April’s Unannounced CVSA Brake Safety Day Results: 1,300 CMVs OOS

1,290 CMV Out-of-Service violations due to brake issues back in April 2022 during CVSA’s Brake Safety Day.

During normal inspections of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs), this unannounced one-day enforcement initiative reported brake-related data to the Alliance, focused on the brake systems and components on CMVs.

With the forty-six jurisdictions that participated, inspectors looked at 9,132 vehicles, where they placed 1,290 vehicles out of service or 14.1%.

Last year saw 10,091 inspections and placed 1,273 vehicles out of service for brake-related critical vehicle inspection items, or 12.6%.

Table 1: Brake-related out-of-service (OOS) percentages and numbers

In addition, inspectors compiled and reported brake hose/tubing violation statistics, which was the focus area for this year’s Brake Safety Day. There were 1,534 brake hose/tubing violations (compared to 1,725 last year).

The four categories of brake hose/tubing chafing violations data that was submitted, included:

• Category 1 violation: when the wear extends into the outer protective material. 32% of brake hose/tubing chafing violations were identified as category 1, which is NOT an out-of-service condition.
• Category 2 violations: when wear extends through the outer protective material into the outer rubber cover. 37% of brake hose/tubing chafing violations were category 2, which is NOT an out-of-service condition.
• Category 3 violation: wear has made the reinforcement ply visible, but the ply remains intact. 13% of brake hose/tubing chafing violations were identified as category 3, which is NOT an out-of-service violation.
• Category 4 violation: chafing has caused any part of the fabric/steel brain reinforcement ply to be frayed, severed, or cut through. 18% percent of brake hose/tubing chafing violations were category 4. This is an out-service-condition.

Note: On April 1, CVSA updated the North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria amending category 4 to make “any tubing/hose damage resulting in the fabric/steel braid reinforcement ply being frayed, damaged or cut” an out-of-service violation.

Compared to last year, the new category 4 brake hose/tubing chafing violations, as a portion of total brake hose/tubing chafing violations, increased modestly from 17% to 18%, even when accounting for what amounts to combining of categories 4 and 5 from 2021.

Table 2: Percentage of brake/hose chafing violations

In addition, CVSA member jurisdictions equipped with performance-based brake testers (PBBTs) participated in Brake Safety Day activities, conducting 92 inspections with PBBTs, resulting in six, or 6.5%, commercial motor vehicles being placed OOS for insufficient overall vehicle braking efficiency (last year was 4%).

What is coming next? On Aug. 21-27, Brake Safety Week will happen. Learn more about the weeklong enforcement blitz.

Did you recently get Audited and receive a Conditional or Unsatisfactory Rating?

You will have 60 days until your newly proposed safety rating goes into effect. You will need to remedy all the violations from your recent compliance review and show proof that you have corrected acute or critical violations.

Our Safety Rating Upgrade Specialists will be able to get you back on the right track with the FMCSA and keep you there. How?

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