Tag: #CVSA

CVSA Announces Dates for 2024 Human Trafficking Awareness Initiative

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) has set the dates for next year’s Human Trafficking Awareness Initiative (HTAI) for each of its three member countries. In the U.S., the initiative is scheduled for Jan. 8-12, 2024. Canada’s HTAI dates are Feb. 19-23, 2024. And in Mexico, HTAI is set for March 11-15, 2024.

CVSA’s annual five-day human trafficking awareness, outreach, identification and prevention initiative aims to educate commercial motor vehicle drivers, motor carriers, law enforcement officers and the general public about the crime of human trafficking, the signs to look for and what to do if you suspect someone is being trafficked.

According to the , human trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of people through force, fraud or deception with the aim of exploiting them for profit. Men, women and children of all ages and from all backgrounds can become victims of this crime, which occurs in every region of the world, including North America. Human traffickers often use violence, fraudulent employment agencies, and fake promises of education and job opportunities to trick and coerce their victims.

In preparation for the 2024 Human Trafficking Awareness Initiative, CVSA is offering human trafficking awareness  to its membership and working with Truckers Against Trafficking to distribute wallet cards, posters and window decals. Fill out our  to order complimentary outreach materials.

During the five-day awareness initiative in each country, CVSA jurisdictions will note human trafficking awareness and outreach efforts and projects and submit that data to the Alliance. The results will be released in summer 2024.

To find out what your jurisdiction is doing to increase human trafficking awareness,  the agency/department responsible for overseeing commercial motor vehicle safety within your state, province or territory.

The Human Trafficking Awareness Initiative is part of CVSA’s . The program seeks to reduce human trafficking throughout North America through coordinated enforcement and investigative and educational awareness measures within the commercial motor vehicle industry.

McCraren Compliance can help you understand and comply with FMCSA, USDOT and ADOT and ensure your drivers and your vehicles operate safely and efficiently.

Call us Today at 888-758-4757 or email us at info@mccrarencompliance.com to schedule your free FMCSA Compliance Assessment.

Original article published by CVSA

CVSA Releases 2023 Brake Safety Week Results

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Photo property of CVSA

Inspectors in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. conducted 18,875 commercial motor vehicle inspections Aug. 20-26 for the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) Brake Safety Week. For the weeklong inspection and enforcement initiative, inspectors focused on the brake systems and components of commercial motor vehicles and submitted brake-related data to the Alliance. Of the total vehicles inspected, 87.4% did not have any brake-related out-of-service violations.

Commercial motor vehicles are placed out of service – meaning restricted from further travel – when an inspector identifies critical vehicle inspection item violations, as outlined in the CVSA North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria.

Of the 18,875 total commercial motor vehicles inspected, 2,375 (12.6%) were removed from roadways because inspectors discovered brake-related out-of-service violations. Some examples of brake-related out-of-service violations that automatically place the vehicle out of service include broken brake drums, loose air tanks, corroded holes in a spring brake housing, inoperative tractor protection valves, etc. Service brake violations, such as cracked linings, brake adjustment or loose chambers, may combine to put the combination of vehicles out of service under the 20% brake criterion. Certain service brake violations are automatically placed out of service when found on the steering axle.

Of the 2,375 commercial motor vehicles that were placed out of service, 295 (12.4%) had steering axle brake violations, 1,127 (47.5%) had stand-alone brake violations and 1,394 (58.7%) failed the 20% defective brakes criterion, which states that a vehicle is out of service if the number of defective brakes is equal to or greater than 20% of the service brakes on the vehicle or combination. Continue reading»

McCraren Compliance can help you understand and comply with FMCSA, USDOT and ADOT and ensure your drivers and your vehicles operate safely and efficiently.

Call us Today at 888-758-4757 or email us at info@mccrarencompliance.com to schedule your free FMCSA Compliance Assessment.

Original article published by CVSA

CVSA Releases 2023 Operation Safe Driver Week Results

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Law enforcement officers in Canada and the U.S. initiated 11,448 traffic stops of commercial motor vehicle drivers and passenger vehicle drivers who were engaging in unsafe driving behaviors during the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) Operation Safe Driver Week traffic-enforcement and safe-driving awareness and educational initiative. From July 10 to 16, officers issued 4,494 tickets/citations and 5,756 warnings to drivers – commercial motor vehicle and passenger vehicle drivers combined.

