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The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) has released the results of its 2024 North American Brake Safety Week, which took place from August 25 to 31. Certified inspectors across Canada, Mexico, and the United States conducted 16,725 inspections on commercial motor vehicles, finding that approximately 87% had no out-of-service violations and were deemed safe to continue operating.
Key Highlights:
- 16,725 commercial motor vehicles inspected during Brake Safety Week.
- 12.8% out-of-service rate due to brake-related violations.
- 654 brake lining/pad violations identified across power and towed units.
- 61 jurisdictions participated in the inspection initiative.
- Next year’s Brake Safety Week is scheduled for August 24-30, 2025.
During the inspection period, 2,149 vehicles were found to have brake-related out-of-service violations, resulting in a 12.8% out-of-service rate. A vehicle is placed out of service when critical inspection items, as outlined in the North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria (OOSC), are identified. Vehicles placed out of service are prohibited from further travel until all violations have been corrected.
Of the vehicles placed out of service:
- 1,355 vehicles (63.1%) had stand-alone out-of-service brake violations.
- 217 vehicles (10.1%) had steering axle brake out-of-service violations.
- 1,216 vehicles (56.6%) failed the 20% defective brakes criterion, which states that a vehicle is out of service if the number of defective brakes is equal to or greater than 20% of the service brakes on the vehicle or combination.
The focus for this year’s Brake Safety Week was on lining/pad violations. Inspectors checked for loose, missing, or worn brake lining/pads, as well as cracks, voids, or contamination. A total of 654 brake lining/pad violations were found, with 382 on power (tractor) units and 272 on towed (trailer) units.
Detailed Lining/Pad Violations:
| Violation Type | Power Unit | Towed Unit | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contaminated | 177 | 71 | 248 |
| Cracks/Voids | 103 | 77 | 180 |
| Worn | 85 | 87 | 172 |
| Loose/Missing | 17 | 37 | 54 |
| Total | 382 | 272 | 654 |
Participation was widespread, with 61 jurisdictions taking part in this year’s Brake Safety Week. In Canada, inspectors conducted 1,926 inspections, discovering 243 brake-related out-of-service violations, resulting in a 12.6% out-of-service rate. In Mexico, 107 inspections were conducted with six brake-related out-of-service violations, a 5.6% out-of-service rate. The United States saw 14,692 inspections and identified 1,900 brake-related out-of-service violations, a 12.9% out-of-service rate.
Additionally, 18 states with performance-based brake testers (PBBT) participated by conducting 452 inspections using their PBBTs, resulting in 26 failures, which is a 5.75% out-of-service rate.
Brake Safety Week is part of the CVSA’s Operation Airbrake Program, a comprehensive initiative aimed at improving commercial motor vehicle brake safety throughout North America. The goal is to reduce the number of crashes caused by faulty braking systems on commercial motor vehicles by conducting roadside inspections and educating drivers, mechanics, owner-operators, and others on the importance of proper brake inspection, maintenance, and operation.
Next year’s Brake Safety Week is scheduled for August 24-30, 2025.
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