CVSA Announces International Roadcheck Dates and Focus

It's That Time Again – to Plan for the CVSA International Roadcheck

With trucking companies now settled into 2021 and more passengers cars returning to the roadways after pandemic restrictions, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) has announced the dates and theme for this year's International Roadcheck – a 72-hour blitz of commercial vehicle inspections that takes place across North America.

The safety blitz will be held from May 4^th-6^th, and the focus for inspections this year are Hours of Service (HOS) and lighting.

Why HOS and Lighting Were Chosen as the Focus for 2021

It's no secret that drivers, owner/operators, and fleets are required to comply with HOS regulations. Even though these rules have come with a few exceptions for those who are providing direct relief for the Coronavirus pandemic, a truck's Electronic Logging Device, or ELD, must still be up-to-date and ready to present in the event of an inspection. According to the results of the 2020 International Roadcheck, HOS was the top driver out-of-service condition at 34.7% and resulted in 1,100 commercial vehicles being placed out of service.

Lighting violations, specifically the "lamps inoperable" violation, was the number one vehicle violation in fiscal 2020 according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and accounted for 12.24% of all vehicle violations for the 2020 International Roadcheck.

"Lamps inoperable" refers to all lighting devices, reflectors, and electrical equipment on the vehicle. A broken reflector may be a minor violation, but operating your truck with a burnout-out headlight, a broken turn signal, or a faulty brake light can be the low-hanging fruit for inspectors to stop your vehicle.

What Fleets Can Do Now to Prepare

Although this year's International Roadcheck is still a few months out, owner/operators and fleet managers would do well to prepare ahead of time.

• Standardize the pre and post-trip inspections. When you've got a load and a deadline, it's normal to want to just jump in the truck and go. The lights and brakes were fine yesterday so they're probably fine now, right? The reality is, there's no predicting when your lights or signals are going to go, and pre and post-trip inspections are necessary to find and fix these issues before the inspectors find them first.


• Don't put off lighting replacements. If you know you've got a stop tail turn light or headlight that needs replacement, or even a reflector that has probably seen better days, these should be considered critical replacements. With today's lighting technology, replacement OEM lighting is now easier than ever.


• Understand what documentation and devices you need. Make sure your truck's ELD is properly connected to the engine to monitor when the vehicle is in motion and that it's roadside view ready. Drivers will also need their CDL, medical certificate including waivers, proof of periodic inspection documents, and all load-related paperwork including bill of lading or emergency response information for hazmat shipments.

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