July 2007 - 'Roadcheck 2007' Inspections Highlight Safety Concerns

As reported by Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), between June 5-7, 2007, approximately 7,708 CVSA and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Certified Inspectors, at 1,449 locations across North America, performed 62,370 truck and bus inspections during Roadcheck 2007. Roadcheck is an annual event that receives a lot of publicity in trucking circles – drivers and motor carriers know well in advance of the dates the increased roadside inspections will take place. Yet, as in past years, many drivers and vehicles were placed out-of-service.

Results of Roadcheck 2007 for drivers were as follows:

• All vehicles: 93.8 percent of drivers passed the inspection, and 6.2 percent were placed out of service (5.6 percent were out of service in 2006).
• Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT): 96.5 percent of drivers passed the inspection, and 3.5 percent were placed out of service (3.0 percent were out of service in 2006).
• Motorcoaches: 96.2 percent of drivers passed the inspection, and 3.8 percent were placed out of service (2.9 percent were out of service in 2006).

The bulk of the drivers placed out of service (65.9 percent of the total) were done so for hours of service violations. This compares with 57.1 percent in 2006. Falsification of records of duty status was second, comprising 11.4 percent of the total – 12.4 percent was the 2006 number. The number of drivers discovered operating while disqualified this year was the highest in six years, comprising 3.6 percent of the total driver out-of-service violations. Drivers operating while suspended comprised 3.9 percent of the driver out-of-service violations, up from 3.3 percent in 2006. One other piece of driver data worth noting is that drug and alcohol out-of-service violations represented 1.5 percent of the total driver out-of-service violations, up from 0.9 percent in 2006. On the positive side, the number of safety belt violations was down significantly – from 1,223 in 2006 to 829 in 2007.

Vehicle results were as follows:

• All vehicles: 78.5 percent of vehicles passed the inspection, and 21.5 percent were placed out of service (21.7 percent were out of service in 2006).
• HAZMAT: 82.3 percent of vehicles passed the inspection, and 17.7 percent were placed out of service (18.2 percent were out of service in 2006).
• Motorcoaches: 87.7 percent of vehicles passed the inspection, and 12.3 percent were placed out of service (9.2 percent were out of service in 2006).

Brakes continue to be the dominating vehicle out-of-service defect, comprising 54.0 percent of the total vehicle defects, which was noticeably lower than the 56.6 percent in 2006. The vehicle-related out-of-service defects in 2007 saw increases in the distribution of lighting (11.6 percent in 2006 to 14.1 percent in 2007), load securement (8.6 percent to 10.4 percent), and tires/wheels (8.7 percent to 9.1 percent).

CVSA sponsors the annual Roadcheck with participation by FMCSA, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators, Transport Canada, and the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation (Mexico).

CVSA is an international not-for-profit organization comprised of local, State, provincial, territorial, and federal motor carrier safety officials and industry representatives from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Its mission is to promote commercial motor vehicle safety and security by providing leadership to enforcement, industry, and policy makers. In addition, CVSA has several hundred associate members who are committed to helping the CVSA achieve its goals - uniformity, compatibility, and reciprocity of commercial vehicle inspections and enforcement activities throughout North America by individuals dedicated to highway safety and security. For more information on CVSA, visit www.cvsa.org.

COPYRIGHT ©2007, ISO Services Properties, Inc.

The information contained in this publication was obtained from sources believed to be reliable. ISO Services Properties, Inc., its companies and employees make no guarantee of results and assume no liability in connection with either the information herein contained or the safety suggestions herein made. Moreover, it cannot be assumed that every acceptable safety procedure is contained herein or that abnormal or unusual circumstances may not warrant or require further or additional procedure.