The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) has announced Aug. 23-29 as this year’s Brake Safety Week, a seven-day focused inspection and enforcement initiative. Throughout that week, inspectors in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. will conduct routine commercial motor vehicle inspections with a focus on brake systems and components. Vehicles with brake-related out-of-service violations, or any other out-of-service violations, will be removed from roadways until those violations are corrected. Last year the out-of-service rate was 15.1%, and in 2024 the rate was 13%.
Brake drums and rotors are the emphasis for this year, although all parts of the brake system will be inspected. In addition to a visual inspection, some inspections will include Performance Based Brake Testers (PBBT). A PBBT is a machine that assesses the braking performance of a vehicle. This is done through direct measurements of the brake forces at each wheel end, axle or for the entire vehicle. PBBT devices include roller dynamometers (roller-dyno) and flat plate brake testers. Each device can determine brake forces without restriction to the brake type (disc vs. drum) or energy supply (air, hydraulic or electric). U.S. federal regulations and the North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria require a minimum braking efficiency of 43.5%. If a vehicle’s braking efficiency is below 43.5%, the brakes are not providing the minimum stopping power required and are in need of service.
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