What’s This About Roadchecks?
The CVSA 2024 International Roadcheck is an annual event organized by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) aimed at promoting commercial vehicle safety. During this event, inspectors across North America conduct inspections on commercial vehicles, focusing on critical safety items to ensure compliance with regulations. Typically, the International Roadcheck involves:
- Safety Inspections: Vehicles are checked for compliance with safety regulations, including driver qualifications, vehicle maintenance, and equipment functionality.
- Public Awareness: The event serves to raise awareness about the importance of vehicle safety and the role of proper inspections.
- Focus Areas: Each year, there may be specific focus areas or themes, such as specific vehicle components or safety practices.
The event usually spans 72 hours and involves thousands of inspections, helping to enhance road safety and encourage adherence to safety standards in the trucking industry.
Impact on U.S. Trucking
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) 2024 Roadcheck results can have significant implications for U.S. truckers. Here are some key impacts:
- Regulatory Scrutiny: If the results indicate elevated levels of violations or safety concerns, there may be increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies. This could lead to more frequent inspections and a stricter enforcement of regulations.
- Operational Adjustments: Trucking companies may need to adjust their operations based on the findings. If certain types of violations are highlighted, companies might need to enhance training for drivers or invest in better maintenance practices.
- Insurance Implications: Higher violation rates could lead to increased insurance premiums for trucking companies. Insurers may view poor compliance as a higher risk, impacting overall operational costs.
- Industry Reputation: Negative findings can affect the public perception of the trucking industry, potentially leading to calls for stricter regulations and oversight, which could impact business operations.
- Driver Behavior: Results might influence driver behavior, encouraging them to prioritize safety and compliance to avoid penalties and ensure smoother operations.
- Future Planning: The data can help trucking companies plan for future safety initiatives, training programs, and investments in technology to improve compliance and safety performance.
Overall, the CVSA Roadcheck results serve as a barometer for industry safety and compliance, influencing various aspects of trucking operations in the U.S.
Results That Speak for Themselves
In the U.S. alone, CVSA-certified inspectors performed 42,332 inspections this year (CVSA, 2024).
The top five vehicle out-of-service violations in the U.S. during the event were defective service brakes (26.5%), tires (22.1%), other brake violations (16.4%), lights (12.0%), and cargo securement (8.8%) (CVSA, 2024).
When it came to driver at-fault violations causing an out-of-service violation to be issued in the U.S., the top category was hours of service (32.3%), followed by No CDL (25.9%), No Medical Card (11.6%), False Logs (10.8%), and Suspended DL/CDL (5.3%) (CVSA, 2024).
A total of 7,930 vehicle combinations and 2,151 drivers were put out of service in the U.S. during the 2024 International Roadcheck.
While most of these results were predictable based upon previous year’s data, what was surprising was the decrease in the number of inspections conducted overall (in total, 48,761 inspections were conducted this year versus 59,429 in 2023).
Some in the trucking industry are already wondering why the decrease in inspections, especially when you look at the year-over-year trend (in 2022, a total of 59,026 were conducted in North America) (Hume, 2024). The lack of certified-CVSA agents is the top consideration for the declining trend. Will this trend continue? We will all just have to wait and see what next year’s 2025 results show!
How We Can Help
When we first looked at this year’s results, we immediately asked ourselves how we could help U.S. truckers and make a positive impact in the U.S. trucking industry. We have always stood behind our products and services and are dedicated to delivering the highest quality products for an honest price while providing outstanding customer service.
Cargo Securement – High-quality cargo equipment does more than secure a load. It also provides carriers and customers with peace of mind in knowing that goods will remain safe during transit. Verduyn Tarps carries a full assortment of products and accessories used to keep shipments locked down and protected while on the road, including winch and tie-down straps, ratchet strap assemblies, strap winders and ratchets, and chains and binders…plus, so much more! With help from our extensive product offerings, drivers will have a much easier time keeping their loads safe and legal.
Keeping our U.S. truckers safe is a top priority at Verduyn Tarps. We invite you to roll on up to one of our two U.S. locations to see our large assortment of cargo equipment and trucking accessories, today!
