June 2-4 inspection blitz to focus on cargo securement
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s 28th annual Roadcheck inspection blitz is set for June 2-4, when about 10,000 inspectors will spend 72 hours crawling over North America’s trucks and buses – and this year they’ll be paying particular attention to cargo securement.
Last year, 18.7% of inspected vehicles were placed out of service, down from 20.6% in 2013. A mere 4.8% of drivers were out of service, compared to 4.3% in 2013. Brakes continue to be the leading source of vehicle out-of-service defects, with brake systems accounting for 29.5% and brake adjustment adding up to 16.7%. Hours of Service violations were responsible for 46.5% of the driver infractions.
The Top 5 cargo securement violations that were reported in the 2014 blitz included:
- Failing to secure vehicle equipment
- Failing to load/equip vehicle to prevent load shifting/falling
- Leaking/spilling/blowing/falling cargo
- Insufficient tiedowns; without headerboard/blocking
- Loose/unfastened tiedowns
About 17 trucks or buses are inspected every minute during the North American event, which focuses on motor carrier, vehicle, driver and cargo safety and security. More than 1.4 million Roadcheck inspections have been conducted since the program was launched in 1988.
Most of the focus involves North American Standard Level 1 inspections, which includes 37 steps.
Drivers will be asked to provide licences, endorsements, medical cards and logbooks, and will be checked to ensure they are using seatbelts and complying with drug and alcohol restrictions. Vehicles inspections will cover brakes, coupling devices, exhaust systems, frames, fuel systems, lights, safe loading, steering mechanisms, drivelines, suspensions, tires, van and open-top trailer bodies, wheels and rims, windshield wipers, and in the case of buses, emergency exits.
One way to reduce the risks of fines, out-of-service violations, unsafe and non-compliant drivers is to be trained, says the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada. The group’s online Driver’s Academy at www.pmtcacademy.ca provides access to a training library of more than 40 courses including Practical Vehicle Inspections and Practical Cargo Securement – all for just $4.75 per driver.
Additional resources:
What inspectors are looking for: CVSA
www.cvsa.org/programs/documents/roadcheck2014/what_inspectors_are_looking_for.pdf
International Roadcheck checklist for drivers
www.cvsa.org/programs/documents/roadcheck/roadcheck-checklist-for-drivers-02202015.pdf
