683 Vehicles Placed Out of Service During Unannounced Hazmat Inspection Blitz

CVSA inspectors placed 683 vehicles out of service during an unannounced hazardous materials and dangerous goods inspection initiative.

Hundreds of commercial vehicles were taken off the road after inspectors conducted an unannounced hazardous materials and dangerous goods enforcement initiative across the United States and Canada earlier this summer.

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance held the five-day inspection effort from June 8–12, placing 683 vehicles out of service. Across 5,046 inspections, that worked out to a combined vehicle out-of-service rate of 13.5%.

U.S. Inspectors Placed 500 Vehicles Out of Service

Most of the inspections took place in the United States, where enforcement personnel completed 4,122 hazardous materials inspections. Of those, 500 vehicles were placed out of service, resulting in a 12.1% rate.

Another 924 dangerous goods inspections were conducted in Canada, where 183 vehicles were placed out of service for a considerably higher rate of 19.8%.

The initiative also identified vehicles that passed without critical violations. Inspectors applied 1,187 CVSA decals to 794 power units and 393 trailers after finding no critical vehicle or specification cargo tank violations that would prevent them from qualifying for a decal.

Cargo Securement Was a Leading Out-of-Service Issue

Among the violations serious enough to sideline a vehicle, cargo securement was a recurring problem. Inspectors recorded 128 out-of-service securement violations involving conditions that could allow hazardous cargo to move and potentially damage its packaging.

When packaging is compromised, the consequences can extend beyond shifted freight. Inspectors found another 29 out-of-service violations involving leaking hazardous materials or dangerous goods packages.

Proper identification of those materials also drew attention during the initiative, with inspectors finding problems involving placards, markings and labels.

Hazard Communication Problems Led to Additional Violations

Placarding accounted for 197 violations, including 55 that resulted in an out-of-service designation. Inspectors also documented 64 marking violations, 20 of which were out of service, along with 32 labeling violations.

Those requirements communicate information about the hazards associated with the material being transported, making accurate identification important for both transportation and emergency response.

Documentation problems extended to shipping papers as well. Inspectors recorded 265 shipping paper violations, with 57 serious enough to be classified as out of service.

In the United States, another 73 violations involved required emergency response information. Those materials provide information needed to respond to a hazardous materials release, including guidance related to containment and mitigation.

Inspectors Also Found Registration and Credential Issues

The five-day effort identified several other compliance problems beyond the condition and identification of the cargo.

Inspectors recorded 47 hazardous materials registration violations, eight hazardous materials safety permit violations and 16 hazardous materials endorsement violations.

Together, the results provided a broader look at the issues inspectors encountered while examining hazardous materials and dangerous goods transportation, ranging from how cargo was secured and identified to whether the required paperwork and credentials were in place.

CVSA conducts its unannounced hazardous materials and dangerous goods initiative as part of its ongoing commercial vehicle inspection and enforcement efforts across North America.