CVSA releases 2024 International Roadcheck Results

Commercial motor vehicle enforcement personnel in Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. conducted 48,761 inspections during this year’s International Roadcheck, May 14-16. Seventy-seven percent of commercial motor vehicles and 95.2% of commercial motor vehicle drivers had no out-of-service (OOS) violations.

Conversely, inspectors discovered 13,567 vehicles, 2,714 drivers, and 163 hazardous materials/dangerous goods (HM/DG) out-of-service violations, placing 9,345 commercial motor vehicle combinations and 2,290 drivers out of service. The overall vehicle out-of-service rate was 23%, and the driver out-of-service rate was 4.8%.

International Roadcheck is a three-day commercial motor vehicle and driver inspection, enforcement, and data-gathering initiative. Law enforcement jurisdictions throughout North America voluntarily participate in International Roadcheck with support from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators, Transport Canada, and Mexico’s Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications, and Transportation.

Each year, International Roadcheck places special emphasis on a category of vehicle violations and a category of driver violations. This year, the vehicle emphasis area was on tractor protection systems (TPS), including the tractor protection valve, trailer supply valve, and anti-bleed-back valve. Inspectors identified 564 TPS-related violations on commercial motor vehicle combinations. Tractor protection systems safeguard the tractor’s air supply and prevent air loss when the tractor is not connected to a trailer or if the trailer breaks away.

Vehicle violations

North American Standard Level I, II, and V Inspections are the inspection types that involve inspections of commercial motor vehicles. Of the 40,458 Level I, II, and V Inspections conducted, 9,299 vehicle combinations were placed out of service, which means those vehicle combinations were restricted from further travel until all out-of-service vehicle violations were resolved. A vehicle is placed out of service when an inspector identifies critical vehicle inspection item violations, as detailed in the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria.

The top vehicle out-of-service violation in North America was for defective service brakes. Fully functional brakes are essential, as controlling a vehicle’s speed and making a quick stop, if necessary, is vital to safe driving. Defective service brakes can prevent a driver from stopping quickly and completely. When brakes fail, the results can be catastrophic for the driver and everyone on our roadways.

CVSA aims to prevent crashes caused by faulty braking systems through Operation Airbrake, a comprehensive program dedicated to improving commercial motor vehicle brake safety throughout North America. This is achieved by conducting roadside inspections and educating drivers, mechanics, owner-operators, and others on the importance of proper brake inspection, maintenance, and operation.

Driver violations

Of the 47,743 Level I, II, and III Inspections, inspectors restricted 2,290 commercial motor vehicle drivers from further travel due to driver out-of-service violations. Hours-of-service violations were the top reason drivers were placed out of service. Inspectors restricted 870 drivers from further travel due to hours-of-service violations.

To View International Roadcheck results from previous years, click here.