By Today’s Trucking

Canadian enforcement teams placed 33.2% of inspected vehicles out of service during the international Roadcheck blitz that was conducted May 14-16, compared to a 23.2% out-of-service rate in the U.S.

Teams completed 5,411 Level I, II and III inspections on this side of the border, placing 1,798 vehicles and 102 drivers out of service, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance reports. In the U.S., there were 42,332 inspections, with 7,930 vehicles and 2,151 drivers placed out of service.

Level 1 inspections involve 37 steps and include vehicles and drivers.

The vehicle emphasis area this year was on tractor protection systems, including the tractor protection valve, trailer supply valve and anti-bleed-back valve.

Defective service brakes topped the out-of-service violations across North America at 25%. The other Top 5 issues were tires at 20.8%, other brake violations at 18.3%, lights at 11.6%, and cargo securement at 9.6%.

Hours of Service clearly dominated driver-related violations, at 32.1% of the total. Trailing behind that were no commercial driver’s licence (25.4%), no medical card (11.2%), false logs (10.9%), and suspended driver’s licence/commercial driver’s licence (5.1%).

But most equipment and drivers were good to go. Inspectors affixed 17,395 decals to power units, trailers and motorcoaches/buses, meaning the equipment won’t be subject to inspections for the next three months.

Inspectors conducted 48,761 inspections, consisting of 29,342 Level I inspections; 10,098 Level II inspections that involve reviewing the driver’s operating credentials and requirements and includes only vehicle inspection items that can be inspected without the inspector physically getting under the vehicle; 8,303 Level III inspections that consist of driver credentials and operating requirements inspection; and 1,018 Level V inspections that involve vehicle inspection items and may be conducted without a driver present, at any location.

Loading was the top issue among the 163 hazardous material and dangerous goods violations, representing 36.8% of the total. This was followed by placards (26.4%), shipping papers (22.7%), bulk packages (4.9%), and training certification (4.3%).

Inspectors checked safety belt usage during inspections and identified 535 seatbelt violations.

Canada’s Top 5 vehicle OOS violations

1. Other brake violations – 538 – 29.9%
2. Defective service brakes – 284 – 15.8%
3. Cargo securement – 277 – 15.4%
4. Tires – 212 – 11.8%
5. Lighting devices – 158 – 8.8%

Canada’s Top 5 driver OOS violations

1. Hours of service – 25 – 24.5%
2. No commercial driver’s licence – 24 – 23.5%
3. False logs – 14 – 13.7%
4. Licence restriction – 13 – 12.7%
5. Expired licence – 9 – 8.8%

Canada’s Top 5 dangerous goods violations

1. Placards – 8 – 34.8%
2. Training certification – 7 – 30.4%
3. Bulk package – 5 – 21.7%
4. Shipping papers – 2 – 8.7%
5. Markings – 1 – 4.3%

(Courtesy of Leo Barros)