It’s Time to Get Your Truck's Brakes Checked During Safety Week
Make sure your brakes are in good condition to keep your truck on the road.
If you’re a commercial truck driver, it’s time to start getting ready for the 2022 Brake Safety Week. From August 21st through the 27th, the inspections will be conducted by the Commerical Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) throughout North America, including in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The CVSA will be gathering truck safety data, checking brake conditions, and removing unsafe trucks from roadways that fall under their Out-of-Service criteria. Vehicles that pass the inspection will be affixed with a decal.
The Importance of Brake Safety
As commercial truck drivers know, a fully functional braking system is crucial for safety. In fact, faulty brakes are known to be one of the most common maintenance issues that can contribute to trucking accidents. Even with a fully functional braking system, commercial trucks have a longer stopping distance than other vehicles due to their size and weight. Poorly maintained systems can increase this distance as well as reduce overall braking capacity.
For this reason, the braking systems on trucks are required to be tested every time the vehicle is driven. Even a minor issue such as a leak in the brake line can lead to an accident that might otherwise have been prevented. Despite this, nearly 52,000 vehicles were removed from service due to brake violations during last year’s CVSA inspections.
Preparing For Your Inspection
While it is important to prepare your truck for Brake Safety Week inspections, proper truck brake safety requires attention to maintenance all year long. The braking system has numerous components, each of which should be checked daily, weekly, or monthly. If your system has been properly maintained with high-quality parts, you should not be at risk for violation.
Specifically, the CVSA will be looking for missing, loose, worn, or damaged parts in the braking system, as well as leaks in the brake lines. They will check the functionality of warning devices, such as the antilock braking system and dash light indicators. In addition, they will ensure that the brakes are properly adjusted. This year, they will be focusing on gathering data on the level of chafing seen in brake hoses and tubes as well. Inspectors will also remind drivers of the importance of pre- and post-trip brake checks.
If you own a commercial truck, make sure your truck is in compliance now. This is important for not only keeping your truck on the road, but for keeping yourself and other drivers safe.