A total of 4,592 warnings and 2,634 tickets/citations were given to commercial motor vehicle drivers, and officers issued 1,164 warnings and 1,860 tickets/citations to passenger vehicle drivers.

Speeding, the focus area for this year’s Operation Safe Driver Week, was a top infraction for commercial motor vehicle drivers and passenger vehicle drivers. Commercial motor vehicle drivers received 1,594 warnings and 731 tickets/citations, and passenger vehicle drivers received 625 warnings and 1,293 citations/tickets for speed-related infractions. Combined, a total of 2,219 warnings and 2,024 citations/tickets were issued for speeding.

Speeding accounts for nearly one-third of all fatalities on roadways. According to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), speeding-related fatalities increased 8% from 2020 to 2021, with 12,330 people killed in 2021 in speeding-related crashes, representing 29% of all traffic fatalities in 2021. And Transport Canada states that speeding/driving too fast accounted for 25.3% of all fatal roadway crashes in Canada in 2020.

Drivers were given warnings or issued tickets/citations for “other state/local driver violations,” which was the No. 1 reason for tickets/citations for commercial motor vehicle drivers and No. 2 for passenger vehicle drivers during this year’s Operation Safe Driver Week. “Other state/local driver violations” include such violations as no registration certificate, no proof of insurance, size and weight violations, defective equipment, etc., which are violations officers usually discover after they have pulled over a driver for another infraction. Continue reading»

McCraren Compliance can help you understand and comply with FMCSA, USDOT and ADOT and ensure your drivers and your vehicles operate safely and efficiently.

Call us Today at 888-758-4757 or email us at info@mccrarencompliance.com to schedule your free FMCSA Compliance Assessment.

Original article published by CVSA

CVSA Transitions to New Leadership for 2023-2024

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

CVSA Transitions to New Leadership for 2023-2024

Photo property of CVSA

As of Oct. 1, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) has transitioned to new leadership for 2023-2024. Col. Russ Christoferson, with the Montana Department of Transportation, is the new president of the Alliance. Capt. John Hahn, of the Colorado State Patrol, is CVSA’s vice president. And Maj. Chris Nordloh, from the Texas Department of Public Safety, moves into his three-year term as past president.

On Sept. 20, CVSA Class I Members and Class II Local Members elected Maj. Erick McGuire, with the Florida Highway Patrol, to the position of CVSA secretary. Maj. McGuire will serve one year as secretary of the Alliance, while concurrently serving as chair of the CVSA Election Committee. Then, he’ll serve one year as vice president of the Alliance and chair of the CVSA Finance Committee. The year after that, he will become CVSA’s president. After one year as president, Maj. McGuire will then serve three years as past president – making the entire obligation a six-year commitment.

In addition to the executive leadership transition, the following region changes were made:

  • Tpr. Brian Pfarrer, with the New Jersey State Police, is president of Region I. Sgt. Abraham Rosario, from the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles, is vice president.
  • Region III’s president is Lt. Mike Maytum, with the Nebraska State Patrol, and Lt. Christopher Keller, with the Michigan State Police, is vice president.
  • Krista Cull, from Newfoundland and Labrador, is Region V president. From the Saskatchewan Ministry of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety, Sgt. Mathew Austin will serve as vice president.

Continue reading “CVSA Transitions to New Leadership for 2023-2024”

AutoZone Driver Wayne Hayes Is CVSA’s 2023 International Driver Excellence Award Winner

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) is pleased to announce that professional driver Henry “Wayne” Hayes, with AutoZone, has been named this year’s International Driver Excellence Award (IDEA) winner. Hayes has driven 4.1 million safe miles during his 38-year professional driving career.

Hayes is an AutoZone regional driver who carefully navigates tight loading docks and parking lots in business districts to safely deliver auto parts to company stores. He drives, on average, hundreds of miles per day, thousands of miles a week, making deliveries in the southeast region. Hayes has made thousands of store deliveries without ever having a preventable collision, safety violation or even a speeding ticket.

