With a focus on driver requirements, the annual Roadcheck truck inspection blitz has now been rescheduled for Sept. 9-11, according to the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA). Originally slated for May, the Roadcheck was postponed due to concerns regarding COVID-19.
Inspectors from the U.S., Canada and Mexico will be targeting mandatory driver documents such as licenses, record of duty status, periodic inspection reports, Medical Examiner’s Certificates and more during the three-day event.
While the pandemic changed priorities for many local commercial motor vehicle law enforcement agencies, things are moving back to normal. CVSA President John Samis said, “Jurisdictions are nearly back to their pre-pandemic capacity with a strengthened concentration on identifying and removing unfit vehicles and drivers from our roadways using federal safety standards and the out-of-service criteria.”
Last year, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration conducted over 3.3 million inspections with just under one million driver violations and about 200,000 vehicles being placed out of service.
Among the top ten driver related violations documented during the Roadcheck include failure to use a seat belt, record of duty status violations, operating a property carrying vehicle without valid medical certification, inaccurate record of duty status reports, operating without a license and ELD problems.
Inspectors will also be looking for illness, fatigue and evidence of alcohol or drug use or possession. CVSA’s North American inspection procedures involve a 37-point checklist with various levels. Level I inspections will be most common.
CVSA’s website says, “The North American Standard Inspection Program identifies critical inspection items and unsafe conditions that place vehicles and/or drivers out of service through a uniform inspection process.”
After completion of the inspection, vehicles will receive a colored decal featuring the year and the CVSA trademark with vehicles being inspected in Sept. getting orange decals for 2020.
