CVSA's annual Brake Safety Week kicks off this Sunday, August 24, and runs through Saturday, August 30, in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
What’s happening: During this event, inspectors will pull over commercial trucks and give extra attention to truck brake systems, especially looking at brake drums and rotors this year.
- If a truck has a brake issue that doesn’t meet requirements, it’ll be put out of service until fixed.
- Some places will use performance-based brake testers (PBBT), which are special machines that check the actual stopping power of your truck, not just how things look.
- Brakes will need to show at least 43.5% braking efficiency when tested. Anything less means repairs are needed, according to CVSA.
Why it matters: CVSA runs this blitz to push brake maintenance and keep unsafe trucks off the road. Last year, about 12.8% of trucks checked during the week were put out of service for brake problems.
Inspectors will also gather data on violations, and share the results later in the year.