International Roadcheck Set for May 5-7 by CVSA
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The high-volume, high-visibility International Roadcheck event will take place May 5-7, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance announced Jan. 27.
This year, the 72-hour, stepped-up enforcement effort, which highlights the importance of commercial motor vehicle safety through roadside inspections, will focus on the category of driver requirements.
Of the 3.36 million inspections conducted last year, 944,794 were cited in the driver requirements category, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s fiscal 2019 data. A total of 195,545 of those driver violations were for out-of-service conditions, CVSA said.
CVSA's 2020 International Roadcheck will take place May 5-7. Over that 72-hour period, CMV inspectors will conduct inspections on commercial motor vehicles and drivers. This year’s focus is on the driver requirements category of a roadside inspection. https://t.co/uGRzPdAeU8 pic.twitter.com/Ch7uokkGVr — CVSA (@CVSA) January 27, 2020
Some of the common driver requirement violations include failure to show proof of medical qualifications, insurance and vehicle registration, detected drug or alcohol use, failure to wear a seat belt and presenting an inspector a false record-of-duty status.
“With last year’s federal electronic logging device full-compliance mandate in the U.S., the alliance decided that this year’s International Roadcheck would be the perfect opportunity to revisit all aspects of roadside inspection driver requirements,” John Samis, CVSA president and sergeant with the Delaware State Police, said in a statement.
RELATED: Too Little Air, Too Much Cement: CVSA Roadcheck 2019 Uncovers Violations
CVSA officials said that during International Roadcheck, CVSA-certified inspectors primarily conduct the North American Standard Level I Inspection, a 37-step procedure that includes two main inspection categories: an examination of driver operating requirements and vehicle mechanical fitness.
2020 International Roadcheck Driver Requirements by Transport Topics on Scribd
A third category, hazardous materials/dangerous goods, also may be part of a Level I Inspection. Depending on weather conditions, available resources or other factors, inspectors may opt to conduct the Level II Walk-Around Driver/Vehicle Inspection, Level III Driver/Credential/Administrative Inspection or Level V Vehicle-Only Inspection.
The vehicle inspection includes checking critical items such as:
- Brake systems.
- Cargo securement.
- Coupling devices.
- Driveline/driveshaft components.
- Driver’s seat (missing).
- Exhaust systems.
- Frames.
- Fuel systems.
- Lighting devices.
- Steering mechanisms.
- Suspensions.
- Tires.
- Van and open-top trailer bodies.
- Wheels.
- Rims and hubs.
- Windshield wipers.
Additional items for buses, motor coaches, passenger vans or other passenger-carrying vehicles include emergency exits, electrical cables and systems in engine and battery compartments, and temporary and aisle seating.
In the past, International Roadcheck usually took place during the first week of June. However, this year, the event was moved up by one month, when the weather may be more favorable for many jurisdictions, CVSA said.
Samis
“Announcing the dates of International Roadcheck has always been a deliberate, thoughtful and purposeful decision by the alliance,” Samis said. “By announcing the dates in advance, we hope to remind motor carriers of the importance of proactive vehicle maintenance and remind drivers to be prepared for inspections and to always conduct pre- and post-trip inspections. We want every vehicle and driver inspected during this initiative to pass inspection with no violations.”
Samis added, “We’re aware that some drivers opt to stay off roadways during the three days of International Roadcheck. Although there is certainly an increase in the number of inspections conducted during International Roadcheck, it’s important to remember that inspections are conducted every day of the year. Inspectors will be inspecting commercial motor vehicles the day before International Roadcheck starts, the day after it ends, as well as any other day of the year.”
Commercial vehicle inspectors conducted more than 67,000 inspections during the three-day enforcement effort in June of last year, putting 12,019 commercial vehicles and 2,784 drivers out of service. That represents a 17.9% overall vehicle out-of-service rate and 4.2% driver out-of-service rate.
The 2019 Roadcheck event was conducted June 4-6, during which more than 13,000 inspectors spent 72 hours identifying and removing unsafe heavy trucks and buses from the roadways in the U.S. and Canada.
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