Each year the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance organizes three major truck inspection events across North America. CVSA is a non-profit association of commercial motor vehicle safety officials in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, with participation by trucking industry representatives. The truck inspection events provide an annual snapshot of trucking safety and compliance, helping commercial law enforcement, motor carriers and professional drivers work on areas needing improvement.

The dates for these three truck inspection events are public, as is the focus of each event. Summaries of past years’ events are available on the CVSA website. There is every opportunity for trucking companies to prepare their equipment and drivers for the special attention they will receive.

Here are the three events in 2024:

International Roadcheck – May 14-16, 2024

Over these 72 hours, CVSA-certified inspectors will review the safety and legal status of, on average, nearly 15 trucks, motorcoaches, and their drivers every minute. Chances are good that an individual truck or bus will be inspected. That is also true for commercial vehicles from motor carriers who participate in a weigh station bypass program, like PrePass, because states and provinces adjust their pull-in rates during International Roadcheck to inspect a greater breadth of carriers.

While the Roadcheck inspectors will look at all the safety and compliance areas for equipment and drivers with each inspection, every International Roadcheck also has a special emphasis. In 2023 the focus was anti-lock braking systems and cargo securement.

For 2024, there will be two focus areas – one related to driving behavior and one relating to vehicle maintenance. For drivers, the 2024 focus will be on the presence or use of controlled substances and alcohol. The Roadcheck inspections will look for physical and behavioral evidence of controlled substances and alcohol and include a query of the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse.

On the vehicle maintenance side, the 2024 Roadcheck will focus on tractor protection and anti-bleed back systems. A commercial motor vehicle’s tractor protection system consists of a tractor protection valve, trailer supply valve and anti-bleed back valve. All valves should be properly tested during a driver’s trip inspection and an inspector’s roadside inspection.

Operation Safe Driver Week – July 7-13, 2024

All drivers on the road hold personal responsibility for the safety of others. That’s the message of Operation Safe Driver Week, when commercial vehicle law enforcement expands its attention from truck and bus drivers to include passenger vehicle drivers. All drivers of all vehicles will be targeted for high-risk driving behaviors.

What is considered “high-risk”?

  • Speeding – the most frequent driver-related crash factor, regardless of vehicle type. Speeding is a factor in 26% of all crash deaths since 2008.
  • Distracted driving – in 2019, distracted driving claimed 3,142 lives.
  • Drunk driving – drunk driving takes a daily toll of 28 lives in the U.S.
  • Failure to wear seat belts – 47% of passenger car occupants killed in 2019 were not wearing seat belts. But seat belts are important for truck drivers, too. No matter who or what causes a crash, a seat belt prevents more extensive injury.

So, what will law enforcement see as an indicator of “high-risk” driver behavior? Following too close, hard braking, sudden lane changes, swerving, failure to signal. These, and other risky behaviors should always be avoided by professional truck drivers. During Operation Safe Driver Week, they will receive close attention by law enforcement.

Brake Safety Week – August 25-31, 2024, and a one-day brake safety event.

As part of CVSA’s Operation Airbrake Program, Brake Safety Week and an unannounced one-day brake safety enforcement event will have inspectors conduct brake system evaluations –primarily Level IV inspections – on large trucks and buses. Faulty brakes are clearly a safety concern. For truckers, brake-related violations are the most frequent of all out-of-service violations cited during inspections.

CVSA announces these three major truck inspection events early so that motor carriers and truck drivers can be prepared. But how can determine where you need to make improvements? One way is participation in the PrePass weigh station bypass program.

With PrePass, you receive the analytical capabilities of INFORM™ Safety, an intuitive data visualization tool that makes official government safety data understandable and easy to communicate. INFORM Safety allows you to drill down to exactly where inspections have uncovered violations… even down to the terminal, truck, or driver potentially responsible. With INFORM Safety, PrePass members can improve their safety record. And therein lies a special bonus to carriers and drivers who do prepare: their focus on safety and compliance will not only serve them well through the three events but year-round, as well.

The PrePass blog and podcasts are published as a public service of PrePass®, the most reliable and technologically advanced weigh station bypass and integrated electronic trucking toll payment platform in North America. PrePass also includes INFORM™ Safety and INFORM™ Tolling software for improving truck safety scores and lowering toll costs.