CVSA-certified inspectors placed 574 commercial motor vehicles out of service for brake-related violations during the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s 2026 Brake Safety Day on April 14, a 14.3% out-of-service rate that ran significantly higher than the 8.7% rate recorded during the prior year’s unannounced campaign. Inspectors in 47 jurisdictions across the United States, Canada, and Mexico conducted 4,021 inspections during the one-day enforcement initiative, which was not publicly announced in advance. Drum and rotor condition was the named focus area, mirroring the emphasis carried into the upcoming Brake Safety Week. The Alliance released the full results on May 19.
Highlights
- 4,021 commercial motor vehicle inspections conducted across 47 jurisdictions in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
- 574 vehicles (14.3%) placed out of service for brake-related violations; 3,447 vehicles (85.7%) inspected without brake-related OOS findings.
- 313 vehicles met the 20% defective brakes out-of-service criterion — the single largest violation category.
- 43 drum and rotor violations identified, 21 of which were out-of-service violations.
Inspection Results by Country
U.S. inspectors conducted the bulk of the day’s activity, completing 3,301 inspections and identifying 460 brake-related OOS violations for a 13.9% OOS rate. Canada conducted 716 inspections with 112 OOS violations (15.6%), and Mexico conducted four inspections with two OOS findings.
| Country | Inspections | Brake OOS Violations | Brake OOS Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 3,301 | 460 | 13.9% |
| Canada | 716 | 112 | 15.6% |
| Mexico | 4 | 2 | 50% |
| Combined | 4,021 | 574 | 14.3% |
The combined 14.3% OOS rate represents a substantial increase over the 2025 Brake Safety Day, when 8.7% of 4,569 inspected vehicles were placed out of service. It also runs above the 15.1% rate from the August 2025 Brake Safety Week results, when 2,296 of 15,175 inspected vehicles were sidelined.
Drum and Rotor Findings
This year’s Brake Safety Day placed special emphasis on drum and rotor condition, with inspectors capturing data on the specific defect types encountered across air disc, S-cam, and hydraulic brake systems.
Inspectors identified 43 drum and rotor violations in total, with 21 resulting in out-of-service orders. Rusted rotors on air disc systems were the most common single defect at 24 violations, followed by broken drums on S-cam systems at nine and broken rotors on air disc systems at eight.
| Violation | Air Disc | S-Cam | Hydraulic | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broken Rotor | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Rusted Rotor | 24 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| Metal-to-Metal Contact | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Broken Drum | 0 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Total | 33 | 9 | 1 | 43 |
Top Out-of-Service Violation Categories
The 20% defective brakes criterion — applied when one-fifth or more of a vehicle’s brakes have a condition that impairs braking ability to the point of being considered defective — produced the single largest violation count of the day, with 313 vehicles flagged. Brake hoses and tubing accounted for 121 OOS violations, steering axle defects accounted for 47, and 40 vehicles failed an air loss rate test. An additional 193 vehicles were placed out of service for other brake-related conditions, including inoperative tractor protection systems, hydraulic and electric brake violations, inoperative parking and emergency brakes, and inoperative low-air warning devices.
Performance-Based Brake Testing
Ten U.S. jurisdictions used performance-based brake testers (PBBTs), conducting 349 inspections with the equipment. U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations and CVSA’s North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria require a minimum braking efficiency of 43.5%. Twenty-six vehicles — 7.45% of those tested with a PBBT — failed to meet that threshold and were placed out of service.
Inspection Level Mix
Most of the day’s enforcement activity was conducted under the North American Standard Level I Inspection, a 37-step procedure covering both driver credentials and vehicle mechanical fitness. Level I inspections accounted for 3,643 of the 4,021 total inspections, or 90.6%. Brake Safety Day operates under CVSA’s Operation Airbrake program, which runs in partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The next Brake Safety Week is scheduled for August 23–29.
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