Roadcheck inspection blitz put one of five trucks inspected out of service

Roadcheck 2013, the 72-hour inspection spree done annually by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, saw out-of-service rates bump up slightly from 2012′s historically low numbers, but only slightly, as 24.1 percent of the 73,023 trucks and buses inspected were placed out of service. In 2012, 22.4 percent of the 74,072 vehicles inspected were placed out of service.

Moreover, 4.3 percent of the 71,630 drivers inspected this year were placed out of service, compared to 3.9 percent last year.

CVSA said in this year’s Roadcheck, held June 4-6, it placed an emphasis on cargo securement, which accounted for 11.7 percent of the out-of-service violations issued — one out of every 50 trucks inspected. That number is down from 2012′s 12.3 percent.

Brakes generally stand out as the main cause of out-of-service violations, CVSA said, and 49.6 percent of the vehicle out-of-service violations came from brake adjustment or other brake system violations. Lights violations accounted for 12.6 percent of the violations, and tires and wheels made up 10.1 percent of OOS orders.

Of the roughly 3,000 drivers placed out of service, hours-of-service violations accounted for 51.8 percent of OOS orders, on part with last year’s 50.2 percent. False logs accounted for 13.2 percent of OOS orders. Disqualified drivers made up 10.2 percent of the violations, and suspended licenses accounted for 5.2 percent.

Of the total number of vehicle inspections, 47,771 of them were Level I inspections, CVSA says, in which vehicles and drivers are assessed for violations of both state and federal regulations. The remaining inspections in this year’s Roadcheck were either driver-only or vehicle-only, CVSA says.

In the 72-hour event, roughly 10,000 CVSA and FMCSA inspectors participated at 2,500 locations around North America.

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