Truck drivers across North America are getting ready for this year’s Brake Safety Week, the annual inspection and education campaign led by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA). The initiative begins Sunday, August 24, and runs through Saturday, August 30.
Throughout the week, CVSA-certified inspectors will be stopping commercial motor vehicles to check brake systems and reinforce the importance of routine brake maintenance. The campaign has a dual purpose: to remove unsafe trucks from highways and to remind drivers, fleets, and mechanics about the role brakes play in preventing crashes.
According to CVSA, the 2025 focus will again highlight drums and rotors. “Brake drum and rotor issues may affect a vehicle’s brake efficiency,” the alliance explained in a recent statement. “Broken pieces of drums and rotors become dislodged from the vehicle and damage other vehicles or result in injuries or fatalities to the motoring public.”
Any truck or bus found with brake-related out-of-service violations or other serious safety issues will be placed out of service until repairs are made.
Last year’s Brake Safety Week gave inspectors plenty of work. More than 16,700 inspections were conducted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico in 2024. Roughly 87 percent of the vehicles passed without brake-related violations, but 2,149 trucks and buses (12.8 percent) were ordered off the road.
The data also showed that more than 63 percent of those out-of-service orders were tied specifically to brake defects. Just over 10 percent were due to steering axle brake violations. In total, 1,216 vehicles failed the 20 percent defective brakes criterion, accounting for 56.6 percent of all brake-related violations recorded.
The ultimate goal, CVSA says, is to reduce crashes by ensuring every truck and bus on the highway has brakes that work as designed. Brake Safety Week gives inspectors an opportunity to identify problems before they cause an accident and to remind drivers and carriers that consistent inspection and maintenance are key to safety.
Results from previous Brake Safety Week campaigns can be found here.
Source: Land Line Media