“It is such an honor to receive CVSA’s International Driver Excellence Award,” said Hayes. “I realize there are many deserving drivers out there with great career records – drivers who prove their excellence in safety each and every day out on the road. I was honored to be a nominee and truly overwhelmed to be the recipient of this year’s award.”

Hayes added, “This means so much to me and my family. What an honor it is, and I am truly grateful and humbled for this opportunity.”

Hayes began his career 38 years ago when he went to work for Turner Dairy Company hauling milk and ice cream. This is where he received the driving handle, “Milkman.” Ten years later, in 1994, Hayes joined AutoZone, where he has been ever since, achieving more than 3 million safe-driving miles hauling auto parts to stores.

Continue reading “AutoZone Driver Wayne Hayes Is CVSA’s 2023 International Driver Excellence Award Winner”

More Than 7,500 Vehicles Transporting Hazardous Materials/Dangerous Goods Were Inspected During CVSA’s Unannounced Five-Day Inspection and Enforcement Initiative

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Washington, D.C. (Aug. 24, 2023) – Trained professional inspectors in Canada and the U.S. inspected 7,572 commercial motor vehicles transporting hazardous materials/dangerous goods (HM/DG) during the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) annual five-day unannounced HM/DG inspection and enforcement initiative.

Thirty-seven jurisdictions participated in this year’s HM/DG Road Blitz, which was June 12-16. A total of 8,395 packages were inspected, and inspectors discovered 2,578 HM/DG violations, of which 701 were HM/DG out-of-service violations.

Vehicles that had out-of-service HM/DG violations were removed from roadways until those violations could be corrected. Vehicles that passed a North American Standard Level I Inspection without any critical inspection violations or specification cargo tank vehicle violations were eligible to receive a CVSA decal and permitted to continue to their destination.

View the rest of the news release for much more data and information.

McCraren Compliance can help you understand and comply with FMCSA, USDOT and ADOT and ensure your drivers and your vehicles operate safely and efficiently.

Call us Today at 888-758-4757 or email us at info@mccrarencompliance.com to schedule your free FMCSA Compliance Assessment.

Original article published by CVSA

CVSA’s Brake Safety Week Is Underway

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Photo property of CVSA

Today is the first day of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) weeklong brake safety inspection, education and enforcement initiative. Commercial motor vehicle inspectors in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. will conduct inspections of commercial motor vehicles and provide brake-related inspection and violation data to CVSA. The Alliance will gather and analyze that data and release the results later this year.

In addition to brake-system inspection and violation data, inspectors will also report data on brake lining/pads and violations, the focus area for this year’s Brake Safety Week. Although some brake lining/pad issues are not automatically out-of-service vehicle violations, brake lining/pad violations still affect a motor carrier’s safety rating.

Inspectors will report data on the condition of brake lining/pads, such as cracks/voids (as per the regulations), loose or missing brake lining/pads, worn (as per the regulations) or contaminated brake lining/pads, etc.

Commercial motor vehicles that pass a Level I or V Inspection are eligible to receive a CVSA decal. A CVSA decal signals to roadside inspectors that the vehicle has been recently inspected and passed inspection (decals are valid for up to three consecutive months). This allows inspectors to focus their time on vehicles that have not been recently inspected.

Conversely, when an inspector performs an inspection and identifies critical vehicle inspection item violations, as outlined in the CVSA North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria, that vehicle will be placed out of service until those violations have been corrected.

View CVSA’s inspection procedures.

Brake Safety Week is part of CVSA’s Operation Airbrake Program, which is dedicated to improving commercial motor vehicle brake safety throughout North America.

View the results from previous brake safety campaigns.

McCraren Compliance can help you understand and comply with FMCSA, USDOT and ADOT and ensure your drivers and your vehicles operate safely and efficiently.

Call us Today at 888-758-4757 or email us at info@mccrarencompliance.com to schedule your free FMCSA Compliance Assessment.

Original article published by CVSA

CVSA Releases 2023 International Roadcheck Results

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

On May 16-18, 59,429 commercial motor vehicles were inspected in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. as part of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) 72-hour International Roadcheck inspection and enforcement initiative. Eighty-one percent of the commercial motor vehicles and 94.5% of the commercial motor vehicle drivers inspected did not have any out-of-service violations and continued en route to safely complete their runs.

