Starting June 7, 2016 and running through June 9, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) will be running their annual International Roadcheck. During this three-day event, roughly 10,000 CVSA-certified inspectors across the United States, Canada, and Mexico will be inspecting commercial trucks and buses.
This is the single largest enforcement event in North America. Nearly 17 trucks and buses will be inspected every minute over the three days. While Roadcheck 2016 will focus on all compliance issues, this year special attention will be placed on tire safety. Tire Safety has always been something that CVSA officials have looked at during Roadcheck weeks, but this year they will be going above and beyond to make sure both drivers and carriers understand the importance of safe tires on roadways.
During the Roadcheck drivers can expect safety inspectors to perform a North American Standard Level I Inspection. Some of the items that will be looked at during this type of an inspection include: driver’s license, driver’s record of duty, hours of service, vehicle inspection report, fuel system, tires, and exhaust system. In total there are 37 different steps that will look at not only the truck, but also the driver.
During the inspection the CVSA will also be looking into whether the individual carriers are current on payment for their Unified Carrier Registration. Those found to be in violation might receive a fine, but will not be placed out of service.
If you are pulled over for one of these safety checks and pass, you will be issued a CVSA decal alerting other inspectors that you have passed a recent inspection. Your decal will be valid for a maximum of three months. Usually you will not face another inspection during the three-month period, but it’s not guaranteed.
Roadside inspections are a critical part of the trucking industry. They help educate the trucking industry about safety within their commercial vehicles. Since Roadcheck events began in 1988 more than 1.4 million inspections have been performed.
This article was originally featured on ATBSshow.com.