The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) will be holding its Brake Safety Week on Aug. 21-27. The event is the second main safety event that CVSA holds alongside its International Roadcheck campaign.
Get those air hoses checked, because they’re the focus objective
With the new air hose wear guidelines comes this year’s focus objective: air hose chafing. Even a small amount of wear can cause drivers issues, as even a small wear mark can be seen as a violation.
Back on July 18, BTU was warning drivers to get their equipment inspected. Some vendors are pushing free or discounted mid-trip inspections focused on the possible areas that inspectors will be looking at.
TA/Petro has a free promotion running through Aug. 20 offering mid-trips. I would use its new appointment app to schedule a visit to make sure I don’t have to wait in line.
Drivers can go to this page to download a guide on what inspectors will be looking for. Here is a link to the Brake Safety Week’s main page where you can learn more about the whole process inspectors will use to look over your equipment.
Here’s some information directly from the CVSA:
“During the brake portion of a vehicle inspection, inspectors will look for missing, non-functioning, loose, contaminated or cracked parts on the brake system, and non-manufactured holes (such as rust holes and holes created by rubbing or friction) and broken springs in the spring brake housing section of the parking brake.”
“They will listen for audible air leaks around brake components and lines, and ensure the air system maintains air pressure between 90-100 psi (620-690 kPa). Inspectors will also check for S-cam flip-over and measure pushrod travel.”
“They will check that slack adjusters are the same length (from center of S-cam to center of clevis pin) and the air chambers on each axle are the same size. They will also inspect required brake-system warning devices, such as ABS malfunction lamps and low air-pressure warning devices.”
“In addition, inspectors will ensure the breakaway system is operable on the trailer, and inspect the tractor protection system, including the bleed-back system on the trailer.”
Make sure to get your equipment inspected this week. There is no excuse to wait until the last day to do this. You should be using safe and legal equipment at all times. But unfortunately, there are those outlaws that run what they want.
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