CVSA Plans Level I Inspections for 72-Hour Truck Safety Blitz

During the 72-hour International Roadcheck inspection blitz scheduled for June 2019, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance will perform Level I inspections on commercial trucks and buses. The alliance uses events like this to educate truckers in Mississippi and nationwide about safety issues important to the transport industry.

Level I inspections involve a thorough evaluation of vehicles and drivers. Truck drivers must produce their CDLs, logs and Medical Examiner’s Certificates. Vehicles will undergo a complete check of brakes, lights, tires, cargo restraints, steering, and suspension. Although all systems are important for safe truck operation, the president chief of CVSA said that the organization will emphasize inspections of steering and suspension this year. Both systems require regular maintenance so that trucks can remain stable while hauling heavy loads. Steering also influences tire alignment, and problems could cause uneven tire wear that leads to tire failures.

During the inspection spree, inspectors will look at roughly 17 trucks or buses every minute across North America. The International Roadcheck event in June 2018 resulted in CVSA inspectors removing 11,897 vehicles and 2,664 drivers from service for violations. Common violations involved brakes, tires, wrong class license, and hours-of-service infractions.

Trucking companies have a responsibility to keep their fleets in good working order. Cutting corners on maintenance could be viewed as negligence when truck accidents happen. A person injured in a crash that resulted from inadequate truck maintenance might have the legal ability to recover financial damages. The services of an attorney could prove useful, especially when serious injuries limit an accident victim’s mobility. An attorney could work with an accident investigator to gather evidence about the cause of the crash. This information could convince an insurance company to pay a settlement.