The out of service (OOS) rate for brake-elated violations dropped to near-record lows this year, according to an analysis of the results from Operation Airbrake conducted September 8-14 this year under the auspices of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
CVSA enforcement agencies participating in its annual Operation Airbrake campaign inspected 20,067 vehicles and placed 2,714 commercial vehicles out-of-service for brake violations. Of the vehicles inspected, the OOS rate for all brake-related violations conducted in North America reached 13.5%, compared with 15.3% for the same week in 2012 and 14.2% in 2011.
This rate for brake violations ties with May 2013 and September 2010 for the lowest OOS rates recorded since CVSA began conducting this annual campaign 15 years ago, the group added.
“It’s a good sign to significant extent because we’re now more focused on carriers with high CSA [Compliance Safety Accountability] scores,” William Schaefer, CVSA’s director of vehicle programs, told Fleet Owner. “Such carriers are being targeted more yet brake violations keep going down; it’s a promising trend.”
“This is encouraging news,“ added CVSA President Tom Fuller, a sergeant with the New York State Police. “Maintenance is a critical part of vehicle and carrier safety performance, brakes especially. The recent data indicates a positive trend in that direction. We appreciate responsible carriers taking it seriously and doing their part to make our highways safer.”
CVSA’s data also indicated that while the OOS rate for brake adjustment rose slightly to 9% – still near a record low – the OOS rate for brake components dropped to 7.1%, the lowest it has been since 2000.
In raw numbers, 1,811 or 9% of vehicles were placed OOS for brake adjustment in 2013, compared to 9.4% in 2012, 8.4% in 2011, and 8.9% in 2010. By contrast, some 1,434 or 7.1% of vehicles were placed OOS for brake components in 2013, compared to 7.8% in 2012, 7.9% in 2011, and 8% in 2010.
Still, Schaefer stressed that overall OOS rates are still holding at 20%, meaning about 1 in 5 trucks that are inspected get placed out of service for being an imminent hazard – with nearly half of those being brake-related.
“That’s not so good and it still means we’ve got work to do in terms of enforcement, education, and regulatory understanding,” he explained.
CVSA added that the OOS rates for inspections in Canada were lower than in the U.S., which is historically consistent. The OOS rate for brake adjustment was 9.2% in the U.S. and 6.2% in Canada, while the OOS rate for brake components was 7.2% in the U.S. and 5.4% in Canada. Overall, the OOS rate for brakes was 13.6% in the U.S. and 11.6% in Canada.
