Since 1998, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), in partnership with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), has been holding an annual Brake Safety Week for large trucks and buses, an outreach and enforcement campaign designed to improve commercial motor vehicle (CMV) brake safety throughout North America.

The inspections for this year will be held from September 11 – 17th.

Inspectors will be looking for out-of-adjustment brakes and brake systems, and anti-lock braking system (ABS) violations throughout the week.

They will be targeting loose or missing parts, air or hydraulic fluid leaks, worn linings, pads, drums or rotors and other faulty brake system components.

Checks for ABS malfunction indicator lights and defective or out-of-adjustment brakes will result in the vehicle being placed out-of-service. Inspectors will be conducting Level I Inspections, and in the 10 jurisdictions currently using performance-based brake testing (PBBT) equipment, vehicle braking efficiency will be measured.

These systems include a slow speed roller dynamometer that measures total vehicle weight and total brake force from which braking efficiency is determined.

More than 3.4 million brakes have been inspected since the program began. In 2015, 18,817 large truck and bus inspections were conducted, resulting in 2,321 commercial vehicles being placed out of service.

Brake Safety Week is part of the Operation Airbrake program. Be prepared to stop!

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