Educating Truck Drivers and Mechanics on Brake Safety
Source: Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance web site, www.cvsa.org
Beginning August 28 and continuing through September 3, a special "educational event" entitled Brake Safety Awareness Week will take place across the U.S. and Canada at a number of truck stops and other locations where truck drivers and mechanics congregate. Brake Safety Awareness Week is part of Operation Air Brake, a larger campaign sponsored by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance to promote commercial vehicle brake safety.
Braking systems on commercial vehicles are complicated and contain many parts that need constant inspection and attention to ensure proper operation and performance. By far, brakes comprise the largest percentage of out-of-service violations that are cited during roadside inspections. Approximately 3 million roadside inspections are conducted annually throughout North America; however, the industry estimates there are several hundred million truck trips annually. We are only scratching the surface with the enforcement efforts - but safety is also about education, and we need to do more.
Brake Safety Awareness Week is an educational event. It will concentrate solely on the importance of proper commercial vehicle brake inspection, maintenance and operation. CVSA Certified inspectors will be teaming up with trucking companies, trucking associations, truck stops and brake suppliers to educate drivers and mechanics on the proper steps to take for inspecting and maintaining commercial vehicle brakes, with a special emphasis on brake adjustment.
Since this event is strictly educational, if problems are discovered during an inspection, the driver will encouraged to fix identified problems before going out on the road. Many truck stops will be offering free brake adjustments and discounts on any necessary repairs. Citations will not be issued by participating jurisdictions during this activity.
In addition to explanations of brake safety and how to avoid accidents caused by brake failure, drivers will receive educational and other helpful information to take with them, such as the CVSA brochure "Have Your Checked Your Brakes Today.", as well as the CVSA "Spot Check" brake adjustment indicators drivers can install to help measure if their brakes are in compliance.
Over the years, the need for more information and awareness for drivers and mechanics of how braking systems operate has become apparent by various research reports, information gathered in surveys, investigations and other means. For example, the National Transportation Safety Board has investigated a number of high-profile commercial vehicle crashes where they identified problems associated with brake operation, inspector and/or maintenance that contributed to the crashes.
The Brake Safety Awareness Week event is receiving acceptance by major trucking industry organizations such as the American Trucking Associations, truck stop organizations including Travel Centers of America, Ambest, Petro, Husky and trucking companies such as Landstar. "Safety is of paramount concern to motor carriers and will always be our top priority," said ATA President and CEO Bill Graves. "Caring about safety and working to improve safety on our highways is the responsible and right thing to do. We applaud CVSA on their efforts and look forward to working with them during Brake Safety Awareness Week."
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and National Transportation Safety Board also recognize the value of this event and have helped in its planning.
"In the past 30 years, the Safety Board has investigated too many accidents in which too many people have died and too many people have been injured because of poorly maintained air brakes," said NTSB Acting Chairman Mark V. Rosenker. "To save lives and reduce these accidents, the Safety Board urges truckers and truck operators to improve safety by following air brake manufacturers' installation, inspection, and test procedures during and after air brake maintenance and by making pre-trip brake adjustment inspections. It is vital for manufacturers to install visible adjustment indicators and for inspectors to examine more trucks and upgrade brake inspector qualifications" Rosenker said.