Brake Safety Week Is Coming Up!

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) has traditionally observed Brake Safety Day during the late summer, but 2018 brings a major new development—the event has been extended for a full week! This year’s Brake Safety Week will take place from September 16 to 22, allowing the CVSA to shed even more light on the problem of poor brake safety and maintenance in commercial vehicles.

Brake systems play a critical role in the safe operation of all kinds of vehicles, but given the sheer bulk of the commercial vehicles used in goods transportation, it’s easy to see why the proper care and maintenance of their brake systems, in particular, is so important. 2017’s Brake Safety Day led to 14 percent of inspected commercial vehicles being placed out of service due to brake violations. Even if a full week of brake safety emphasis in 2018 yields a similar percentage of vehicles in violation, that’s seven times as many unsafe vehicles that could be pulled from the roads this year to undergo overdue maintenance or repairs!

Backed up by research

Brake Safety Day and this year’s Brake Safety Week are a response to an accumulation of data suggesting that commercial vehicle brakes may be more frequently neglected than trucking and shipping companies in Minnesota and beyond would care to admit—and more than their customers and other drivers on the road would prefer to think about. Among the recent findings:

• Brake issues were the single most common reason for commercial vehicles to be taken out of service during the 2017 International Roadcheck, accounting for over a quarter of violations.
• The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) conducted a Large Truck Crash Causation Study that found nearly a third of large trucks had documented brake problems prior to being involved in a crash.

During Brake Safety Week, commercial vehicles will undergo roadside inspections to gauge the condition of braking systems. Vehicles that fail the inspection will immediately be removed from service and required to undergo needed repairs before being returned to the roads. Inspectors will conduct the 37-step North American Standard Level I Inspection, which allows for a thorough examination and evaluation of all critical braking system components.

Brake Safety Week is made possible through a partnership between the CVSA, the FMCSA and the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators. Trucking companies, fleet managers, vehicle mechanics and law enforcement personnel also play key roles in spreading awareness of Brake Safety Week and the importance of proper brake function, safety and maintenance.

At K-Way Express, Inc., we take our role as a premier shipping company in Minnesota very seriously, and are committed to maintaining a fleet of commercial vehicles that are well cared for and able to keep our customers’ goods and our drivers as safe and secure as possible. To learn more about how we can assist your business with our proven transportation and logistics solutions, reach out to us today—we look forward to working with you!