CVSA Brake Safety Week 2021

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Administration will hold the Brake Safety Week from August 22nd – August 28th, 2021. The main focus of brake safety week is to remind drivers of the importance of brake systems, do inspections, and remove vehicles that have brake-related violations from our roadways.

During this time, motor carriers are working hard to educate their drivers about the proper maintenance and the importance of brake system safety. Continue reading below on how you can prepare for this upcoming week.

What to Expect during Brake Safety Week?

During the week of August 22nd – August 28th, the CVSA inspectors will conduct inspections on commercial motor vehicles focusing on the brake systems and their components. Also, these inspectors will use the data conducted from the inspections and submit their findings to the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance. You can find these reports later in the year.

Different jurisdictions put their time and effort into these inspections to help identify any brake violations and remove these vehicles from the roadways for the following reasons:

• During 2020’s three-day International Roadcheck inspection, brake systems and adjustment violations were more common than any other vehicle violations. Brake systems accounted for 38.6% of out-of-service violations.

• According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s “Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts” report, the brake system was the third most cited vehicle-related issue in commercial and passenger vehicles.

• According to the FMCSA’s Motor Carrier Management Information System, brake-related violations were in the top 8 out of 20 vehicle violations in 2020.

• During 2020’s Brake Safety Week – there were 43,565 or 12% of commercial motor vehicles were inspected and placed out-of-service because of brake system violations.

How to Prepare for Brake Safety Week

If you are familiar with your brake system, you should know if there is an issue. While doing your pre and post-trip inspection, you should also inspect your brake system and components to ensure your vehicle is in safe working condition.

Below is a list that you can inspect visually regularly to help ensure your brake system is working properly and free of damage, corrosion, and holes:

• Air brake chamber

• Brake hoses and tubing

• Cotter pins

• Clevis pins

• Slack adjuster

• Air lines

The CVSA has provided an air brake inspection checklist that you can use to ensure you are fully prepared for the roadside brake safety inspection.

Having a fully functioning brakes and brake system is important to your operation. Commercial vehicle brakes are made to withhold tough conditions. However, if the brake system is not properly inspected and maintained regularly. In that case, issues can arise and lower your vehicle's drive time.