Brake linings and pads will be the focus of Brake Safety Week, which is scheduled for Aug. 20-26, according to an announcement from the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance.
During Brake Safety Week, law enforcement officers will inspect brake systems and remove commercial motor vehicles found to have brake-related out-of-service violations from roadways until those violations are corrected. Throughout the week, CVSA-certified inspectors will conduct their usual inspections. However, they will be reporting brake-related inspection and violation data to the alliance.
“The focus of this year’s Brake Safety Week is on the condition of the brake lining and pad,” said CVSA President Maj. Chris Nordloh with the Texas Department of Public Safety. “Brake lining and pad issues may result in vehicle violations and could affect a motor carrier’s safety rating.”
RELATED NEWS: Unannounced brake inspection blitz leads to 679 CMVs out of service
When inspectors conduct the brake portion of a Level I or Level V Inspection, they will:
- Check for missing, non-functioning, loose or cracked parts.
- Check for contaminated, worn, cracked and missing linings or pads.
- Check for S-cam flipover.
- Listen for audible air leaks around brake components and lines.
- 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.
- Ensure the brake system maintains air pressure between 90-100 psi (620-690 kPa) and measure pushrod travel.
- Inspect for non-manufactured holes (e.g., rust holes, holes created by rubbing or friction, etc.) and broken springs in the spring brake housing section of the parking brake.
- Inspect required brake system warning devices, such as anti-lock braking system (ABS) malfunction lamp(s) and low air-pressure warning devices.
- Inspect the tractor protection system, including the bleedback system on the trailer.
- Ensure the breakaway system is operable on the trailer.
During a recent unannounced brake inspection day, inspectors placed 679 commercial vehicles out of service in the U.S. A total of 5,901 vehicles were inspected in the U.S.
In last year’s Brake Safety Week, 34,402 inspections were conducted and 4,664 — or 13.6% of inspected vehicles — had brake-related violations.
Ahead of August’s brake inspection, the CVSA suggests drivers and their fleets:
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