Roadcheck 2011 and the Impact on your CSA Scores
CDL Drivers and Carriers: Mark your calendars! Roadcheck 2011 will be conducted June 7-9.
Operation Roadcheck is a 72-hour roadside inspection and enforcement blitz in which an estimated 10,000 inspectors set up more than 1,000 checkpoints on highways across North America to monitor truck safety compliance. Since its inception in 1988, Operation Roadcheck is the largest targeted enforcement program on commercial vehicles in the world with an estimated 14 trucks or buses being inspected, on average, every minute from Canada to Mexico during the three day period.
The inspections are held in cooperation with the FMCSA, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators, Transport Canada and the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation of Mexico.
As in past events, this year's Roadcheck will focus on commercial vehicle and driver safety and security. However, with the advent of CSA, these roadside inspections now play an even more important role. That’s because all inspection violations will become part of your CSA record. The Safety Measurement System (SMS) uses the on-road safety performance of carriers and drivers to identify candidates for interventions, determine the specific safety problems a carrier or driver exhibits, and to monitor whether safety problems are improving or worsening.
Here are five steps you can take to make sure you survive Roadcheck 2011:
- Understand the inspection process. The roadside inspection involves a comprehensive 37-step procedure which includes items related to vehicle, driver and cargo safety. Click here for a complete list of the inspection procedures.
- Know the most frequently cited violations. Last year, CMV enforcement conducted 65,327 inspections across the US. Of those, almost 49,000 were Level 1. 4.4 percent of the drivers and 19.6 percent of the vehicles were placed out of service. The specific driver violations include hours of service, false logs, license issues, age and drug and alcohol issues. For equipment, the most frequent violations include brake issues, tires and wheels, lights, load securement, steering, frames, and suspensions.
- Keep your vehicle clean and well maintained.
- Conduct thorough pre- and post-trip inspections.
- Treat the inspector with courtesy and respect.
The CVSA has announced that the 2011 edition of the North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria Handbook and Pictorial is now available for purchase. For more information on Operation Roadcheck, visit http://www.cvsa.org/.
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