During the CVSA International Roadcheck, CVSA-certified inspectors will be on the road conducting roadside inspections and monitoring safety. Is your fleet prepared?
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 CVSA International Roadcheck has been postponed. The CVSA Operation Safe Driver Week will continue as scheduled September 9-11, 2020.
CVSA International Roadcheck 2020
The 2020 Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) Roadcheck is a three-day enforcement initiative designed to promote commercial motor vehicle (CMV) safety. During this period, CMV inspectors across North America will conduct roadside inspections on CMVs and drivers to ensure safety and compliance.
Each year, the 2020 CVSA Roadcheck highlights a certain aspect of CMV safety. The roadcheck will be focusing on the driver requirements category of the North American Standard Level I Inspection. This is divided into driver operating requirements and vehicle mechanical fitness.
According to the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), of the 3.36 million inspections conducted in 2019, 944,794 driver violations were discovered, and over 195,000 CMVs were in out-of-service conditions.
Drivers and vehicles found with critical violations during this year’s roadcheck may be placed out of service until the issues are corrected. Now is an excellent time to review inspection procedures with your drivers and stress the importance of maintaining a safe vehicle.
Preparing for the Roadcheck
The best way to prepare for any CVSA Roadcheck is by implementing procedures in your fleet management system that allow you to keep your vehicle in a safe operating condition. While you may have certain procedures in place, like vehicle inspections, there are many ways to maximize the efficiency of your fleet management system and improve fleet safety.
Maintaining compliance begins with inspections, specifically Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports (DVIR), but traditional paper inspection forms are inefficient and error-prone. Paper reports can be difficult to keep up with, causing drivers to be unable to prove compliance.Â
Issues reported on paper DVIR can’t be communicated with managers quickly. This not only slows down the repair process, but critical issues may lead to violations during the 2020 CVSA Roadcheck.
Switching to a digital system for DVIR and other vehicle inspections increases efficiency and allows your drivers to easily prove compliance. With Electronic DVIR (eDVIR), drivers can conduct vehicle inspections in the field through a mobile app. Results are uploaded immediately, alerting managers to issues and creating a complete record of inspection history.
eDVIR employs the use of clicks and swipes, allowing drivers to perform fast, thorough inspections, as well as add photos and comments to improve clarity. Fleet managers can leverage this inspection data in real-time to schedule maintenance and spot trends across their fleet.
With one of the main aspects of CVSA Level I Inspections being vehicle inspection reports, the use of an app to compile and store inspection data provides an organized way to view inspection history and prove compliance.
Tips for Managing Driver Safety and Compliance
Because the 2020 CVSA Roadcheck will be putting a special emphasis on driver requirements, now is a great time to evaluate your driver management system. Taking small steps to ensure driver safety and compliance can be the difference in your fleet passing inspections or being out-of-service due to violations.
Cultivating driver safety begins with stressing the importance of compliance with new hires, as well as seasoned drivers. Consider having a training session centered on basic reminders such as always carrying proper licenses and certificates in their vehicles. All necessary documents can be stored in fleet management software, allowing on-demand access via a mobile device.Â
Tracking driver behavior and productivity is another great way to manage driver safety by monitoring road behavior and productivity. As fleets are now accustomed to the FMCSA electronic logging device (ELD) mandate, all CMVs should have ELDs installed. These devices allow managers and CVSA officials to verify hours of service compliance.
Many ELDs have telematics capabilities, allowing you to track driver productivity. Integrating a telematics device into fleet management software augments your level of fleet visibility and provides real-time data on the safety of your drivers and CMVs.
When preparing for the 2020 CVSA Roadcheck, be sure to evaluate your current fleet management system and find areas of improvement. A robust fleet management software is the best route towards maximizing driver visibility, maintaining FMCSA compliance and improving fleet processes.
December 18, 2020 Update
CVSA Roadcheck 2020 Results
On December 17, 2020, the CVSA released the results of the CVSA International Roadcheck. During the Roadcheck, CVSA-certified inspectors conducted 26,451 Level I Inspections, 11,224 Level II Inspections, 11,364 Level III Inspections and 1,112 Level V Inspections across North America.
There were a total of 12,254 out-of-service vehicle violations from Canada, Mexico and the U.S. combined. Of those, the five most common types of violations were:
- Brake System
- Tires
- Lights
- Cargo Securement
- Brake Adjustments
As mentioned earlier, the 2020 International Roadcheck put special emphasis on the driver requirements portion of the roadside inspection. Drivers may be placed out of service due to violations related to the driver’s age, licenses and permits, physical requirements, record of duty status or substance abuse.
There were 3,274 critical driver violations in North America during this period. Over 34% of these violations were for hours of service.
Fleet managers can leverage this data when communicating with their drivers when discussing the importance of safety and compliance. Avoiding violations and following protocols is essential to the safety of your drivers, assets and the public. The next International Roadcheck is scheduled for May 4-6, 2021.
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