Hit the Brakes! OOS Trends in Commercial Fleets

We can all agree that brakes are pretty important…especially when you’re driving a 35,000-pound or more big rig with a trailer attached. Without proper braking, well, that big rig turns into a missile and—let’s just not finish that unfortunate comparison.

You’d think that everyone in the industry would be all about keeping brakes in top operating order, but as the CVSA Brake Safety Week in August of 2023 showed us, that’s not always the case. Since Brake Week 2024 is coming up (August 25-31, folks!), we figured now was a good time to review the prior results.

Last year, the inspectors zeroed in on lining and pad violations. These are an integral part of brake systems, and are often the first to show wear; your brake pad might be cracked, or contaminated, or work themselves loose (or go missing entirely!). They may also develop voids, which is a gap and not something you stare into while darkness sweeps over you.

This wasn’t a U.S.-only party, by the way. Canada and Mexico got involved, too.

Here’s what they found.

MOST TRUCKS ARE IN GOOD ORDER

According to reports, 87.4% of 18,875 trucks had no safety violations with their brakes. That’s not bad, right? Back when I was in school, that almost worked out to a B+.

(Editor’s Note: Suz, this is not about your educational history.)

Relax, Aaron, I’m making a point.

Let’s not talk about the 87.4% of trucks that have working brakes. Let’s instead focus on the 12.6% of trucks that don’t.

2,375 TRUCKS PLACED OUT OF SERVICE

Yes, you read that number right. That 12.6% may seem inconsequential on paper (er, or on a screen), but that works out to 2,375 gigantic vehicles effectively removed from the roads because their brakes were not safe.

What did these vehicles in? You can get a fuller picture in the CVSA press release, but here’s a snapshot below:

• 12.4% (295 vehicles) had steering axle brake violations
• 47.5% (1,127 vehicles) had standalone brake violations
• 58.7% (1,394 vehicles) failed the 20% defective brakes criterion

Uh, Fullbay, you might be asking, what’s a defective brake criterion?

It means a vehicle gets OOS’d if the number of defective brakes on it is greater than or equal to 20% of the brakes on the vehicle. So if 20% or more of your brakes are considered defective, you don’t belong on the road.

HOW DID CANADA AND MEXICO DO?

Canada checked 1,327 commercial vehicles, and 10% of them (134) were red-tagged for brake-related problems. Sadly, bacon and maple syrup are not suitable repair materials.

(Editor’s Note: No, you didn’t just read that.)

Meanwhile, Mexico inspected nine commercial vehicles, and placed one (11%) OOS for brake violations.

WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN?

First off, when you’re driving a huge motor vehicle, safety should 100% come first. A safe vehicle protects the driver, everyone else on the road, and—yes—whatever your big rig is hauling. Trust us, a well-maintained, safe big rig with working brakes is really good for business. Really, really good: if you get red-tagged, your score will go up (and remember, we don’t want a high safety score) and that can impact what companies hire you.

But the secondary meaning you can take from Brake Safety Week 2023 is that the Feds are serious about their inspections, and they will red-tag you if your vehicle isn’t up to scratch. Not only do you have to pay for potentially expensive repairs, you’ve also got a vehicle that can’t go back on the road until it’s repaired.

Downtime = money lost.

Here’s some good news: The CVSA doesn’t get together for brunch and randomly decide, “Aha! This shall be the week we examine brakes!” Nope—they plan out these checks at least a year in advance. In 2024, Brake Safety Week will run from August 25 to August 31. That’s just a couple weeks from now, y’all. According to Fleet Maintenance, they’ll be looking closely at pads and linings. So mark your calendars and keep those brakes in tip-top condition.

FULLBAY CAN HELP WITH THAT, Y’KNOW

Ahhh, man, here it comes—the Fullbay plug. Look, we’re shameless. We never miss a chance to share the ways we can make your life easier.

Repair shops of all stripes use Fullbay to track preventive maintenance and perform inspections. Guess what can be included during those inspections and the subsequent PM work? Brake checks…along with any other components the CVSA decides to focus on during their safety blitzes. You can even use it to perform DOT inspections!

Fullbay helps repair shops stay on top of necessary maintenance and repairs, and a properly maintained big rig is a safe big rig. And that’s what it all boils down to—safety for drivers and safety for everyone else on the road.

So keep those brakes in working order during Brake Safety Week and beyond!