Steering and suspensions will be the focus of this year’s Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance International Roadcheck inspection event, taking place June 4-6.
Over the 72-hour period, commercial vehicle inspectors in jurisdictions throughout North America will conduct inspections on commercial vehicles and drivers. Each year, the CVSA emphasizes a category of violations and this year the group is highlighting steering components and suspension systems as a reminder of the importance to highway safety.
“Steering and suspension are safety critical systems for any commercial motor vehicle. Not only do they support the heavy loads carried by trucks and buses, but they also help maintain stability and control under acceleration and braking, keeping the vehicle safely on the road,” said Jay Thompson CVSA president and chief with the Arkansas Highway Police. “Furthermore, they keep tires in alignment, reducing chances of uneven tire wear and possible tire failure, and they maximize the contact between the tires and the road to provide steering stability and good handling.”
Last year’s International Roadcheck focused on hours-of-service violations, due to the new, at the time, electronic logging device mandate. As a result, hours-of-service violations were the most common cause of a vehicle being placed out of service, at 43.7% of all violations, though they occurred at a rate of only 2% of the total number of inspections and, overall, out-of-service rates were lower than in the previous year.
During International Roadcheck, CVSA-certified inspectors will primarily conduct the North American Standard Level I Inspection, a 37-step procedure that includes an examination of driver operating requirements and vehicle mechanical fitness. Inspectors may opt to conduct the Level II Walk-Around Driver/Vehicle Inspection, Level III Driver/Credential/Administrative Inspection or Level V Vehicle-Only Inspection.
The vehicle inspection includes checking critical inspection items such as: brake systems; cargo securement; coupling devices; driveline/driveshaft; driver’s seat (missing); exhaust systems; frames; fuel systems; lighting devices (headlamps, tail lamps, stop lamps, turn signals and lamps/flags on projecting loads); steering mechanisms; suspensions; tires; van and open-top trailer bodies; wheels, rims and hubs; windshield wipers.