Brake Safety Week 2024

Brake Safety Week is an annual event hosted by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) to ensure the safety of commercial vehicles on the road. The dates for the Brake Safety Week for 2024 are August 25-31. 

During this week-long event, certified CVSA inspectors will be conducting routine inspections of commercial motor vehicles, with a primary focus on brake systems and components. Vehicles found to have brake-related violations will be placed out of service until the issues are corrected.

Specifically, this year’s Brake Safety Week will place emphasis on the condition of brake linings and pads. Any deficiencies in these critical components may lead to violations and potentially impact a motor carrier’s safety rating.

In addition to traditional inspections, some jurisdictions will be utilizing performance-based brake testers (PBBT) to assess the braking performance of vehicles. This technology enhances the accuracy of brake system evaluations and ensures a thorough assessment.

Data collection is an essential aspect of Brake Safety Week. Inspectors capture valuable information about brake inspections and violations during the event and report it directly to CVSA. This data includes specific focus on brake linings and pads, aligning with the theme of this year’s Operation Safe Driver Week. The collected information, along with PBBT-specific data, will be analyzed by CVSA and publicly reported later in the year. By analyzing this data, the alliance aims to identify trends, improvements, and areas where further action may be required to enhance brake safety.

Brake-related violations consistently rank among the top out-of-service vehicle violations identified during roadside inspections.

2023 Brake Safety and International Roadcheck Week by the Numbers

• Of the 18,875 total commercial motor vehicles inspected in 2023, 2,375 (12.6%) were removed from roadways because inspectors discovered brake-related out-of-service violations. Some examples of brake-related out-of-service violations that automatically place the vehicle out of service include broken brake drums, loose air tanks, corroded holes in a spring brake housing, inoperative tractor protection valves, etc.
• Service brake violations, such as cracked linings, brake adjustment or loose chambers, may combine to put the combination of vehicles out of service under the 20% brake criterion.
• Six out of the top 20 violations were brake-related According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s vehicle violation data from 2023.
• 25.2% of all vehicle out of service violations during CVSA’s International Roadcheck results in 2023 were brake-system violations during that three-day inspection period.

How to prepare for Brake Safety Week

During Brake Safety Week, capacity will typically tighten in the market due to a few factors:

• Carriers may not want to risk a violation and keep a truck off the road.
• Carriers execute their own inspections to catch violations before a CVSA inspector.
• Trucks with violations will be taken off the road until the issue is fixed.

Service times can be affected as trucks will have lengthier inspections and an increased probability of a violation requiring repair.

Brake safety plays a crucial role in ensuring the well-being of all road users. By conducting thorough inspections, raising awareness and promoting proper maintenance and operation of brake systems, Brake Safety Week aims to eliminate crashes caused by brake-related issues and enhance commercial motor vehicle brake safety standards.

Stay safe!