August 20, 2024
Last Chance to Prepare for Brake Safety Week 2024!
It’s that time of year again, and no, we’re not talking about the holidays yet; it’s brake inspection week! Throughout the year, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance addresses safety concerns and conducts various tests to ensure the proper functionality of commercial vehicles that traverse the nation’s roads daily. This time of year, the focus is on brake safety, the appropriate maintenance that can be essential to our lives. CVSA employees will be conducting inspections on brake systems and components of commercial vehicles, and this year, it’s happening from August 25 to 31, 2024.
How Will Truck Brakes Be Inspected?
CVSA members are preparing to disperse to check that your truck’s brakes are functioning correctly. This year’s brake safety week will feature essential inspections, including checking for visual signs of wear and tear on brakes, leaking fluid, loose rivets, missing or damaged linings, etc. Personnel will follow readily available checklists for drivers, outlining what will be looked at.
Some CVSA inspectors will use performance-based brake testers (PBBT) to test brakes’ stopping power and performance. The machine measures the vehicle’s brake forces and can determine the stopping distance the brakes provide in their current condition. The North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria has determined that a passing score on the PBBT measurement scale is 43.5%. If your truck measures at this minimum or higher, your brakes will be deemed efficient.
What Happens If You Fail a Brake Inspection?
Measuring below 43.5% minimum for the stopping power of your brakes will negatively affect your overall efficiency score and potentially classify your truck as out-of-service. The CVSA will remove your vehicle from service until corrections are made. If deemed out-of-service, you must fix the violations before being allowed to hit the road again. The goal is to increase road safety and remove potentially dangerous trucks until they are safe. The CVSA website has plenty of resources, such as inspection checklists, that will help you prepare for getting checked and ease anxious feelings if you’re stopped.
How to Check Your Brakes
Brake inspection week happens every year because it’s inevitably the most essential part of a truck to keep working correctly. Not having properly working brakes can be detrimental to you, other drivers, and the cargo you’re hauling. Pre-trip inspections are standard safety procedures for truckers before every job, and this is where you can check your brakes and linings to ensure there isn’t any damage. Pay attention to stopping distance, which means how long it takes to come to a complete stop after hitting the brakes. If you start to notice any discrepancies when trying to stop, get your brakes checked right away.
Brake Safety Week is as important this year as any, and it’s done to maintain the safety of all drivers on the road. Following basic safety procedures and knowing what is being checked will ensure easy inspections and prevent work delays.
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