Carriers are about to have an excellent opportunity to improve their CSA scores with positive inspection results during Roadcheck 2014.
Roadcheck 2014 is a cooperative program between the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) and state and provincial transportation departments in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. It is scheduled for June 3 – 5. During this 72-hour period, trained and certified officers will inspect tens of thousands of commercial vehicles and their drivers.
During Roadcheck 2013, 73,023 inspections were conducted. Of the vehicles inspected, 20.6 percent were placed out of service for mechanical problems and 4.2 percent of the drivers inspected were placed out of service. Inspectors also issued 899 seatbelt violations.
This year’s theme is “Enhancing Truck and Bus Safety and Security Throughout North America,” with an additional focus on hazardous materials.
Tom Bray, J. J. Keller’s senior transportation management editor, said carriers should use Roadcheck to their benefit.
“Your CSA scores are calculated based on your inspections and the violations on those inspections,” Bray said. “The more good inspections you have — in other words, the more inspections you have with no violations — the better your scores will be. If you can take advantage of it, Roadcheck is the perfect opportunity to pad your good inspection numbers.”
Proper preparation should include driver training on logging and hours-of-service compliance, driver vehicle inspections, and roadside inspection procedures. Carriers should also verify that all vehicles are current when it comes to routine maintenance and annual inspections.
For more information and a full line of products that can help prepare companies and drivers for Roadcheck 2014, visit jjkeller.com/roadcheck.