CVSA Brake Safety Week runs Aug. 23-29 with inspectors focused on drums and rotors

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance's annual Brake Safety Week began Sunday, Aug. 23, and runs through Saturday, Aug. 29. Certified inspectors throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico are conducting roadside inspections with special emphasis on brake systems and components.

This year's focus area is brake drums and rotors. CVSA says drum and rotor issues can reduce a vehicle's braking efficiency, and that broken pieces can come loose en route and damage other vehicles or injure people on the road. Inspectors will record the condition of drums and rotors on each vehicle they inspect, in addition to the usual brake-related violation data.

During the week, inspectors are checking for missing, non-functioning, loose, contaminated or cracked parts; non-manufactured holes such as rust holes or holes worn through by rubbing; broken springs in the spring brake housing; and audible air leaks around brake components and lines.

Any commercial motor vehicle found with a brake-related out-of-service violation under the North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria is restricted from operating until the violation is corrected. CVSA will collect the week's brake data and release the results later this year. According to CVSA, brake-related violations are the most-cited out-of-service vehicle violation across the roughly 4 million roadside inspections conducted in North America each year.