improperly installed or poorly maintained brake systems can reduce the braking capacity and stopping distance of commercial trucks and buses, which poses a serious risk to the driver and other motorists.
Brake system and brake adjustment violations comprise 38.9% of all vehicle out-of-service conditions violations, a larger percentage than any other category of vehicle safety violation. Improperly installed or poorly maintained brake systems can reduce the braking capacity and stopping distance of trucks and buses, which poses a serious risk to driver and public safety.
More than 3.4 million brakes have been inspected since the program’s inception in 1998. During the brake inspection, CVSA reports inspectors will be looking for “missing, non-functioning, loose, contaminated or cracked parts on the brake system, and non-manufactured holes (such as rust holes and holes created by rubbing or friction) and broken springs in the spring brake housing section of the parking brake. They will listen for audible air leaks around brake components and lines, and ensure the air system maintains air pressure between 90-100 psi (620-690 kPa). Inspectors will also check for S-cam flip-over and measure pushrod travel. They will check that slack adjusters are the same length (from center of S-cam to center of clevis pin) and the air chambers on each axle are the same size. They will also inspect required brake-system warning devices, such as ABS malfunction lamp(s) and low air-pressure warning devices. In addition, inspectors will ensure the breakaway system is operable on the trailer, and inspect the tractor protection system, including the bleed-back system on the trailer.”
The unannounced brake safety enforcement initiative could happen at any time during 2022. As with Brake Safety Week, during the one-day effort, CMV inspectors will conduct brake system inspections on large trucks and buses throughout the continent to identify any out-of-adjustment brakes or outright brake-system violations and clear the road of these hazardous vehicles.
Common brake hose violations:
