The Fleet AdvantEDGE

A week of intensified traffic safety enforcement  - Operation Safety Week - is approaching!  

This program launched in 2007 by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) in partnership with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and with the support from industry and transportation organizations, was established to help reduce the number of crashes, deaths and injuries resulting from crashes involving all type of motor vehicles, including commercial trucks, buses and cars.  

What do you think the most important operating component of a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) is?  Although there are many components, the most important one is the part that makes the equipment stop - the brakes!!!!! It is critical that brakes operate properly at all times to ensure safety.  The braking system on CMV’s is designed for tough conditions, but like anything, it must be inspected and maintained carefully and consistently.  By doing this, the brake system will operate properly throughout the life of the truck.

Brake Fleet Safety Week was established in 1998 as an annual outreach and enforcement campaign with the goal of improving CMV brake safety and awareness throughout North America.  More than 3.4 million brakes have been inspected since the program’s inception. 

The CVSA (Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance) is an international organization that is comprised of motor carrier safety officials at local, state and Federal levels as well as trucking industry representatives in Canada, Mexico and the United States. 

Check out our quick and concise guide to all of the CVSA inspection levels to ensure your fleet safety. The most common inspections that drivers need to make themselves aware of are Level I, Level II, Level III, and Level IV inspections.

During the summer months, drivers of heavy duty trucks should be reminded of additional driving challenges that present themselves. Increased outdoor activities resulting from more daylight hours make it especially important to get plenty of rest before buckling-up in an 18-wheeler, as driver mental and visual acuity must be at peak performance. Children are out of school, increasing the number of motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians on the roadways.  Additionally, summertime is when most roadway construction programs are initiated.  This increase in roadway activity means that a driver’s focus on fleet safety must be on-point 100% of the time to avoid accidents.  

Inspections, inspections, inspections.  From random roadside inspections to the annual CVSA (Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance) Roadcheck occurring on June 2-4 and annual CVSA Brake Safety Week (September 6-12), fleets and drivers are continually being inspected for safety practices in an effort to keep our roads safe.