Roadcheck

Photo: CVSA

Commercial motor vehicles without any critical vehicle inspection violations are eligible to receive a CVSA decal. During this year’s International Roadcheck, decals were applied to 14,032 power units, 5,814 trailers and 305 motorcoaches/buses, for a total of 20,151 decals throughout North America.

Conversely, CVSA-certified inspectors discovered at least one out-of-service violation on 19% of the vehicles inspected and, in turn, removed those 11,270 commercial motor vehicles from roadways until the out-of-service (OOS) violations were corrected. There were 17,479 vehicle out-of-service violations in total.

Inspectors also restricted 5.5% (3,256) of the commercial motor vehicle drivers inspected who were found to have at least one out-of-service driver violation, as identified in the CVSA North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria, from operating their vehicle. Those drivers were restricted from commercial travel until their out-of-service violations were addressed. There were 5,280 driver out-of-service violations in total.

A total of 116,669 violations were identified throughout the effort, which included all driver and vehicle out-of-service violations and violations that were not out of service, combined.

Each year, CVSA highlights certain aspects of the roadside inspection. This year, inspectors focused on anti-lock braking systems (ABS) and cargo securement. There were 2,975 cargo securement violations and 4,127 ABS violations – four were discovered on motorcoaches, 1,426 on power units and 2,697 on trailers.

Note: Not all cargo securement violations are out-of-service violations. The cargo securement total noted above is for all cargo securement violations – out-of-service and non-out-of-service violations combined. The cargo securement violations in table 1 are out-of-service cargo securement violations only. In addition, ABS violations are not out-of-service violations, which is why those violations are not included in table 1.  

A total of 949 safety belt violations were issued during this year’s International Roadcheck. Meaning, 1.6% of commercial motor vehicle drivers inspected were not wearing their safety belt.

Inspectors also checked commercial motor vehicles carrying hazardous materials/dangerous goods (HM/DG) to ensure they were being transported safely and compliant with federal regulations. During International Roadcheck, 2,853 HM/DG inspections were performed, and inspectors discovered 236 HM/DG-related out-of-service violations.

McCraren Compliance can help you understand and comply with FMCSA, USDOT and ADOT and ensure your drivers and your vehicles operate safely and efficiently.

Call us Today at 888-758-4757 or email us at info@mccrarencompliance.com to schedule your free FMCSA Compliance Assessment.

Original article published by CVSA

CVSA’s Operation Safe Driver Week is Underway

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Washington, D.C. (July 9, 2023) – Today is the first day of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) weeklong driver safety traffic-enforcement initiative, Operation Safe Driver Week.

Safe Driver

Photo: CVSA

Officers, troopers and inspectors throughout North America will take to roadways with keen attention to passenger vehicle drivers and commercial motor vehicle drivers who are driving unsafely. Law enforcement personnel will be alert for individuals who are speeding, driving aggressively, ignoring roadway signs, using a handheld device, intoxicated, driving distracted, etc. Drivers engaging in such behaviors will be pulled over by law enforcement and given a warning or issued a citation/ticket.

This year, the focus area for Operation Safe Driver Week will be on speeding because it continues to be a major factor in traffic deaths and injuries.

  • There were 11,258 fatal crashes in the U.S. where at least one driver was speeding, 29% of the total traffic fatalities for 2020.
  • Speeding/driving too fast accounted for 25.3% of all fatal roadway crashes in Canada in 2020.
  • In 2020, 16.4% of road crashes on Mexico’s federal highway network were attributed to excessive speed.

CVSA’s Operation Safe Driver Program aims to reduce unsafe driver behaviors through focused traffic-enforcement, driver interactions with law enforcement, and by educating commercial motor vehicle drivers and passenger vehicle drivers about ways to share the roads safely.

  • Drivers’ actions contribute to 94% of all traffic crashes.
  • In 45% of fatal passenger vehicle crashes, the drivers were engaged in at least one of the following risky behaviors: speeding, alcohol impairment or not wearing a seat belt.
  • From 2019 to 2020, fatalities in speeding-related crashes increased 17%, fatalities in alcohol-impaired driving crashes went up 14%, and unrestrained passenger vehicle occupant fatalities were up by 14%.
  • The top driver-related factors in fatal crashes involving commercial motor vehicles were speeding, impairment and distraction/inattention.

