Three-Day Roadcheck 2011 Gets Under Way

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance began its three-day Roadcheck 2011 event Tuesday, which will run through Thursday.

During the annual Roadcheck, truck and bus inspectors will check trucks, buses and their drivers at 1,000 inspection sites across North America to monitor truck compliance with safety regulations.

Roving patrols also will inspect vehicles and drivers traveling other roads, said CVSA, which represents law enforcement personnel who conduct truck safety inspections in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

“While a significant majority of vehicle operators are highly responsible, conscientious, and safe; a few in the minority are less so,” CVSA Executive Director Stephen Keppler said in a statement.

This year, inspectors will take a close look at household goods carriers, who may be operating improperly marked rental vehicles or running as a property carrier rather, the group said.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has noticed a disproportionate drop in household goods carrier and believes some of these haulers are moving household goods illegally, CVSA said.

In last year’s Roadcheck, CVSA found that 95.6% of drivers complied with safety regulations — tying the year-earlier figure, a record. Overall vehicle compliance was 80%, down slightly from the year before.