While there’s not “a major story” contained in the data compiled by Roadcheck 2014 – the annual 72-hour safety enforcement “blitz” conducted across North America and overseen by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) in the U.S. – a few positive and worrying trends are popping up that CVSA Executive Director Steve Keppler thinks trucking should keep its eye upon over the next several years.

Between June 3 and 5 this year, some 73,475 truck and bus inspections were conducted by 10,000 CVSA and FMCSA personnel at approximately 2,500 locations across North America, with 49,656 of them (some 67.6%) North American Standard Level I Inspections, which are the most rigorous kind.

Where vehicles are concerned, CVSA reported that some 18.7% were placed out-of-service (OOS), which is down from 20.6% in 2013. Out of a total of 72,415 driver-focused inspections conducted during Roadcheck 2014, 4.8% were tagged with OOS violations; a slight uptick from the 4.3% recorded last year.

On the positive side where drivers are concerned, OOS violations for hours of service (HOS) infractions dropped to 46.5%; down from 50.3% in 2013 and 2012, CVSA said. False logbook incidences also declined, falling to 13.7% from 14.8% in 2013 and 15% in 2012.

By contrast, however, he expressed concerning over a steep spike in disqualified drivers being found operating commercial vehicles, as well as those with suspended licenses. CVSA’s Roadcheck 2014 recorded 12.7% of drivers being placed OOS for disqualification, up from 10.2% in 2013 and just 4.7% in 2012, while drivers placed OOS for driving with suspended licenses reached 7.8% during his year’s event, up from 5.2% in 2013 and 4.7% in 2012.

Overall, HOS violations and false logbooks make of up 60.2% of all driver-related OOS designations, CVSA noted.

Roadcheck 2014 also placed special emphasis on hazardous materials/dangerous goods (HM/TDG) regulatory compliance. Although they represent a smaller segment of truck transportation, such shipments require special paperwork, driver credentials, vehicle safety, load securement, and hazard identification and communication, including placarding, to signify the added risks of exposure in the event of a crash, leak or fire, CVSA said.

A total of 5,738 inspections included HM/TDG during this year’s event, with 919 (16%) found with vehicle OOS violations and 172 (3%) with driver OOS violations, the goups noted.

On the equipment side, brake adjustment, brake system, plus tire/wheel issues continue to comprise the bulk of vehicle OOS placements, CVSA indicated, with those three categories responsible for 61% of all OOS designations.

Brake adjustment violations declined during Roadcheck 2014, the group noted, falling to 16.7% from 19.5% in 2013 and 17.5% in 2012. Brake system issues dropped to 29.5% from 30.1% in 2013, though that’s higher than the 27.8% recorded during 2012’s three-day blitz.

More worrisome is that tire/wheel OOS violations jumped to 13.8% during Roadcheck 2014 compared to 10.1% in 2013 and 12.8% in 2012.

As a reminder, the Annual Brake Safety Week will run Sept. 7-13.

During Brake Safety Week, commercial vehicle inspectors will conduct Level IV brake system inspections on trucks and buses throughout North America. Some Level I inspections will also be conducted.

Brake Safety week is an annual safety enforcement and outreach campaign aimed at identifying out-of-adjustment brakes and brake system violations. The inspections are done by local, state, provincial, territorial and federal motor carrier safety officials throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Brake inspections during Brake Safety Week include inspection of brake-system components to identify loose or missing parts, air or hydraulic fluid leaks, worn linings, pads, drums or rotors and other faulty brake system components.

If an inspector finds defective or out of adjustment brakes, the vehicle will be placed out of service.CMV inspectors will also be checking:

• Driver’s License
• Registration
• Low Air Warning Device
• Pushrod Travel
• Brake Linings/Drums
• Air Loss Rate (if leak is detected)
• Tractor Protection System

Last year more than 20,000 vehicles were inspected and this year the number of inspections is expected to reach 30,000. Brake Safety Week was started in 1998 and more than 3.4 million vehicles have been inspected since then.