You’ve got one week before one of the biggest inspection events of the year kicks off. The question is: will you and your truck be ready when the inspectors come knocking?
From May 12 to 14, enforcement personnel across North America will be out in force for the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s International Roadcheck. During this three-day event, commercial motor vehicles and drivers will be inspected for compliance with vehicle, cargo, and driver safety regulations.
Most inspections will take place at weigh stations, inspection stations, and temporary pop-up inspection sites. Inspectors will mainly conduct the North American Standard Level I Inspection, a detailed 37-step process that looks at both the driver’s operating requirements and the truck’s mechanical condition.
For the driver portion, inspectors will review items such as the driver’s qualifications, license, record of duty status, medical examiner’s certificate, seat belt use, skill performance evaluation certificate if applicable, and Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse status. They will also be watching for any signs of alcohol or drug impairment.
For the vehicle portion, inspectors will take a close look at brake systems, cargo securement, coupling devices, driveline and driveshaft components, the driver’s seat, fuel and exhaust systems, frames, lights, steering, suspension, tires, wheels, rims, hubs, and windshield wipers.
In other words, this is not the week to hope that squeaky brake, missing light, or questionable log entry somehow goes unnoticed.
Each year, Roadcheck puts extra attention on one driver violation category and one vehicle violation category. This year’s driver focus is electronic logging device tampering, falsification, or manipulation.
During an inspection, officers will review the driver’s record of duty status as usual, but they will be paying special attention to false or manipulated entries and signs of ELD tampering.
And there is a reason for the focus. Last year, falsification of record of duty status was the second most-cited driver violation, with 58,382 violations. On top of that, five of the top 10 driver violations were related to hours of service or ELDs.
So, with Roadcheck right around the corner, now is the time to make sure your paperwork, logs, ELD, and equipment are all in order. A little preparation now could save you from a very long conversation at the inspection station later.
