Roadcheck inspection blitz rescheduled to Sept 9-11

Roadchek inspection required

At the height of COVID-19 and the limitations brought on by the pandemic, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance postponed the annual International Roadcheck inspection. Limitations have since eased and the CVSA was rescheduled the annual inspection for September 9 to 11, 2020.  The event culminated without any problems. However, the CVSA has yet to release the official results of the safety blitz.

International Roadcheck inspection is a three-day annual affair spanning across the US, Canada, and Mexico wherein CVSA-certified inspectors conduct commercial vehicle and driver inspections at certain pitstop locations or through mobile patrols. Points of inspection were based on federal regulations as well as North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria.

Every year the CVSA puts emphasis on a certain aspect of inspection violations. This year’s focus was on driver violations. The particular focus is apt in light of the recent data collected by the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. According to the governing body’s research, in 2019, 952,938 driver violations were discovered from over 3 million inspections.

The inspection involved the North American Standard Level I inspection. This includes a 37-step procedure that is broken down into two parts – driver inspection and vehicle inspection. Inspectors implemented COVID-19 safety precautions during the entirety of the assessment.

Roadcheck Safety Blitz: Local Results

At the time of writing, there has yet to be an official announcement from the CVSA regarding the results of this year’s Roadcheck Safety Blitz. However, local officials from across the country have released information about the safety checks that happened in their area.

In New Hampshire, the state police dutifully conducted the inspections for 72-hours. In total, they checked 225 commercial vehicles in a span of three days.

The department issued 10 decals to the vehicles that passed Level I inspections without any critical violations. 396 violations were discovered in the area and 33 commercial vehicles were rendered out of service due to severe safety infractions. Likewise, 14 drivers were placed out of service for breaking various safety precautions including possession of drugs, driving without a proper license, and exceeding driving hours.

Last year, the CVSA conducted the inspection early in June. It released the 2019 Roadcheck inspection blitz results more than two months after the event on August 29, 2019. In total, the 2019 Roadcheck has resulted in the removal of over 12,000 vehicles and the dismissal or temporary suspension of almost 3000 drivers.

Importance of Roadcheck Inspections

Driving long-haul trucks for a living can be demanding and dangerous at times. Both drivers and their respective vehicles are subjected to long hours on the road with barely any pitstops.

Ensuring that trucks can handle long distances and drivers are fit enough to withstand the demands of longhaul travel is important in preventing fatal accidents. Truth be told, there are instances when road service isn’t enough to get a vehicle and its driver back on the road.

The CVSA is expected to release the 2020 results in a couple of weeks. Follow us and stay tuned for the updates.