Have you heard? The 2021 Roadcheck results are in, and the trucking industry did a very good job. In fact, about 84% of the commercial motor vehicles examined during Roadcheck had no out-of-service (OOS) violations during the road check period. Lets look at the details.
More than 40,000 commercial motor vehicle inspections were conducted May 4-6 for International Roadcheck. The annual Roadcheck event is the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) annual high-volume, high-visibility inspection and enforcement initiative. Approximately 83.5% of the commercial motor vehicles examined had no out-of-service (OOS) violations. In all, inspectors removed 6,710 commercial motor vehicles and 2,080 drivers from roadways – a 16.5% vehicle and 5.3% driver out-of-service rate – over that three-day inspection period.
Each year the CVSA conducts the Roadcheck event they highlight a category of violations. They do this in an effort to bring greater awareness to specific safety measures. This year they focused specifically on hours of service and lighting violations. So, other than the fact that as a whole the industry did well, what were the specifics surrounding this year’s event?
Year 2021 Violations
The focus on lighting, however, did yield results, even if the overall percentage was pretty low. CVSA found 1,367 lighting violations that would warrant an out of service decision. This represented 14.1% of the total out of service violations. Lighting violations overall represented the third most-cited violation. Lighting violations being tracked included headlamps, tail lamps, stop lamps, turn signals, and lamps around trailers and cargo lamps.
In second place, came brake violations, with 2,564 counted. Tire problems amounted for almost the same number of violations as brakes. In total, 9,691 OOS violations were issued. In addition to lighting, brakes, and tires, brake adjustment and cargo securement problems rounded out the top violations. But it wasn’t just vehicles subject to the CVSA inspection regime. Truck drivers were also inspected.
With hours of service being an item of focus for this year’s Roadcheck, it should be no surprise it was the most cited driver violation. Problems with hours of service represented nearly half of all truck driver violations, or 1,203 in total. Still, industry insiders and even the CVSA were happy to find this was lower than their expected total for HOS violations.
How CVSA Completes Their Inspections
When the annual Roadcheck event happens, CVSA-certified inspectors post up all over the country. Truck drivers must be prepared to find them at weigh stations, inspection stations, and other designated inspection sites. Inspectors pay close attention to commercial trucks and combinations, non-cargo tank trucks, and moto coaches and buses. They follow a 37-point inspection process that involves a very thorough inspection of every aspect of the vehicle. From undercarriage to trailer, front to back, CVSA inspectors miss little.
In total, for the 2021 Roadcheck, CVSA inspectors conducted 23,135 Level I inspections. Of those, 5,048 vehicles and 1,200 truck drivers went OOS. In addition to base Level I inspections, inspectors also completed 9,410 Level II Walk-around and truck driver inspections. Finally, they also conducted 6,836 Level III truck driver and credential inspections. In necessary cases, they also conducted Level V vehicle-only inspections.
It is important that truckers and trucking companies are not lulled into a false sense of security simply because of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has announced that during the COVID-19 pandemic it will be using off-site compliance reviews more extensively, it still is continuing to conduct roadside inspections. They represent a significant chunk of reported violations. Now, the question is, how do trucking companies prepare? Don’t worry. We have all the best tips on maintaining a clean record.
Top Tips for Maintaining a Clean Record
Trucking companies need to always ensure compliance, not just when it’s Roadcheck week. Inspectors could put a tuck out of service at any time. Preparation is key. Your first step in ensuring you don’t get hit with a violation is to maintain a good preventative maintenance (PM) program. We have talked a lot about this in the past, and for good reason.
Having a PM program in place is not enough. One of the most important things you can do to ensure a smooth interaction during a roadside inspection have a multi-point checklist prepared for each vehicle. Do you have a system that tracks PM compliance? It is critical to have a record of PM service that has been completed. You must know which trucks have outstanding PMs. Beyond that, you need to make sure you are keeping up with your PMs and prioritizing completing service on trucks with overdue PMs. In the case of an accident, you will be asked for your PM records. What will they reveal?
Also make sure you don’t rely too much on pre-trip inspections. All to often truck drivers focus so much on pre-trip and are so quick to clock out and head home, they forget about their post-trip inspections. The post-trip inspection allows you to discover issues that developed while the truck was on the road. Catching something in a post-trip inspection also gives the fleet shop or an outside service provider the opportunity to fix the problem. The last thing you want is running into it the next time the truck is loaded and taken out onto the road. A post-trip inspection would have allowed you to repair the deficiency while it was back in the yard for the night.
Create an Inspection-Positive Culture
Your truck drivers are your first line of defense in avoiding unwanted violations. Make sure they have a policy in place to ensure both pre-trip and post-trip checks are completed and documented. You could also game plan your inspection policy and make it interactive and fun.
One way to help your drivers know what to look for during a pre-trip or post-trip inspection is to ask them to find problems you have created on one of your own trucks. These types of exercises and drills might be just what they need to ensure they keep inspections front of mind. Pick five things that an enforcement inspector will look for, rig the truck/trailer for a test, and test your drivers to see if they can find the problems.
Try different methods. You could, for example, pop the latch on the truck’s fire extinguisher, create a leak somewhere, removing a seal or tire cap, disconnect the horn, or take required documentation out of the vehicle. You can set these drills up as competitions and reward drivers who find the problems first. Assign awards to those who do the best. Take examples of problems from your own training materials to reinforce what you are already teaching drivers.
Properly Map Out Your Strategy
At various times throughout the year the CVSA conducts safety blitzes, specifically Brake Safety Week and Roadcheck. Obviously, brakes are the focus of Brake Safety Week and each year there is a set focus for Roadcheck. It could be brakes, tires, lights, cargo securement, or any other areas. Fleet managers need to make sure they pay close attention to the announcements as they come out. Always be aware of what’s coming and what is required in your operating region.
Also make sure your truck drivers and technicians know to look for the obvious. Tires, brakes and lighting are the top three equipment-related violations, so most truck drivers already know what to look for in those areas. But they also need to pay close attention to other potentially obvious issues. Enforcement officers will notice things like missing or inappropriate mud flaps, lights that are not operating, a tire that is bald or has pieces hanging off of it. Once an inspector notices a problem, they are going to subject the driver to a full inspection where they might uncover other violations. It could open a Pandora’s box of other potential violations.
If you are subjected to an on- or off-site audit, your paperwork must be in order. And all too often it is paperwork (or lack thereof) that winds up causing a violation. Before the inspector comes to your location, you will get an official letter with a list of the documents you need to provide. However, even when they are at your office they will request additional items such as drivers’ electronic logs, fuel receipts, trip sheets, and more. It is best to be able to email those to the inspector. In the end, if you are prepared, you will come out crystal clear when an audit or inspection occurs.