What is the CVSA 2022 International Roadcheck?
International Roadcheck is an annual three-day event when CVSA-certified inspectors conduct compliance, enforcement, and educational initiatives targeted at various elements of motor carrier, vehicle, and driver safety.
International Roadcheck is the largest targeted enforcement program on commercial motor vehicles in the world, with nearly 15 trucks or buses inspected, on average, every minute across North America for 72 hours.
Since its inception in 1988, roadside inspections conducted during International Roadcheck have numbered more than 1.4 million. Roadcheck also provides an opportunity to educate industry and the general public about the importance of safe commercial vehicle operations and the roadside inspection program.
What is This Year’s Inspection Focus (2022)?
For the 2022 International Roadcheck, the focus will be on wheel ends. Violations involving wheel-end components historically account for about one-quarter of the vehicle out-of-service violations discovered during International Roadcheck, and past International Roadcheck data routinely found wheel-end components in the top 10 of vehicle violations.
To help drivers and motor carriers prepare for this year’s International Roadcheck, CVSA created an informational flier on wheel ends.
How Can I Prepare for This Year’s CVSA Inspection?
First, you must be prepared to pass a Level 1 North American Standard Inspection. This inspection includes:
- Examination of driver’s license
- Medical Examiner’s Certificate
- Skill Performance Evaluation (SPE) Certificate (if applicable)
- Alcohol and drugs
- Driver’s record of duty status, as required
- Hours of service
- Seat belt
- Vehicle inspection report(s) (if applicable)
- Brake systems
- Cargo securement
- Coupling devices
- Driveline/driveshaft and steering mechanisms
- Exhaust systems
- Frames
- Fuel systems
- Lighting devices (headlamps, tail lamps, stop lamps, turn signals, and lamps/flags on projecting loads)
- Suspensions
- Tires
- Van and open-top trailer bodies
- Wheels
- Rims and hubs
- Windshield wipers
Buses, motorcoaches, passenger vans, or other passenger-carrying vehicles must also examine:
- Emergency exits
- Electrical cables and systems in engine and battery compartments
- Seating
- HM/DG and specification cargo tank requirements, as applicable
HM/DG required inspection items will only be inspected by certified HM/DG and cargo tank inspectors, as applicable.
If more than 20 percent of pushrod travel on exposed pushrods cannot be measured, then the inspection would not be considered a Level I Inspection and shall be identified as a Level II Inspection. A five-axle vehicle combination with one axle not measured will still require two defective brakes to be placed out of service under the 20 percent brake criteria.
Focus on Wheel Ends
Once you are prepared and ready for the Level 1 Inspection, you’ll need to focus on Identifying any wheel-end or wheel-bearing problems you may have, as this is the area of focus. Not only will this help save drivers and carriers from hazardous driving situations, expensive roadside towing, and time-consuming, costly repairs, but it will help you pass your inspection as well.
According to the brochure provided, during the inspection of wheel ends on a commercial motor vehicle, inspectors will:
- Check for cracks or unseated locking rings, studs, or clamps
- Check for bent, cracked, or broken rims on the inside and outside wheel rims
- Check for loose, broken, missing, or damaged wheel fasteners and elongated stud holes
- Check spoke wheels for cracks across spokes and in the web area or slippage in the clamp areas
- Check the hub for lubricant leaks, missing caps or plugs
- Check the inner wheel seal for leaks
- Check the tire and valve stem for leaks
- Check for proper inflation, cuts, and bulges on all tires, including the inside tire on a dual-set
- Check for regrooved tires on the steering axle
- Check tread wear and measure major tread groove depth
- Inspect the sidewall for improper repairs, such as tire plugs
- Check for exposed fabric or cord
- Check for tire contact with any part of the vehicle
- Check for markings on the tire that would exclude its use on a steering axle.
- Check for debris between the tires
- Check for tires touching one another or any part of the vehicle
What Was the Focus in Previous Years?
- 2015 – Cargo securement
- 2016 – Tire Safety
- 2017 – Cargo securement
- 2018 – Hours-of-service compliance
- 2019 – Steering and suspension systems
- 2020 – The driver requirements component of a roadside inspection
- 2021 – Checking hours-of-service documentation and paying close attention to vehicle lighting during inspection
Who is the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA)?
CVSA is an international not-for-profit organization of local, state, provincial, territorial, and federal motor carrier safety officials and industry representatives from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Their mission is to promote commercial motor vehicle safety and security by providing leadership to enforcement, industry, and policymakers.
CVSA sponsors International Roadcheck with participation by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators, Transport Canada, and the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation (Mexico).
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