CVSA Inspections Starts - "Brake Safety Week" August 23-29th, 2020
The CVSA – Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance is set to begin “Brake Safety Week” beginning Sunday, August 23 through Saturday, August 29. The CVSA enforcement officials start to inspect commercial motor vehicles and here’s what you need to know to be prepared.
Vehicles that are found to have any type of critical out-of-service (OOS) brake violations will be restricted from traveling until those violations are corrected.
CVSA says that inspectors will be paying special attention to brake hoses/tubing in an effort to highlight the “importance of those components to vehicle mechanical fitness and safety.” per Transportation Nation. This includes cracked tubing and hose chafing.
Inspectors have been equipped with specific brake inspection sheets depicting the various levels of hose wear. The various levels of the hose condition can place a truck out of service. But the good news, according to Mark Rhea, an independent transportation professional, is that it’s an easy, inexpensive fix and easy to spot. “It’s usually caused by dangling on the deck plate and the movement of air hoses over the deck plate,” Rhea said. “It’s very easy to find and fix.” (Trucknews.com)
Did you know, there are 64,000 out-of-service vehicles annually related to brakes that cost an average $400 and 4 hours to repair?
It’s important to make sure all truck brake hoses/tubing are properly attached, undamaged, without leaks and appropriately flexible.
Ready to start inspecting your brakes to be prepared? Here’s a helpful INSPECTIONS CHECKLIST for you.
“4 Inspection Items to Look for During Brake Repairs”
- Automatic Slack Adjusters (ASA)
- Check for same length and design by axle
- Look for out of adjustment (Main Failure for ASA’s)
- Measure brake stroke, but do not manually adjust
- Brake Shoes & Drums
- Check for lining thickness, cracks or oil/grease
- Drum wear, scored or heat-checked drums
- Find YOUR right shoe and drum combination (Varies by vocation)
- S-Cams
- Look for missing components
- Check cam bushings & tubes
- Look for excess wear on cam head and rollers
- Lube as needed
- Chambers & Spring Brakes
- Same type by axle (T24, NOT T24L)
- Push rod stroke within industry limits
- Check for visible damage to push rod
Do you have brake inspection questions? Don’t hesitate to contact us!
