CVSA Roadcheck 2021: 16.5% of Vehicles and 5.3% of Drivers Placed Out of Service
In August 2021, CVSA released results from its May inspection blitz, where hours of service led driver violations and lighting ranked third for vehicles.
In August 2021, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance released the results of its 2021 International Roadcheck. Inspectors had conducted more than 40,000 truck and bus inspections in the U.S., Canada and Mexico from May 4 to 6, 2021.
About 83.5% of the vehicles inspected had no out-of-service violations. Even so, inspectors removed 6,710 vehicles and 2,080 drivers from service, a 16.5% vehicle out-of-service rate and a 5.3% driver rate, according to CVSA's August 3, 2021 release.
Level I inspections
Most checks were the 37-step North American Standard Level I Inspection. Inspectors performed 23,135 of them and placed 21.8% of those vehicles and 5.2% of those drivers out of service. In the U.S., 19,786 Level I inspections led to out-of-service orders for 20.9% of vehicles and 5.5% of drivers.
Focus areas: lighting and hours of service
Each year CVSA highlights particular categories. In 2021 it chose two.
Lighting accounted for 1,367 vehicle out-of-service violations, or 14.1% of the total, ranking third behind brake systems and tires. The top five vehicle violations overall were:
- Brake systems: 2,564 (26.5%)
- Tires: 1,804 (18.6%)
- Lights: 1,367 (14.1%)
- Brake adjustment: 1,203 (12.4%)
- Cargo securement: 1,192 (12.3%)
Hours of service was the top driver out-of-service violation, at 1,203 violations, or 41.5% of all driver out-of-service violations. It was followed by wrong class of license, "other" violations, false logs and suspended licenses. In the U.S. alone, hours of service made up 33.6% of driver out-of-service violations.
Inspectors also issued 773 seatbelt violations, 464 of them in the U.S.
What it means for drivers and fleets
The numbers point to familiar, preventable problems. Brakes, tires and lights together accounted for well over half of vehicle out-of-service violations, and all three can be caught in a thorough pre-trip inspection. Fleets could use the results to sharpen maintenance programs and driver vehicle inspection reports.
On the driver side, hours of service and false logs together made up more than half of out-of-service orders. Carriers had reason to audit ELD records and dispatch practices. That included checking that drivers were not pushed against their limits by detention or tight delivery windows.
Vehicles that passed a Level I or V inspection with no critical violations were eligible for a CVSA decal, generally valid for up to three months. Decaled vehicles are usually not selected for another inspection during that time.