Upcoming truck brake safety inspections

Truck and bus safety enforcement agencies throughout Canada and the U.S. will conduct 12 hours of roadside inspections targeted on brake safety on September 4, 2003.
The inspections are part of Operation Air Brake, a safety campaign that originated in Canada in 1998. It is sponsored by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance and includes participation from the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and Transport Canada.

Brake-related defects continue to be the most significant and frequent violations that commercial vehicle safety inspectors discover during a roadside inspection. Operation Air Brake campaign places emphasis on education and awareness of the need to improve brake safety and promotes:

*increasing drivers’ and motor carriers’ knowledge of brake compliance and vehicle brake performance;
*making sure all applicable brake inspection requirements are followed; and,
*encouraging commercial vehicle brake system inspections throughout North America.

Drivers whose vehicles are inspected during Operation Air Brake receive literature that provides information about proper brake inspection and maintenance.

Operation Air Brake includes two primary international events each year. The first, having an enforcement emphasis, takes place on an unannounced date in May. The second, having an educational focus, is announced and takes place the first week in September.

The September 2002 event resulted in inspections of 13,340 commercial vehicles, 110,990 brakes checked and a 16.4 per cent out-of-service rate.

For further information, contact Steve Keppler at stevek@cvsa.org at 202-775-1623