The results are in from this year’s Brake Safety Week, an annual campaign that’s part of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) Operation Airbrake program. The purpose of this event is to reduce brake-related crashes on the road and raise awareness regarding the importance of brake maintenance and efficiency.
What Is Brake Safety Week?
During this week-long initiative—which took place from Aug. 24-30 this year—commercial vehicle inspectors across North America aim to identify and remove unsafe commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) from roadways.
Specifically, CMVs are inspected throughout this event for critical, brake-related violations outlined in the CVSA’s North American out-of-service criteria. CMVs with such violations are placed out of service and required to be removed from roadways until the necessary vehicle adjustments or repairs are made.
This Year’s Results
Here are some of the key findings from this year’s Brake Safety Week:
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A total of 13,700 inspections took place throughout the United States during this year’s event. Of these inspections, 2,035 (14.9%) CMVs were placed out of service due to critical, brake-related violations.
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The leading cause for out-of-service status was when 20% or more of the CMV’s service brakes were found to be defective. This accounted for more than 1,199 violations, representing a 52% out-of-service rate among those cited.
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Inspectors gathered targeted information on brake lining and pad issues during the inspection initiative. Their findings included 113 documented violations related to drums and rotors, resulting in 39 commercial motor vehicles being taken out of service. These violations involved damaged or corroded rotors and drums found in air disc, S-cam and hydraulic braking systems.
Other brake violations included:
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Other brake system issues: 375 violations
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Brake hoses and tubes: 306 violations
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Steering axle problems: 199 violations
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Excessive air loss rate: 100 violations
Additionally, 15 states conducted 528 inspections using performance-based brake testers. Of those, 25 vehicles (4.7%) failed to meet the required 43.5% braking efficiency and were placed out of service.
Next year’s Brake Safety Week is scheduled for Aug. 23-29, 2026. For additional commercial fleet resources and risk management guidance, contact us today and check out our trucking blog.
