After being delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance has announced the new dates for Roadcheck 2020. The 72-hour enforcement event will now take place Wednesday, September 9 through Friday, September 11.
Related Article: 2019 Roadcheck Results: Top Driver Violations
If you’ve been operating as a motor carrier for a while, you’re probably very familiar with this event and how it works. For 72 hours, inspectors across North America conduct roadside inspections of commercial motor vehicles to ensure both driver and truck safety. Each year, there is a particular focus of the inspection. Last year, the focus was on steering and suspension systems. This year, the focus will be on driver requirements.
Driver requirements will include things like ensuring the driver has a valid CDL, an up-to-date medical certificate (with a copy on hand) and accurate hours of service records. Inspectors will also be looking for seatbelt usage and visual signs of fatigue or drug and alcohol abuse.
Drivers who are found to be operating noncompliantly, or who are operating a truck with safety issues, may be placed out-of-service immediately following the inspection. Last year, 17.9% of vehicles and 4.2% of drivers were placed out of service because of critical violations.
During the 2019 inspection event, 67,072 inspections were conducted throughout North America. Most of these were Level 1 inspections, which is the most thorough of the inspection types and includes a look at a vehicle’s brake systems, cargo securement, exhaust systems, frames, lighting devices, steering mechanisms, suspensions, tires and wheels (among other items). It also includes a look at the driver’s hours of service logs, CDL, medical certificate and their enrollment in a drug and alcohol testing program (if required).
In 2019, the top vehicle violations were braking systems, tires and wheels, brake adjustments and cargo securement. For drivers, the top violations were related to hours of service, having the wrong license class and false logs.
For the next few weeks, we’ll be taking a closer look at some of the driver requirements inspectors will be looking at during the upcoming enforcement event to ensure you and your drivers are prepared.