Articles | JBA Telematics

Results are now in from Roadcheck 2014, held on June 3-5. Commercial motor vehicle inspectors across North America completed 73,475 truck and bus inspections during the annual 72-hour enforcement and safety outreach event carried out by members of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA).

Of the 73,475 total inspections, 49,656 (67.6 percent) were North American Standard Level I Inspections, which is the most thorough roadside inspection. Level I inspections include a 37-step procedure that involves an examination of both the driver’s record of duty status and the safety of the vehicle. Drivers are required to provide items such as their license, endorsements, medical card, hours-of-service documentation, and are checked for seat belt usage and the use of alcohol and/or drugs. The vehicle inspection includes checking items such as the braking system, coupling devices, exhaust system, frame, fuel system, lights, safe loading, steering mechanism, suspension, tires, van and open-top trailer bodies, wheels and rims, and windshield wipers.

Of the Level I Inspections conducted, 23 percent included Out-of-Service (OOS) vehicle violations. There were a total of 72,415 driver inspections, including those conducted during all levels of inspections, from which 4.8 percent were found with OOS violations. There were 825 seatbelt violations issued. Other inspections conducted included Level II walk-around, Level III driver-only, and Level V vehicle-only inspections.

In addition to the Level I Inspections, International Roadcheck 2014 also placed special emphasis on hazardous materials/dangerous goods (HM/TDG) regulatory compliance. Although they represent a smaller segment of truck transportation, such shipments require special paperwork, driver credentials, vehicle safety, load securement, and hazard identification and communication, including placarding, to signify the added risks of exposure in the event of a crash, leak or fire. A total of 5,738 inspections included HM/TDG during this year’s event, with 919 (16.0 percent) found with vehicle OOS violations and 172 (3.0 percent) with driver OOS violations.

CVSA estimates that for this year’s International Roadcheck, over 10,000 CVSA and FMCSA inspectors participated at approximately 2,500 locations across North America. On an annual basis, nearly 4 million inspections are conducted across the continent. In addition to CVSA, Roadcheck participants include the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators and the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation in Mexico.