Drivers, Mark Your Calendars

Inspection Dates Hawkeye

These inspection dates will be here before you know it.

The biggest dates for big-rig professionals are coming up fast. The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) has given plenty of advance warning for this year’s most significant upcoming inspection events. The Human Trafficking Awareness Initiative has just passed for North American operators (in January in the U.S., February in Canada, and March in Mexico).

Here’s what’s on the way next.

International Roadcheck: May 16-18, 2023

This year, CVSA-certified inspectors in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. will be paying special attention to anti-lock braking systems and cargo securement. But they’ll also be checking that vehicles and drivers meet plenty of other required standards.

For vehicles, they’ll also be looking at coupling devices, driveline/driveshaft components, the driver’s seat, fuel and exhaust systems, frames, lighting devices, steering mechanisms, suspensions, tires, wheels, rims, hubs, and windshield wipers. Passenger-carrying vehicles like motorcoaches and passenger vans also have to meet standards for emergency exits, seating, and electrical systems in the engine and battery compartments. If you have any doubts about any of those items, double and triple check them!

For drivers, the things they’ll be looking for are your operating credentials, hours-of-service documentation, and status in the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, as well as the obvious: seat belts and drug or alcohol impairment while behind the wheel.

This is serious business: last year, the CVSA put 12,456 vehicles and 3,714 drivers out of service for violations during Roadcheck.

Operation Safe Driver Week: July 9-15, 2023

Law enforcement will be cracking down on drivers this week, looking for any signs of infractions, from improper lane changes to tailgating to breaking the speed limit. Speeding, the CVSA wants us to remember, is responsible for a quarter of all crash deaths. Since 2018, speeding has killed approximately 25 people per day.

Last year, Operation Safe Driver Week saw inspectors issue 26,164 warnings and citations for unsafe driving. At the same time, for a little positive news, knights and dames of the open road assisted 3,531 motorists during Operation Safe Driver Week, performing good deeds ranging from fixing flat tires to stepping in during roadside medical emergencies.

Brake Safety Week: August 20-26, 2023

Last August, inspectors looked at 38,117 vehicles and took 13.3% of them off the road for brake violations. That’s more than 5,000 trucks and buses out of service. Expect Level IV inspections on your brake systems, which are responsible for the largest percentage of all out-of-service violations cited during roadside inspections.
Don’t think you can relax just because it’s not August. The CVSA’s Operation Airbrake will also include a one-day brake safety enforcement initiative. When? It’s unannounced, so it could be any time. Keep your brakes in good shape.

Here are three more significant dates for CVSA events:

The North American Fatigue Management Program is having a Driver Series Webinar on Mindfulness on May 17, 2023, and is offering a virtual course in their Fatigue Management Program Roadmap, June 14, 2023.
On September 17-21, 2023, during their Annual Conference and Exhibition, they’ll be giving the International Driver Excellence Awards. An IDEA trophy comes with a check for $5,000, and hotel and plane fare for two to the ceremony in Grapevine, Texas.