Greenbelt, Md. – The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) 28th annual International Roadcheck will take place June 2-4, 2015. International Roadcheck is a 72-hour period when approximately 10,000 CVSA-certified local, state, provincial and federal inspectors in jurisdictions across North America perform truck and bus inspections.
International Roadcheck is the largest targeted enforcement program on commercial motor vehicles in the world, with nearly 17 trucks or buses inspected, on average, every minute in Canada, the United States and Mexico during a 72-hour period. During the annual three-day event, CVSA-certified inspectors conduct compliance, enforcement and educational initiatives targeted at various elements of motor carrier, vehicle, driver, and cargo safety and security.
Each year, International Roadcheck places special emphasis on a category of violations. The special emphasis for International Roadcheck 2015 is cargo securement. While checking for compliance with safe loading regulations is always part of roadside inspections, CVSA is highlighting cargo safety as a reminder to drivers and carriers. The proper loading and securing of cargo on vehicles is a matter of public safety. For many types of loads, particularly those that are not sealed or otherwise inaccessible to the driver, regulations require the driver to stop within the first several miles of a trip and re-check the tie downs and other load-securing equipment.
Inspectors will primarily be conducting the North American Standard Level I Inspection, which is the most thorough roadside inspection. It is a 37-step procedure that includes an examination of both the driver and vehicle. Drivers will be asked to provide items such as their license, endorsements, medical card and hours-of-service documentation, and will be checked for seat belt usage and the use of alcohol and/or drugs. The vehicle inspection includes checking items such as the braking system, coupling devices, exhaust system, frame, fuel system, lights, safe loading, steering mechanism, drive line, suspension, tires, van and open-top trailer bodies, wheels and rims, windshield wipers, and emergency exits on buses.
International Roadcheck is a program of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance with participation by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators, Transport Canada and the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation (Mexico).
Since its inception in 1988, roadside inspections conducted during Roadcheck have numbered over 1.4 million, resulting in an estimated 318 lives saved and 5,840 injuries avoided. It also provides an opportunity to educate industry and the general public about the importance of safe commercial vehicle operations and the roadside inspection program.