Throughout Operation Safe Driver Week, law enforcement personnel will provide warning and ticket/citation data to CVSA for each traffic-enforcement interaction. CVSA will gather that data and report the results later this year.

Another important aspect of Operation Safe Driver Week is driver-safety education, awareness and outreach. In the days leading up to and during the week, jurisdictions in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. will provide safe-driving seminars, information and resources to passenger vehicle drivers, commercial motor vehicle drivers and motor carrier safety personnel. CVSA also offers safe-driving public service announcements and resources and materials for teen and new drivers and commercial motor vehicle drivers.

View the results from previous years of Operation Safe Driver Week.

McCraren Compliance can help you understand and comply with FMCSA, USDOT and ADOT and ensure your drivers and your vehicles operate safely and efficiently.

Call us Today at 888-758-4757 or email us at info@mccrarencompliance.com to schedule your free FMCSA Compliance Assessment.

Original article published by CVSA

CVSA’s Brake Safety Week Scheduled for Aug. 20-26

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Original article published by CVSA

CVSA’s Brake Safety Week Scheduled for Aug. 20-26

Photo: CVSA

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) has scheduled this year’s Brake Safety Week for Aug. 20-26 with a focus on brake lining/pad violations.

During Brake Safety Week, commercial motor vehicle inspectors highlight the importance of brake systems by conducting inspections of their components and removing commercial motor vehicles found to have brake-related out-of-service violations from our roadways until those violations are corrected.

Throughout Brake Safety Week, CVSA-certified inspectors will conduct their usual inspections; however, in addition, they will be reporting brake-related inspection and violation data to the Alliance. CVSA will compile that data and publish a press release this fall with the results.

“The focus of this year’s Brake Safety Week is on the condition of the brake lining and pad,” said CVSA President Maj. Chris Nordloh with the Texas Department of Public Safety. “Brake lining and pad issues may result in vehicle violations and could affect a motor carrier’s safety rating.”

When inspectors conduct the brake portion of a Level I or Level V Inspection, they will:

  • Check for missing, non-functioning, loose or cracked parts.
  • Check for contaminated, worn, cracked and missing linings or pads.
  • Check for S-cam flipover.
  • Listen for audible air leaks around brake components and lines.
  • Check that slack adjusters are the same length (from center of S-cam to center of clevis pin) and the air chambers on each axle are the same size.
  • Ensure the brake system maintains air pressure between 90-100 psi (620-690 kPa) and measure pushrod travel.
  • Inspect for non-manufactured holes (e.g., rust holes, holes created by rubbing or friction, etc.) and broken springs in the spring brake housing section of the parking brake.
  • Inspect required brake system warning devices, such as anti-lock braking system (ABS) malfunction lamp(s) and low air-pressure warning devices.
  • Inspect the tractor protection system, including the bleedback system on the trailer.
  • Ensure the breakaway system is operable on the trailer.

Brake safety awareness, education and outreach are major elements of the Brake Safety Week campaign. CVSA has outlined the brake-system inspection procedure (noted above) so that drivers and motor carriers know exactly what inspectors will be checking during roadside inspections. This transparency aims to remind drivers and motor carriers to take proactive steps to ensure their commercial motor vehicles are safe and compliant with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. Improperly installed or poorly maintained brake systems can reduce the braking capacity and stopping distance of trucks or buses, which poses a serious safety risk.

CVSA’s  is dedicated to improving commercial vehicle brake safety throughout North America. The goal is to reduce the number of highway crashes caused by faulty braking systems on commercial motor vehicles by conducting roadside inspections and educating drivers, mechanics, owner-operators and others on the importance of proper brake inspection, maintenance and operation.

McCraren Compliance can help you understand and comply with FMCSA, USDOT and ADOT and ensure your drivers and your vehicles operate safely and efficiently.

Call us Today at 888-758-4757 or email us at info@mccrarencompliance.com to schedule your free FMCSA Compliance Assessment.