The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) has scheduled its 2018 International Roadcheck for June 5-7th. The 72-hour period will consist of inspections of commercial motor vehicles and drivers with a focus on hours-of-service compliance.
International Roadcheck is the largest targeted enforcement program on commercial motor vehicles in the world, with around 17 trucks and buses inspected, on average, every minute in Canada, the United States and Mexico during a 72-hour period. Since the program's inception in 1988, more than 1.5 million roadside inspections have been conducted.
CVSA President Capt. Christopher Turner of the Kansas Highway Patrol said 32 percent of drivers who were placed out of service during last year's Roadcheck were cited for violations related to hours-of-service regulations. "It's definitely an area we need to call attention to this year," he said. "Although the electronic logging device rule that went into effect on Dec. 18, 2017, does not change any of the underlying hours-of-service rules or exceptions, the ELD mandate placed a spotlight on hours-of-service compliance. We thought this year would be a perfect opportunity to focus on the importance of the hours-of-service regulations."
North American Standard Level 1 inspections will be primarily conducted. Standard Level 1 inspections, a 37-step process include:
- An examination of driver operating requirements
- Checking brake systems
- Cargo securement
- Coupling devices
- Driveline and driveshaft components
- Exhaust systems
- Frames
- Fuel systems
- Lighting devices
- Steering mechanisms
- Suspensions
- Tires
- Van and open-top trailer bodies
- Wheels
- Rims and hubs
- Windshield wipers
Additional items for buses include:
- Seating
- Emergency exits
- Electrical cables and systems in the engine and battery compartments.
Drivers will be asked to provide their operating credentials, hours-of-service documentation, and will be checked for seatbelt usage. Inspectors also will be attentive to apparent alcohol and/or drug impairment.
If no critical inspection item violations are found during a Level I Inspection, a CVSA decal will be applied to the vehicle, indicating that it successfully passed a decal-eligible inspection conducted by a CVSA-certified inspector. If an inspector does identify critical inspection item violations, he or she may render the driver or vehicle out of service if the condition meets the North American Out-of-Service Criteria. This means the driver cannot operate the vehicle until the vehicle and/or driver qualification violation(s) are corrected.
